Just as understanding that there are different sets of rules can illuminate employee performance, so can understanding that the one set of rules actually contains two sets of rules: the actual rules, and the espoused rules.
Take cricket. It is won by the team that wins scores more runs and takes more wickets than the other. There is a codified set of rules, and a body of strategy and tactics (field placement, spin and fast bowlers, etc.). And there are the actual ‘rules’, which include aggressive abuse and insults as part of the ‘mind game’.
In organisations there are the espoused rules about success and performance, and the actual rules of the internal game of how to succeed. Here are some examples:
Espoused: ‘quality and safety come first’ — actual ‘get the job done — now’.
Espoused: ‘we are a team organisation’ — actual ‘it’s individuals who get bonuses and promotions’.
The difference is not just spin (we provide logistical solutions = we move stuff) but often a crucial part of understanding how and why an organisation works. The greater the gap between the espoused and actual rules (the talk and the walk), the more likely there are to be problems.
The core idea of the different rules comes from Ellen Shapiro’s 1995 book Fad surfing in the boardroom.