“Why Is It Done This Way?” When Tradition Needs a Rethink

“It worked this way when I was doing it” is a common line you hear from everyone, myself included at times.

Three things the line can mean

What is interesting about that line is that, sometimes, it means this way has been tried and tested, and we have arrived at where we are now because it works. Other times, it may mean that we haven’t found a better way yet, for whatever the reason. Lastly, the most dangerous one: if I went through this pain, you should too.

Why is it done this way? The friction

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we don’t have to change things. A new person doesn’t have the full background and context of what has been happening to get us to where we are. Sometimes we, especially young people and my generation, have this mentality that nobody knows what is right other than us. However, I find that the lack of communication, or the lack of an opportunity to discuss it, becomes the cause of friction.

It gets even more complicated because some people say: why do we need to discuss this with every person who has an issue with the way things work? “It is what it is, deal with it and move on.” Or the more popular line: “When you get into power, or into this position, you can do something about it… for now, fall in line.”

A better way to manage things

You can see how complex it gets. I, for one, think we should find a better way to manage things. For one, openness and the willingness to allow people to be part of the process is important. This problem is common everywhere, from education to work to religion, and it is important for people to have their questions answered.

With time, ideas develop, experiences come into play, people change. We always need to revise how we are doing things. The generational gap will keep causing friction until we begin to collaborate to revise where needed, to avoid repeating the same mistakes while improving where necessary.

A practical example: automation

When doing automation, it is important to understand why a process works the way it does before automating it. Automating a process that has not been revised, or whose purpose is not understood, will only make the same challenges and problems structural and automated.

This post is abstract by nature, but I am sure you can relate, even for a moment in your life, when you asked: why is it done this way?

Let me know what you think.