Are Rules a Crutch?

One of the most famous case studies in American business is the story of Nordstrom and their unparalleled customer service. Nordstrom’s asymmetrical customer experience translated into a big bottom line. In 1958, the department store brand had just eight stores. By 1975, the $250 million in retail sales they did made them a top three retailer in the country.

All of this success was built on the back of a little urban legend and a lot of quality customer experiences. The urban legend goes on to say that an Alaska man successfully returned a set of snow tires to Nordstrom, who doesn’t sell tires. This story has been confirmed by John Nordstrom who witnessed the event and cited that the customer was likely confused that Nordstrom purchased an existing retail space that formerly sold tires. Nonetheless, the customer service experience at Nordstrom, which has included hand written thank you notes to customers and floor sales people hand delivering shoes to customer homes, has set them apart.

How do they instill a culture of such excellent customer service? One might assume there is a detailed policy in place to ensure that the ‘Nordstrom Way’ lives on in their countless locations around the country.

Wrong.

The way this cultural phenomenon is perpetuated is actually with a lack of rules. Employees are asked to do whatever they think is right. While this might increase the importance of the hiring process, it does leave a great deal of freedom for the employee and apparently a great deal of quality results.

If you ask me, this case study has major implications. Rules might corral behavior on some level, but it rarely increases accountability. After all, when you tell an employee to do what they think is right, there’s no room for everyone’s favorite saying, “Hey! I’m just doing my job.”

Could rules be a crutch for you, your work life, or your family dynamic? After all, we often put rules in place to foster personal responsibility. Why, then, do we often get the opposite result where people will obey the rules but forfeit personal responsibility?

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach