The Invisible Rules That Keep Organizations Stuck

One of the most thought-provoking articles I’ve recently read is The Science of Norm Design by Jeff Leitner, published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR).

The article explores why so many well-intentioned solutions, strategic plans, and change efforts fail to gain traction.

Leitner points to invisible social norms that are quietly holding existing behaviors in place.

A few concepts that stood out:

• Problems that persist despite multiple serious attempts to solve them may be signaling a deeper norm issue.

• When there is a gap between what people say and what they do, unwritten rules are often overriding official ones.

• Sometimes organizations focus on changing people when the real opportunity is understanding the environment that shapes the behavior.

A quote that stood out for me was:

“Before designing any intervention, it asks how the social environment actually works: What unwritten rules hold group behavior in place, which of those rules are blocking change, and which are already pushing in the direction you want to go?”

Whether you’re working in business, nonprofits, government, education, or community change efforts, this article offers an interesting lens for understanding why some solutions stick while others don’t.

Worth the read.

#DesignThinking #OrganizationalChange #Leadership #SystemsThinking #Innovation #Strategy