“Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Too often, this is the response that’s given when conventional activities are put into question.
This is not a good response, and it lacks any comprehension about why we do what we do.
Here’s a thought: the prerequisite to participating in any activity — any tradition — is a demonstrated understanding of why we do it at all.
How else are our teams and companies supposed to know when to stop doing something that no longer makes sense (or even hurts our ability to make progress)?
Precedence — “because that’s the way we did it last time” — simply won’t cut it.