#favouritemodel No. 2 – Delimitation of principles and rules

“The conscious delineation of rules and principles is particularly helpful in personal collaboration and helps to build trust.” One of my favorite thought models relates to cooperation and the guidelines for cooperation in teams. For me, principles are the “new rules of cooperation” in a complex environment.

The following example illustrates the distinction between rules and principles:

• The rule: “Everyone must have their say and make a contribution in the team meeting.”
• The principle: “Everyone has the right to be heard.”

Rules specify what to do and what not to do. They are a clear indicator of whether something is right or wrong and they describe a clear causal chain – an if-then relationship: “If we have a team meeting, everyone has to say something.” Rules are effective and useful for complicated, calculable tasks and environments where safety or human life is paramount.

But how effective are rules when we can no longer say exactly what will happen tomorrow?

Or when it comes to ideas and predetermined paths would limit the free play of creativity in the team? When it becomes important for a team to work independently and not wait for instructions from the boardroom? We live in a complex, fast-moving world in which many things are no longer predictable. This applies not only to the environment of an organization, but also to the organization itself and the teams in which collaboration takes place. In such complex networks, people with individual personalities, experiences and values work together. We know from constructivism that people always create their own reality. In many cases, rules therefore fall short and do not help managers to create a creatively valuable environment. Instead, it is attitudes and principles that can influence people’s behavior and give us a common direction.

If challenges are interpreted differently by individuals, there is not just “one right solution”.

Principles make it possible to interpret facts and the context and to find a variety of solutions. The above example shows that the principle of “everyone has the right to be heard” allows room for maneuver and thus supports – if not implicitly demands – self-responsible action.
This is all the more valuable in complex environments. Because in an environment in which managers and their team create a clear framework for action that is comprehensible to everyone involved through shared principles, it is possible to activate multi-brain thinking. This enables agile and flexible decision-making and action in changing circumstances. This is not automatic, but principles encourage a constant exchange about what is seen as the common, sensible action in the respective situation.

How does my #favoritemodel help you?

• Do you have the impression that the “we have to do it this way” attitude in your team is blocking new solutions? Then take the time to discuss your shared understanding of rules and principles.
• In this context, you will also discover which principles and rules apply to your team today.
• As a manager, you should definitely ask yourself whether and which of the existing rules you would like to replace with principles with your team. Defining principles together with the team in an atmosphere of trust supports commitment and (self-)responsibility within the entire team. While rules describe the clear if-then context, principles focus on the aspects that are important to you as a team and should be taken into account in all situations.