“We can only draw the simple after having a thoroughly studied the complex.” (Bachelard, 2003). Too often, the medicines are administered without a thorough diagnosis of the situation, so they do not necessarily have the desired effect. This study introduced a deep diagnosis of causes of problems in public administration. It is based on the theory of constraints made between 2006 and 2010 within 12 administrations.
After an overview of the literature concerning the problems in public administrations, this article introduces methodology to identify the root causes of problems and to make a difference in the symptoms. The diagnosis highlights the recurrent causes of problems like: a lack of human resources management, the absence of a clear definition of rules, or the difficulty in implementing new legislation. Some emergent causes stem from the recent evolution in an evolution of environment. Some problems could come from
cultural aspects too.