ABSTRACT
Work rules and operating procedures are much less effective than they are normally believed to be. Trying to fix the system at an optimal point for extended time with work rules and procedures may be a feeble idea. "Situated Cognition," a school of sociology, argues that the idea of controlling work with rules and procedures is only an administrative view. Often times, critical decisions are (or need to be) governed by social convenience and common sense. Work rules and procedures that are tuned to prescribed scenarios may be too specific and rigid, while those that can flexibly absorb fluctuating reality may be too general and loose. What matters more are not the way rules and procedures are specified, but the way in which humans actually behave. Observation is a prerequisite for knowing actual human behaviors and understanding the background.
