Rules

Law would have been a bad choice for a career change. At least that's a preliminary conclusion that I've made from reading my business law textbook. I wrote a brief for a case that hinged on whether or not a golf cart changes the nature of competition in a golf tournament. This mattered because the American's with Disabilities Act requires accommodations to the disabled as long as the nature of the event is not fundamentally altered. Were the rules followed? The law set the rule and lawyers and judges had to come in to determine if the rule was followed.

I hate the tedium of close adherence to arbitrary rules simply for the sake of following the rule. The rule becomes absolute no matter the context or the need. Being compliant for compliance sake replaces consideration of an appropriate action based on circumstances. Following the rules becomes the goal rather than seeking to achieve something worthwhile in the most appropriate manner. The richness of experience becomes a myopic fixation on meeting every aspect of a checklist. The action replaces the experience in import.

The procedure must be followed for the simple reason that the procedure is always followed. I'm working on getting some methods that we developed in my lab into the QC lab of a plant. The plant is begging for product specifications. Why do they need them? Because that's the procedure. Why are product specs part of the method transfer procedure? They don't care, at least they haven't cared enough to tell us. I had to ask somebody who used to work in the plant why they needed them. His explanation made sense. Had they told me that they need specifications to confirm that the method provides appropriate data, I would have a reason to provide that information. Just doing it so another item can be checked off the list doesn't help me see how my actions facilitate their process.

Rules take away too much of our freedom. They train us to seek our instructions on appropriate behavior for every situation. Rather than thoughtfully considering the specifics of a situation and how to react appropriately, our reliance on rules prompts us to seek a check-list. The most read post at the HBR blogs the last few days has been a post on how to set and achieve goals. You could call it a post on the rules to follow if you want to be successful. Adherence to the rules limits options. Limiting options shields somebody from a new experience that could provide a critical insight into a pressing problem. Rules provide comfort, but comfort is safe. Safe is easy. Easy is the fastest way to an empty mediocrity.