Every Industry Runs on Rules Nobody Wrote Down

Every industry runs on rules nobody ever wrote down.

Banks close at 5. Hotel checkout is at 11. Cars are sold at dealerships. Nobody remembers who decided, but everyone plays along.

Teams rarely notice these rules. They just design inside them, which is why so many new ideas look a lot like the old ones.

That's the idea behind Rule Breakers, one of my favorite strategic tools. Teams name the unwritten rules of their own category, then ask what would happen if one of them simply stopped being true.

What would a bank that only opens at night look like? Who would it serve?

Once the rules are visible, the conversation changes. The question shifts from "how do we do this better?" to "why do we do this at all?" Executives take it seriously because it goes straight at the strategy.

We use it in the Spark, a budget-friendly 3-hour strategic workshop that takes place in an unconventional location chosen to inspire, with passionate experts relevant to the challenge.

Which unwritten rule in your industry is overdue for breaking?

Related reading: The Assembly Line Started in a Slaughterhouse

Curious what an Insight Immersion could uncover for your team? Plan your Insight Immersion.