It’s simple: when agreed rules aren’t followed. Imagine you set a rule for daily status updates in the team chat. For a week, everyone follows. Then one person skips, then another. Soon, others think, “Why should I spend time writing updates if no one else does?” And just like that, the team’s discipline erodes. What May Happen - Rules will collapse. Once one person disregards the rules, others follow. Internal discontent rises, respect for leadership drops, and productivity plummets. - Communication breaks down. Disciplined team members lose respect for those who ignore the rules. They’ll avoid tight collaboration, seeing their time as undervalued. Mutual respect fades, and teamwork suffers. At the end of the day, time is all we have, and we all want to do great things while we have it. - Efficiency nosedives. Rules are there to boost efficiency. If no one follows them, the team stagnates—or worse, declines. How to Prevent It - Enforce the rules. If rules exist, they apply to everyone. Late arrivals? Ignored standards? Address the issues. As a manager, communicate the problem clearly and ensure it gets resolved. - Reevaluate broken rules. Sometimes, rules aren’t followed because they don’t work. Assume positive intent. Bring up neglected practices during retrospectives and decide together whether to keep or change them.