Like Standards Make Work for instance. Lurking in the background of some
resistance to standards is a reluctance to learn something new, even if it will
bring benefits. This reluctance is very close to the feeling we can get when we
think about changing an unhelpful habit. Yes, going to the gym will be good for
me and it will be fun but you know what? Sitting here is just great too.
The rational arguments for standards always go though. No one can seriously argue with saving time and money by using standards. The logic is unassailable. And for folks who don't care for logic, the evidence of successful implementations is overwhelming.
But rational arguments don't touch our emotional reasons for sticking with what we know. Despite the fact that everyone knows we must deal with change, human beings aren't great at contemplating change. Note, I'm not saying we're bad at changing. Actually, humans are incredibly successful adapters. It's the thinking-about-it part we don't like.This uneasiness about change often gets rationalized. We look for a more intellectual basis for our gut feelings. This is where the “standards make work” claim can come in.
Basically, it goes like this. Standards may well save us time and money. But I don't have the time and money to implement standards. To embrace standards fully, I'd have to stop what I'm doing, and I can't do that.One person's discomfort about change speaks to another's fear of standing back from the day-to-day. And this is not a good hook-up.This is the heart of the problem: we're not dealing with one party's emotional intelligence, but two. We can't just keep educating the reluctant implementer. We also have to help the gatekeepers and sanction-holders. We need to turn them into advocates of standards too.
The way forward here is to encourage a small but significant shift in thinking. Standards make work?
Actually, Standards make it work.
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