Standards and Dissent
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Every standard carries an implicit theory of failure.

Erik HollnagelSafety-I and Safety-II, 2014

Standards exist for the moments when you are tired, rushed, or politically pressured. In a discussion about who has decision rights, they keep improvisation from becoming policy. When they are vague, enforcement becomes personal.

In a discussion about who has decision rights, the fastest path is to skip the uncomfortable conversation. That buys speed today and inconsistency tomorrow. Keep it calm, concrete, and small; the goal is a move you can repeat, not a speech you can admire. Define the decision rights before the crisis, or the crisis will define them for you.

Erik Hollnagel is useful here because it forces precision. Write the bar as a yes/no check, then name the exception trigger and decision owner. Write it so execution is obvious.

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