# Nobody Will Say Yes, 1,000 People Can Say No By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-03 Organizations fail to make progress for a variety of reasons. Smaller organizations tend to be more nimble than larger ones. One reason for this phenomenon is that nobody will say yes to a new idea within larger organizations, and 1,000 people can say no. Through the process of coordination, a single person can stop the process. Perhaps not indefinitely, but at least momentarily. These monetary delays add up. At some point, the person pursuing the change decides it isn’t worth the hassle of working through the process, and the idea dies. Some will say that if the concept were all that great, the person would keep pursuing it. However, such an interpretation places too much credit on individual resolve. Within an organization, how much extra effort is it worth pushing an idea through a bureaucracy when one really won’t reap much benefit from doing so other than personal satisfaction? At some point, a rational employee would give up the effort as the ultimate benefit is the organization, not the individuals, and the organization is showing through its inertia that it isn’t worth the effort. The reasons given by the bureaucrats for being against the idea are varied. It might be that the organization has always done things differently or that this new idea could expose the organization to a lawsuit. The reason doesn’t have to be legitimate; it must be given. Once given, a response is required. Organizationally, the burden of proof is different. The person giving the objection gets to voice a concern. The person pursuing the change must then assemble a researched response showing the voiced concern isn’t valid. Again, more work for the person with the new idea. Organizations feel comfort from the status quo. They are designed to kill new ideas. Anytime 1,000 can say no, bet on delay and abandonment. Bureaucracies are where good ideas go to die. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Organization]] [[Bureaucracy]] [[Ideas]] [[Effort]] [[Perseverance]]