First rule of a bureaucracy is to sustain itself.

When I started as a productivity consultant (hatchet man) back in the '80s, my boss walked me through a perspective client's offices and when we got to the far end asked me how much savings could we make? I struggled to answer - He had already done the calculations and nominated the people in the office on make work and where systems and structures could rid (rid) the company of middle management adding nothing of value.

A real eye opener and the tools and techniques shown to me then took me into different areas of work where we can add value and not simply be self-serving, self referencing in the pursuit of Mammon