In his column “What You Still Can’t Say at Work” Jim Detert explores the concept of “deep rules” in organizations and their impact on workplace communication and culture. He convincingly argues that despite efforts to improve workplace communication and psychological safety, there are still unwritten “deep rules” that prevent employees from expressing certain thoughts and concerns, particularly those that challenge existing power structures or leadership practices.
To his very good list, I’d add a few around quality:
- “Our leaders talk about quality but don’t actually prioritize it when making key decisions.”
- “Employees aren’t truly empowered to make quality-related decisions, despite what our policy states.”
- “We have processes in place mainly to pass audits, not because they actually improve quality.”
- “Quality data is often manipulated or selectively presented to paint a more positive picture.”
- “We make decisions based on politics or personal preferences rather than quality data and analysis.”
Investigations of a Dog 