Chesterton’s Fence

Alright, hotshot. You’ve just landed that fancy new leadership role. You’re brimming with ideas to “disrupt” and “innovate.” You’ve got more management books on your shelf than most people have shoes, and you’re ready to rewrite the entire company playbook because “that’s how they did it at [insert tech giant here].”

But before you start swinging that sledgehammer of change, let me introduce you to an old friend of mine: Chesterton’s Fence. No, it’s not a new Agile methodology, but it might just save your career — and your company’s future.

What is Chesterton’s Fence?

Chesterton’s Fence is a principle that goes something like this:

Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.

It comes from G.K. Chesterton, an English writer and philisopher who apparently had strong opinions about fences. But stick with me here because this isn’t really about fences — it’s about understanding systems before you try to change them.

In the world of tech leadership, Chesterton’s Fence is that weird approval process everyone grumbles about. It’s the seemingly redundant team meeting that somehow keeps projects on track. It’s the glue holding together your organization’s culture.

And here’s the kicker: It’s there for a reason.

The Graveyard of Good Intentions

I’ve seen more organizations go off the rails because of ignored Chesterton’s Fences than I care to admit. I’ve been the one derailing them more times than I’d like to confess.

Early in my leadership career, I was brought in to “modernize” a mid-size tech company. They had this convoluted decision-making process that involved getting sign-offs from what seemed like every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the company. Naturally, I decided to streamline it. “We’ll be more agile, more responsive to market needs,” I said, puffing out my chest like the overconfident novice I was.

Two months and several rushed projects later, you know what happened?

Everything fell apart. 🔥

Turns out, that old, slow decision-making process was also serving as a critical knowledge-sharing mechanism and a way to build cross-departmental relationships. By “fixing” it, I had inadvertently siloed our teams and created a culture of hasty, poorly informed decisions.

Lesson learned: Always understand why the fence is there before you tear it down.

The Hidden Wisdom in “Inefficient” Systems

Now, I’m not saying we should never change or improve our organizations. Of course not. Organizational debt is real, and if left unchecked, it’ll crush your company faster than you can say “disruption.”

But here’s the thing: What looks like inefficiency might actually be a clever solution to a problem you don’t yet understand.

Consider these Chesterton’s Fences you might encounter:

1. The “Unnecessary” Meeting: That weekly all-hands that seems like a time-suck? It might be the only thing keeping remote teams feeling connected and aligned.
2. The Complex Approval Process: Those multiple sign-offs for new features? They might be preventing costly compliance issues you haven’t encountered yet.
3. The “Outdated” Tech Stack: That old programming language you’re itching to replace? It might be the reason you can hire from a unique talent pool your competitors can’t access.
4. The Quirky Office Layout: Those weird seating arrangements? They might be carefully crafted to foster cross-pollination of ideas between teams.
5. The “Bloated” HR Policies: That extensive onboarding process? It might be the secret sauce to your company’s high retention rates.

Before you dismiss these as “inefficient” or “outdated,” take a step back and ask yourself: “What problem was this solving when it was implemented?”

How to Approach Your Organizational Fences

So, you’ve found a Chesterton’s Fence in your company. What now? Here’s my battle-tested approach:

1. Investigate: Dive into the history, talk to long-time employees, and observe. Understanding is your new mission.
2. Document: Write down what you learn. Future you (and your successors) will thank you.
3. Analyze: Look at the system holistically. How does this “fence” interact with other parts of the organization?
4. Propose: Don’t rush into changes. Create a proposal that outlines the changes, the reasons, and the potential risks.
5. Review: Get feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders. They might know things you don’t.
6. Iterate: Based on feedback, refine your approach. Maybe you don’t need to remove the entire fence; perhaps just a gate will do.
7. Execute: Once you have buy-in and a solid plan, go ahead and make your changes. But be prepared to roll back if things go sideways.

I’m not saying never change things. I’m saying understand before you change. There’s a difference.

The goal isn’t to keep every problematic process in place. The goal is to understand why it’s there, so you can make an informed decision about whether it should stay, be modified, or be removed completely.

In Conclusion: Respect the Fence, but Don’t Worship It

Chesterton’s Fence is a powerful principle, but like any principle, it can be taken too far. Use it as a tool for understanding and caution, not as an excuse for inaction.

Remember:

• Every process, policy, or quirk in your organization has a reason for existing.
• That reason might be good, bad, or completely misguided.
• Your job is to understand that reason before you start wielding your change management tools.

So the next time you encounter an organizational practice that makes you want to bang your head against the wall, take a deep breath. Approach it with curiosity instead of contempt. That fence might just be protecting you from something you can’t see yet.

And who knows? Understanding why it’s there might make you a better leader in the process. At the very least, it’ll save you from an embarrassing story about tanking team morale or derailing a critical project. Trust me on that one.

Now go forth and question your fences. Just don’t tear them all down at once, okay?