# The Waiver By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2025-01-19 Within bureaucracies or organizations of any significant size, few things are as powerful as the waiver. Any rule, procedure, or requirement can become null through the approval of a person with the requisite authority. Waiver authority is power. It amounts to determining for whom the rules apply and for whom they don’t. Some in authority never use waiver authority. These individuals are the consummate rule followers. Some use waiver authority sparingly. These individuals are the judges. Others use waiver authority liberally. These individuals are free-wheelers. Lastly, some in authority use waiver authority transactionally. These individuals are grifters. Organizations are often, if not nearly always, comprised of all four types. As a result, the implementation of rules varies throughout an organization. Some departments adhere rigidly to the rules, while others do whatever makes sense at a given moment. Rules provide structure, which is often beneficial. Rules also constrain action, which can be detrimental. The value of rules, like most things, is contextual. Management is vested with the authority to make these context-dependent decisions. Almost no guidance is given on how to do so. Promotion or hiring interviews for managers seldom ask questions about one’s approach to or experience with waiver authority. There is a reason for this. Organizations want to pretend that their decisions are uniformly rule-based for all the power and utility associated with waiver authority. Waivers are a dirty little secret that betrays the imperfection of the rule. Rules apply until they don’t. Idealists have significant issues with this. Pragmatists have no problem with this at all. Waivers are a significant cleavage point within organizations. More study in this area could prove enlightening. #### Related Items [[Bureaucracy]] [[Organization]] [[Authority]] [[Power]] [[Rules]] [[Constraints]] [[Decision-making]]