How to Encourage Employees to Break the Rules

What drives workplace rule-breaking and when it’s worth encouraging it

Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash

There are two types of companies: the ones that compel employees to follow the rules and those that encourage people to break them. The first seeks compliance, the latter innovation. The problem with a binary approach to rules is that it divides people into two camps– you are either a conformist or a rebel.

Organizations need shared norms to function smoothly, but rules often hinder creativity and innovation. Dumb, rigid workplace rules limit people’s ability to solve problems or better serve customers. Leaders expect employees to go above and beyond, but their rules promote conformism.

On the other hand, many leaders encourage employees to break the rules – just like startups do. They believe the only way to innovate and disrupt a business is to rebel. However, this approach often backfires. Employees end up breaking the rules just for the sake of it. Or, even worse, for personal gain.

The opportunity lies in finding the right balance. In this post, I will ex…