R for Rutine (procedure, method)
16. 10. 2024
Custom, ritual, routine, procedure, method … are words that basically mean the same thing, but they are used in different fields, for different purposes, in different cultures, at different times. Basically, I realized how rituals are part of our everyday life, yet we don’t even notice them, whereas in the case of the unusual (if you can call a wedding reception that), ritual becomes important and noticeable. And how noticeable. Of course, the whole ritual was beautiful, wonderfully beautiful.
Humans are creatures of ritual (routine) and anything outside this ritual distracts us. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It leads us into a state of insecurity. It is not a normal thing. It is not routine. All our lives we somehow arrange a ritual for ourselves. To make us comfortable, to make us feel safe, to make us fulfill ourselves to the best of our ability. And yet, life is something else. It is a constant learning of something new, a constant discovery of something we don’t know. Everything we don’t know can be interesting, exciting and something that someone wants to make the most of, whereas for others it can be stressful, tiring, uncomfortable and they don’t want to learn about the unknown. I would say that most of us are more like second one, who do not want big unknowns, big shocks, big changes. But we all know the well-known saying that the only constant in life are the changes that nobody really wants. But they are, and they will always be. The whole existence of humanity is based on one such ritual, birth. Who can say that he is ready for the arrival of a child. Who? This school does not exist, at least not with the first child. Others who have had this experience can tell you a lot, but yours is completely different, completely new.
Many people have a rhythm to their lives, a ritual. Pay attention on an ordinary day, how many (small) rituals you really have. A day is made up of small rituals that in the end make for a fulfilled day. Just how you get up in the morning can mean a lot. The wrong routine can ruin the whole day. Or on the other hand, one sleepless night can mean a ruined week. One stressful event can mean a ruined month, or even a ruined year. Man is made for routine. Just pay attention to how little things that are not what you wanted, expected or even anticipated ruin your day (at least for most people). When we are young, this is not so pronounced, but the older we get, the more we are “distracted” (in a way) by things that are not what they should be. Even though, at some moments, we don’t even know what is wrong. It’s all because of the routines we are used to, the patterns that are imprinted in our brains. And everything outside of that, distracts us. It distracts us so much of the time that we don’t master the new routine. That we don’t imprint the new routine in our brains. And we do it like children. We are taught what and how so that we can remember these patterns and use them later in life.
Perhaps the most beautiful and well-known example is the so-called first aid. All our lives we are constantly taught how to do things so that when we really need it, we can use it. Without much thought and, more interestingly, without really thinking. My own experience speaks exactly about this. A few years ago, I was helping a neighbor in the middle of the night. And I always have to think about which number to call (whether it’s 112 or 113, because in Slovenia 113 is the police and 112 is emergency). But that night I didn’t think. I just dialled the number I needed. In the middle of the night, someone wakes me up, and half in a dream I dial the right number. There’s more. Without thinking, I say everything I need to. All the information I need. I won’t write them down now, because I’d have to see what they are. But at that moment, I told them without thinking. Subconsciously, some would say. That is why you are being made aware of it all the time, at every possible step. So that when it is necessary, you will do the routine work.
While in life we are constantly adapting our ritual to our needs, in business we often wish there were no changes. That nothing changes. How interesting. When it comes to ourselves, we will make whatever changes are necessary to make us as comfortable as possible, and vice versa at work, we wouldn’t change a thing. At least not for most people. In fact, routine, or rather procedure, is something that is prescribed (at least in some way in most cases). And we should all do the same procedure. Therefore, it is a prescribed procedure to always and everywhere make something in the same way. So that the end product is the same. That it is of the same quality.
We really are strange sometimes. On the one hand, I wouldn’t make changes, and each of us does the specific process slightly differently. Everyone imagines things a little differently. After all, everyone would do the same thing a little bit differently, because it ‘fits’ them better, it suits them better. And of course, he thinks it is the only right way.
And well-written instructions hide most of the fact that everyone would do things differently. Bad instructions are the real cause of most inaccuracies, even in routine tasks. In perfectly simple tasks. Some time ago, in one of the workshops for leaders, we drew a picture consisting of several basic figures. The way the drawing was done was that someone was given a drawing and had to explain (give instructions) to the others what to draw, without them seeing the picture. You won’t believe how difficult it is to give (sufficiently) clear instructions and, on the other hand, how difficult it is to draw something that you don’t know what it looks like and someone, without any limitations, tries to tell you just with words.
After that, I spent some time thinking about how important it is to prepare for the instructions. Just the fact that you approach the instructions from the other end of the character can have an impact on what comes out. And more importantly, how those who are drawing think or perceive. What will be easier to describe? A straight line, a semicircle, a circle, a triangle … in relation to another character. Thinking about how important the order of the instructions is. How important some details are. Where to start on a blank sheet of paper. Where to start with the first figure. If you don’t say that, then you may run out of space and the person drawing has nowhere to draw the next figure. A simple game that can give you a lot to think about. As someone who puts a lot of instructions into documents, I can say that it is only after a few years that you fully understand what is important and what is not. How to set up the structure, what terminology to use, how to write the risks and on and on and on. It helps if you do (or have done) the procedure described in the guidance yourself. It helps to think about the important information. Everything that someone will need to routinely carry out the procedure.
At the end of it all, the most important thing is that the instructions are also interesting, easy to read, simple. Otherwise, nobody will read them. Don’t fool yourself that people read the instructions. At least most of them don’t. You’ve bought a new TV at least once in your life. Have you read the instructions? I don’t think so. Because there are too many. Because they are incomprehensible. Because they are overwhelming if nothing else. Have you ever wondered why they are so extensive? Because of ourselves. Because in the past, some people have done something stupid, possibly sued the manufacturer, and as a result, the manufacturer has protected itself by identifying all the possible risks in the instructions. After all, I sometimes ask myself, why does the law require so many things? Because we are lazy and inventive. We always find something that is a shortcut, but there are also accidents, mistakes, stupidity. And then, in effect, we are imposing something on ourselves that we do not really need or want. In fact, to ourselves.
So, my basic advice to those of you who are preparing guidance notes is to make them at least as interesting as possible. Encourage the people who are going to use them to participate, to make suggestions. Involve them actively in the preparation of the instructions. After all, they are for them. Why should they be written by someone who will not use them? This is exactly what we do not want to do with laws, and yet we are making the same mistake. Give people a chance. Teach them, train them, empower them. You will do much more with good training of consciousness, understanding of the whole, the spread of information, than with detailed instructions.
You can describe everything, absolutely everything, but if people are not prepared to read the instructions, it will have no effect. Work on culture, on your own identity as an organisation, on respect, on understanding the consequences of doing things differently, if you want to. When people are aware of what they can do wrong, they will understand more quickly what they must and must not do.
Routine is something we want to happen and at the same time we don’t want to be bored, to look for shortcuts. The balance of everything, just like in life, whether it be in food, recreation, conversation, thinking, learning… is the most important thing for the human soul.
Primoz
Next time, 6 November 2024, Management system