We have a neighborhood pool … great on hot Texas summer days!
To get a key to open the gate, you must sign a document agreeing with the rules. One of the rules is that the pool is closed on Tuesdays for cleaning. There’s even a big sign right next to the gate: “Pool closed on Tuesday for cleaning.”
Yet almost every Tuesday there are people using the pool. As far as I can tell, this rule (and several other pool rules) are ignored all the time.
The reasons for ignoring the rules vary.
The primary reason the rules continue to be disregarded don’t vary.
There appears to be no accountability if the rule isn’t followed. No action by the homeowner’s association or anything.
The same happens in organizations.
Someone makes a “rule.”. Someone may break the rule.
If nothing happens, then it is confirmation in the rule breaker’s mind that the rule didn’t really matter. That the rule was arbitrary. Put there for no real reason other than the rule maker wanted to … or for some obscure legal reason.
Therefore, compliance is arbitrary … subject to a person’s discretion to obey just like it was subject to a person’s discretion to make the rule.
The first effect of this is obvious … following any organization rule, policy, or even values are up to each person. Leadership direction gets the same treatment. Alignment erodes. Every person doing whatever they want to do doesn’t make for a successful organization.
The more insidious effect?
Employees will assume the “rule maker” (usually leaders/managers) doesn’t care about anything, including employees. Then employees will care less. “Engagement” drops. So does trust since arbitrariness – randomness when extreme – erodes confidence and trust.
You *can* climb out of the low engagement hole.
And you don’t need big, expensive transformation programs or an army of consultants to start.
Brooke Coleman and I hosted a live training and Q&A session on reasons why engagement is a problem and what to do about it … including a quick way to start right away.
If you want to see the video before we post it on YouTube, contact us.
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