THE MINISTRY OF COMMON SENSE

Bureaucracy” and “procedure” are perhaps the best examples that the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

Anyone who has ever had to deal with a large organization has probably shared the frustration at some point in their lives. Whatever kind of stakeholder you are, you will inevitably run into some kind of brick wall that prevents you from accomplishing what needs to get done. Maybe it’s soul-crushing paperwork. Or regulations that defy common sense but everyone observes and/or implements anyway. The point is, over time we come to accept such processes and indignities as normal in spite of the fact that there is clearly a better way.

Martin Lindstrom rails against this in his latest book, The Ministry of Common Sense.

It’s by no means a particularly original topic. Many other writers have expressed their exasperation at formal structures or regulations evolve to become unwieldy and counterproductive over time. And while the subject does fit in terms of Lindstrom’s progression from guru to corporate culture jedi, his elegant solution—establishing a “ministry of common sense” precisely to make sure bureaucracy doesn’t spiral out of control—is arguably no different from the suggestion that every now and then someone just has swat convoluted procedures with a “simple stick” every now and then.

Yet what makes The Ministry of Common Sense compelling reading is the fact that Lindstrom captures the root cause of this organizational-level abdication of common sense that happens all too frequently.

We know the story well: something unexpected or untoward happens, so an organization reacts by creating rules to make sure the same situation can be better handled in the future. Over time, however, those rules take on a life of their own, applied uniformly and removing any discretion for the people implementing them to deviate and exercise their own judgment. Hence, eventually even those who ensure the enforcement of those rules just do so by rote and lose sight of the purpose for that rule, which is arguably more important.

“[T]he lack of common sense in companies (and in life) has a clear, if indirect connection to the disappearance of empathy,” Lindstrom writes. How could it not be? When acquiescence and obedience to the rule becomes more important than an appreciation of why those rules are there in the first place, something has gone terribly wrong. Rules and bureaucracy cannot take primacy over the purpose they are meant to serve; it’s when they do that they become self-defeating. They shouldn’t be divorced from the context within which they were created. Yet far too often, that’s exactly what happens.

Lindstrom reminds his readers that “[c]ommon sense refers to the judgment and instinct that has been shaped and refined by experience, observation, intelligence, and intuition.” Ultimately, that’s what procedures and structures ought to reflect—they follow from common sense and are not meant to supplant it. This is key; unfortunately, we tend to forget.

Did Not Finish at 42%. I like the concept but the author's hyperbole was too much, devolving into pedantry for my tastes.

It would be very funny if it weren't so sad.. Great book to read and have a laugh and think, think a lot about common sense. Very much to the point of what I think and notice, politely called as lacking common sense. This book should be read by all of us for a number of reasons starting with fun and hopefully leading to creating common sense in our personal and professional lives.