Don't scar on the first cut

The second something goes wrong, the natural tendency is to create a policy.

"Someone's wearing shorts!? We need a dress code!" No, you don't. You just

need to tell John not to wear shorts again.

Policies are organizational scar tissue. They are codified overreactions to

situations that are unlikely to happen again. They are collective punishment for

the misdeeds of an individual.

This is how bureaucracies are born. No one sets out to create a bureaucracy.

They sneak up on companies slowly. They are created one policy--one scar--at a

time.

So don't scar on the first cut. Don't create a policy because one person did

something wrong once. Policies are only meant for situations that come up over

and over again.