Why breaking rules is not bad all the time?

Right from our childhood and schooling, we are trained to comply. The instructions have largely come to us as Do’s and Dont’s and they form a big list. They are based on the norms defined by parents, teachers, society ….

Over time, they are the rules for us to live with. Often we are so subsumed that we do not even think of breaking a rule or even when we decide to break, we do so with a sinful feeling.

This schema for us worked well in Taylorian World of business. The entire focus was to make people work without deviating based on the division of labour to attain maximum efficiency in operations.

“What we are all looking for, however, is the readymade, competent man; the man whom someone else has trained. It is only when we fully realize that our duty, as well as our opportunity, lies in systematically cooperating to train and to make this competent man, instead of in hunting for a man whom someone else has trained, that we shall be on the road to national efficiency.”
F W Taylor
The Principles of Scientific Management

Now we live in a world that is Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic and Ambiguous, popularly known as VUCA. The rules in this world are evolving every moment. The existing rules are becoming meaningless. 

In a way,  

The RULES are now Perishable. The Obsolescence Rate of Rules is on the rise.
Subramaniam P G

We have seen organisations like Netflix that are examples of not only disruptive in business but also in people and culture.

Netflix’s culture promotes freedom and responsibility and helps employees innovate and adapt. Netflix has what Hastings calls a “no rules rules” culture. They value “innovation over efficiency” and “people over process.”

The “Culture of Innovation” and “Culture of Excellence” (in a conventional sense) are at two ends. The chances of them meeting is rare. 

In VUCA world we need both. Some ways to keep both are 

  1. Be agile rather be quick in changing rules
  2. Create pockets of excellence that will thrive on “no rule” regime
  3. Keep the routine operations with discipline to get the best efficiency

This is not easy but are we not as human race creative enough to find ways that will give us the best of both world.

“There are no real rules, so make rules that work for you.”
Time Ferris
Tools of Titans