Some rules seem meaningless.
Sometimes they were designed carefully.
Sometimes they made sense in the past.
Sometimes they were decided casually and remained.
Sometimes they benefit only certain people.
So it is not always easy to judge whether a rule is good or bad.
But in workplaces, the most dangerous situation is often not a bad rule.
It is having no rule, and then being judged afterward.
Even a Bad Rule Can Be Discussed
If a rule exists, people can discuss it.
They can say:
- this deadline is too short
- this format no longer fits the work
- this approval step is unnecessary
- this condition is outdated
- this rule puts too much burden on one person
A visible rule can be criticized.
A visible rule can be improved.
A visible rule can be revised.
That is why even an imperfect rule can be useful.
It creates a place to stand.
A Temporary Rule Is Scaffolding
A temporary rule does not have to be perfect.
It only needs to make the work visible.
For example:
- use data reflected in the source by the fifth business day of the month
- uncertain entries are handled next month
- use the source data labels as they are
- label conversion requires a defined rule
This kind of rule may be rough.
But once it exists, exceptions become visible.
Then the team can improve it.
A temporary rule is scaffolding.
No rule is a swamp.
No Rules Are Not Neutral
A workplace without rules may look flexible.
But in reality, no rules often create power imbalance.
When there is no standard, decisions are made by:
- the loudest person
- the most senior person
- the angriest person
- the most troublesome person
- the person who can blame others afterward
No rules do not create freedom.
No rules create loud-person rule.
In other words, no rules allow the workplace equivalent of a “Giant monkey” to dominate.
The Real Problem: After-the-Fact Evaluation
When there is no rule, workers are forced to guess.
Then, after the fact, they are told:
- that is not what I meant
- you should have known
- you lack understanding
- you lack ownership
- you should have considered the downstream process
This is not management.
This is after-the-fact evaluation.
The real issue is not the worker’s attitude.
The real issue is undefined rules.
How to Judge Whether a Rule Is Bad
To evaluate a rule, ask:
- What is its purpose?
- What background created it?
- Does the original assumption still hold?
- Who benefits from it?
- Who bears the cost?
- Can it be revised?
- Is there a review timing?
A temporary rule becomes bad when it cannot be reviewed.
A rough rule that can be improved is still useful.
A rule that cannot be changed becomes garbage.
But no rule at all can be worse.
Conclusion
A bad rule can be improved if it is visible.
A temporary rule can become a starting point.
But no rule creates a swamp.
No rule allows the loudest person to define what is “normal.”
So the goal is not to create perfect rules from the beginning.
The goal is to create visible rules that can be improved.
Temporary rules are scaffolding.
Undefined work is a swamp.
No rules create Giant-monkey rule.
