Use and abuse of the word governance

Perhaps I am getting too crabby, but I have come to detest the use - more properly the misuse - of the word governance.

I first became aware of the word in a private sector context. Here we were talking about the way a board governed a company. Since then, the word has spread across every sector and downwards in organisations to cover a wide variety of activities.

The difficulty with the present use of the word lies in its broad application independent of circumstance to the point that it has in fact become confusing and misleading.

To illustrate what I mean, take the use of the word in a project context. We now talk of project governance when we actually mean project management arrangements.

As I said, I may just be getting crabby. But it does annoy me!