As well as being known as the ‘Apostle of Common Sense’ (which is quite the legacy) G.K. Chesterton was a prolific author. In one of his many texts he described a reformer who finds a fence across a road and wants it cleared because he cannot see the use of it. The wiser reformer suggests that they go away and think, then come back when they know why it was put there. It’s a principle known as Chesterton’s Fence.
Our working history is littered with examples of this principle in action. Quick wins, easy fixes, roadblock removal, role redundancies in the face of new technologies and so on. Whole methods (👋Six Sigma) have even been created to facilitate this process.
Culture change attracts plenty of fence-clearers and whilst I’m in favour of stripping away the dumb things that are done, it’s always worth asking ‘Who asked for this and what (or who) does it protect’ first?
Of course, that doesn’t stop you taking the fence down. However, before you do so, it’s always worth understanding what (or who) was leaning on it.
