Challenge the rules

Last week in the UK we shifted back to Greenwich Mean Time.

If you've not visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich you're missing out. Not only on the amazing views across London, but the opportunity to stand with one foot in the Eastern Hemisphere and one in the Western. That is, astride the Prime Meridian Line.

Greenwich is the reference point for 0° longitude and the world’s time-zone system.

Enough about that. You can read more here if you're curious. Let’s talk about the clocks oscillating between British Summer Time (BST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

In spring, the clocks jump forward an hour to BST, then in autumn back by an hour to GMT.

But why?

Well, the idea is by shifting schedules we make better use of summer daylight. And the reasoning behind that comes down to the First World War and the intention to conserve coal and fuel for lighting and industry.

You might think that is still valid, given the current fuel crisis. Yet the evidence today is daylight saving produces small, uncertain, and sometimes negative effects on overall energy use. Some research even suggests a loss of human productivity as a result of the changeover.

As they say, "it's as much use as a chocolate teapot".

So, why not abolish it?

Well, in 2018 the European Parliament did come close to ending it, voting 410–192 in 2019 to stop it. But member states stalled implementation, so it hasn't happened yet.

Noticing these two things, my thoughts turned to accepted norms that are, bluntly, just made up and then accepted by everyone as reality.

Here are three more examples:

1/ Judging commitment by someone being visibly at work. Even though it has been shown that attendance is a poor indicator of contribution. Who do you know who rarely shows up in the office but adds massive value working remotely or hybrid?

2/ Retirement in one’s mid-sixties may have been appropriate for those in hard manual jobs. But for many, a set age doesn't make sense now. Does the reality of your life point to different options?

3/ A firm handshake is essential in business. It originates from showing an empty hand to build trust. Didn't the convention disappear during the pandemic without any negative impact?

Once you start to look at this type of thing it can get quite scary. Much of our lives is shaped by our adherence to social norms, because we want to fit in. Few people challenge these.

And, like the EU, even fewer follow through and implement any kind of change for themselves or their teams.

Is there an obsolete social norm n your organisation you're all still accepting as valid?

If so, perhaps you can find the courage to make some changes around that.

That’s it until next week.

Well almost. I hopped back in to edit because after scheduling this dispatch (on Wednesday) I saw this on LinkedIn:

https://lnkd.in/p/e35p6vHb

Clive