Over the past years, I heard a lot of rants and arguments against the creation of “rules.” This image (&message) does a great job of nailing the rub and root cause – the conflict between behaviors and values.
Think about it… instead or creating rules to curtail unwanted behaviors, how can your organization use and promote values to encourage positive interactions. It's got me thinking, how about you?
5 comments:
Interesting concept. I am the sort that thinks it's always a big drag when the rules come out.
Sometimes, though, setting the parameters with a policy opens doors for great things. When people do not know the doors they can walk through, they tend to stay still. I remember once learning something about canon law versus germanic law. Germanic (the kind of approach with which we are most familiar) says "thou shalt not" but canon law says "everything is all okay so long as you don't...". There's something appealing about the canonical approach. Rules that are, in fact, boundaries or parameters kind of help set the stage and keep things positive.
In terms of staff, ideally, we can inspire them to come from a place where they understand the value they bring to the organization and want to act in its best interest. I'd like to think we can get there and then we can have guidelines to help with consistency instead of rules that must be followed. As for patrons, if the right atmosphere is created, most people will choose the appropriate behavior. I think that atmosphere starts with the staff and how welcoming the building is upon arrival. When people feel well treated, they are more likely to be reasonable and appreciative.
A thought provoking piece of article. This conflict has been going on ages and hence the need to lay down rules to discipline the behaviour.
Being clear about values is important, sure (although being honest about what those values really are is more so). I think more important than both is being able to see beyond behaviours to the needs from which they arise and being able to address those needs.
Never heard it put this way, but it makes so much sense. Love it. So, if we create higher values in people, we would need fewer rules.
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