It's easy to understand why people in large systems do the things they do.

Because the systems are composed of so many working parts, a tiny error somewhere can eventually lead to a cascade of catastrophe.

Or at least that's what the fear is.

As a result, most of the people working within these systems are terrified that they are going to get punished for causing a malfunction, so they opt for a "better safe than sorry", "have all my bases covered" approach to everything.

This results in blanket policies, reactive strategies, and a general unwillingness to rock the boat, making changes only if absolutely necessary and only after mind-numbingly long periods of time.

Bureaucracy, red tape, infuriatingly inflexible gatekeepers, we've all met them.

And hate them.

And yet, they aren't there by accident. They are there by design.

Which means that they can also be designed away.

Hence the immense importance of thought leadership, safe spaces, and granting autonomy.