Why "We've Always Done It This Way" Stops a Company

The moment an organization changes is when the "obvious" is questioned
This happened while I was helping a company with business process improvement.
In meetings, month after month, the conversation would continue:
"We're busy."
"We don't have enough people."
So, I asked one question.

"Is that work really necessary to do every month?"
The room went silent.
No one disagreed.

However, no one could answer.
That work wasn't continuing because it was necessary; it was only continuing because

"
we've been doing it since forever".I believe the moment an organization changes is exactly this kind of situation.

1. Organizations are built on layers of "the obvious"

Every company has work that is done because
"we've done it that way before."
How meetings are conducted

How reports are written
Approval procedures
Roles of those in charge

This happened at a company I have been providing management support to recently.
All employees were performing a certain task, but when I observed it at one point, I had a question about it.
"You're entering the same information into the application form as this input task, right?"
When I asked the company's executives this question,
they said, "That's true, but it's something we've been doing since forever."
??? Because it's something you've been doing since forever, you are doing meaningless work!

When I told the company president about this,
that input task was eliminated starting the following week,
and it seems business efficiency improved.

Sometimes, the people who know why it started are no longer at the company.
Even so, that way of doing things is passed down.

2. The problem is not "not improving"

When I provide management consulting, I sometimes receive the complaint,
"Employees don't offer suggestions for improvement."
At those times, I always think this:

It's not that the employees lack the ability to improve, but that there is an "atmosphere where you must not question the obvious."
Changing precedent is a hassle.

You'll be seen as someone who says unnecessary things.
If that atmosphere exists, people will stop speaking up even if they notice something.

3. Change does not start with major reforms

When people hear "organizational reform," they think of major system changes.
However, many of the changes that occur on the front lines start with much smaller questions.

"Who is reading this document?"
"Is it really necessary to have three people for approval?"
"What is this meeting supposed to decide?"

Such simple questions can significantly change how work is done.

4. Organizations that can change welcome "questions"

Companies that continue to grow have one thing in common.
That is, they welcome questions.
"Why do we do it this way?"

To such a question,
"Because we've always done it that way"
is not the end.

They explain the reason or think about it together.
And if no reason can be found, they review the method.

An organization that is resilient to change is not one that has many answers.
It is an organization that can welcome questions.

Summary

I feel that organizations often change not when they "start doing new things," but when they "review what they previously thought was obvious."

Even in management consulting, almost no company starts with major reforms.
"Is this meeting really necessary?"
"Who is this document for?"
"Does this rule still make sense today?"

A single question like that changes the atmosphere on the front lines, changes how work is done, and eventually changes the entire organization.

Of course, there is no need to deny every custom.
It is not rare for systems that have continued for many years to have their own reasons.

That is why what is important is not to think "it's correct because it's been done since forever," but to keep thinking "is it really necessary for the company now?"

When an organization stagnates, the answers are often fixed.
On the other hand, organizations that continue to grow always keep asking questions.

The moment an organization changes is not the day a new system begins.

Doesn't it start from the moment someone has the courage to ask, "Is that really obvious?"

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