01 / Why
See where bureaucracy gets in the way
Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini developed the Bureaucratic Mass Index (BMI) to gauge the burden of bureaucracy. It covers management layers, internal administration, decision speed, team autonomy and other aspects of everyday work.
Use the result to compare experiences with colleagues. When you’re ready to discuss what to change, continue with The Management Shift.
Adapted from the original BMI survey in Humanocracy. © 2020 Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini.
02 / Survey
Answer the ten questions
Choose one answer per question based on your experience in the part of the organisation you know best.
03 / Discussion
Your BMI score
Answer all ten questions to see your score and download your results.
How does your score compare?
In the original cross-industry survey by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini, more than 10,000 people took part and the average was 65 out of 100. The survey included organisations of different sizes and people in roles ranging from frontline staff to executives.
Higher scores indicate more bureaucratic drag. The average gives you a reference point for discussion. A score below 65 can still mask a serious problem in one area, so look at which questions scored highest and bring examples of where work slowed down.
| Topic | Points out of 10 |
|---|
Which answers would your colleagues rate differently? Compare specific examples before deciding what to change.
Bring this to your next management meeting
Take the survey independently, then compare your scores and the examples behind them.