Unspoken rule
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Unwritten rules (synonyms: Unspoken rules) are
tacit assumptions. Examples involving unspoken rules include unwritten and unofficial organizational hierarchies, organizational culture, and acceptable behavioral norms governing interactions between organizational members. These rules typically align with the behaviors of the local majority group and seem normal to them, but can be obscure, invisible, and exclusionary to minority groups.[1]
Noteworthy examples
For example, the
captain of a ship is always expected to be the last to evacuate it in a disaster. Or, as Vince Waldron wrote, "A pet, once named, instantly becomes an inseparable member of the family".[2]
The Harvard Business Review considers it good business practice to bring unwritten rules to the surface and document them. Unwritten rules can cause uncertainty and stress for newer employees, and great clarity can improve productivity and profitability.[3]
Employment and discrimination
In the workplace, some unspoken rules can have a significant impact on one's job satisfaction, advancement opportunities, and career trajectory.[3]
In sports, Scottish football club, Rangers until 1989 had an unwritten rule of not signing any player who was openly Catholic.[4] Yorkshire County Cricket Club also historically had an unwritten rule that cricketers could only play for them if they were born within the historical county boundaries of Yorkshire.[5]
See also
- Shibboleth
- Ius non scriptum
- Lex non scripta
- Unenumerated rights
- Unwritten rules of baseball
References
- .
- ^ Vince Waldron, The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, Hal Leonard, 2001, p. 176.
- ^ a b Fosslien, Liz; Duffy, Mollie West (26 October 2020). "Write Down Your Team's Unwritten Rules". Harvard Business Review.
- ^ Murray, Ewan (10 July 2009). "Why Mo Johnston still stirs emotions across Glasgow". The Guardian.
- Independent.co.uk. Archived from the originalon 19 July 2009.