# Caution, Something Might Happen By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2025-02-01 Bureaucrats are notoriously risk averse. Their careers advance based primarily on their ability to adhere to official policies. They have little incentive to do more and almost no incentive to deviate from the rules. They tend to be cautious. Entrepreneurs, in contradistinction, tend to be risk-takers. When opportunities avail themselves, they seize them. These can be considered the boundary conditions of standard organizational behavior. It is unclear where along this spectrum the average falls. Observationally, most people tend toward the bureaucratic rather than the entrepreneurial approach. When people are confronted by a novel situation, they tend to err on the side of caution. This is understandable, as one is typically attempting to avoid being wrong, and it is challenging to measure lost opportunities. Still, it is evident when one deviates from what was authorized. There are a couple of issues with this approach. First, routine tends to stifle creativity. Following the procedure will simply replicate the organization. At the extreme, nothing new is possible using this approach. Second, opportunities will be missed. Life is dynamic. Rules that work well at one point can become out of sync with current realities. Lastly, routines are among the easiest things to accomplish when programming computers. A computer will eventually do the job if one is simply executing the routine. If one wants something dynamic to happen, one must take risks. These risks should not be rash. One should research, reflect, and decide if the risk is warranted. Knowing when the risk is worth it and then pursuing it is essential to the human condition. Deviation from the norm is liberating. It allows one to cultivate authenticity. Caution: if one takes informed risks, something might happen. #### Related Items [[Risk Analysis]] [[Bureaucracy]] [[Organization]] [[Routine]] [[Authority]] [[Caution]]