Why People Break the Process (On Purpose)
It’s not resistance. It’s something more rational.
I used to think broken processes meant broken discipline.
If people skipped steps, rerouted workflows, or quietly did things “their own way,” I assumed we hadn’t trained clearly enough.
Or reinforced enough.
Or monitored enough.
Then I started sitting closer to the work.
I watched someone bypass a required step in a system.
Not carelessly. Deliberately.
Because the system was slow.
Because the queue was long.
Because a customer was waiting.
In that moment, they weren’t resisting the process.
They were protecting performance.
That’s when it clicked.
People don’t break processes because they don’t care.
They break them because the process conflicts with what’s rewarded in the moment.
Speed.
Responsiveness.
Avoiding friction.
Looking competent.
Under pressure, the brain chooses the option that reduces immediate risk.
That’s not sabotage.
It’s rational adaptation.
This is where most change efforts quietly fail.
We design a better process.
We explain it clearly.
We roll it out with good intent.
But we don’t ask:
What does this compete with?
If the old way is faster, safer, or socially reinforced, the old way wins.
Every time.
What you can take with you this week
The next time someone bypasses a process, pause before correcting it.
Ask:
“What problem is this shortcut solving for them?”
You’ll often discover:
Time pressure
Conflicting KPIs
Fear of appearing slow
Incentives that contradict the new behavior
When you fix the condition, the behavior often fixes itself.
Resource of the Week
McKinsey’s recent research on transformation and organizational health reinforces this pattern.
In their analysis of large-scale change efforts, they found that transformation success isn’t primarily about better strategy: it’s about aligning incentives, systems, and leadership behaviors.
When metrics, rewards, and day-to-day pressures contradict the new process, change stalls.
If you work in L&D, enablement, or change leadership, this is worth reading for orientation, not inspiration.
👉 How to beat the transformation odds – McKinsey & Company
It’s a helpful lens for diagnosing whether your issue is training or misalignment.
This changed how I design learning.
I don’t start with the ideal workflow.
I start with the moment someone will be tempted to ignore it.
Because that’s where change either holds or collapses.
Next week, I want to explore what’s missing when everything becomes automated and why human judgment is becoming increasingly valuable.
Thanks for staying in the uncomfortable parts of this conversation.
— Ali🧡