Introduction

Rules are Fun! It might seem impossible to make this a true statement.
Increasing regulations preoccupy us and influence our daily chipper attitude at work. They continuously pose questions like: ‘What are we not doing right now?’ And: ‘Am I complying with the rules, the norms?’
Working toward achievement and having to comply with rules add to an increasing and often too-high stress level at all layers of the workforce. But where does the negative connotation of the word ‘rule’ come from?
Is it fear of punishment?
Why do we want to follow rules?
Is it because the complexity in society and in our organizations increases and, therefore, also increases in our lives?

These questions already prompted me in 2007, first edition, and in 2023, second edition, to see if automated aids could be helpful to reduce the pressure and regain or hold on to the Work-is-Fun feeling, if it is still there.

Life exists thanks to rules and regulations. Rulesare an elixir of life: If you have to follow rules – and have to DO things without having established the relationship between those rules and what they mean for you, the process, the team, the organization, or the company - the rules will be perceived as a burden, a stumbling block, a means of suppressing.

If rules are connected to who you want to BE,what the team wants to BE, what the department, the company, the organization stands for, rules are fun. In that case, they make life a game, as it’s meant to be.
 

In this book, I looked at the background, because history provides lots of insight into why we treat rules the way we do. I have chosen to use part of the book for an explanation and elaboration on the use of software as support of regulations in the organization and to use part on interactive questions and answers. I am convinced that rules have their value, especially in the interaction between people. This can also be found in the chapters, because while working with questions and answers, subjects may arise that would never have otherwise been thought of.

This book is a beginning of the conversation about regulations. It is a first draft that aims for people to come to an agreement about what regulations are, to give you an insight about how you see rules, what your reality is in that area. To help, take part in the discussion on Linkedin or on Facebook.

All the epiphanies and further insights will be posted on Linkedin and Facebook, because this book is just a start of the conversation about rules and their value in our daily lives. See the addendum for an elaborate overview of expressions about rules.
 

Have fun!

Michiel A.M. Arens
 

Second Edition, May 2023