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Dilemma 2: Rules Versus Exceptions ■ 65

not happen again? How can we limit the damage that the
mistake caused? Edward Deming, the quality guru, even
goes so far as to say that mistakes are a requirement for the
improved quality of production.

Legal Contracts Versus Free Interpretations

One of the most common dilemmas is the tension between
strict rules and free interpretations. Uniformity applies to
the fi rst, creativity to the second. The two poles are diffi cult
to reconcile. That was demonstrated at the Shell Laboratory
in Amsterdam where researchers often complained about
the system of role evaluation with which they had to work.
For every position, there was a detailed description of what
was necessary in terms of knowledge, capability to solve
problems, and responsibilities. This attention to detail and
following the rules to the nth degree was fatal for their cre-
ativity; also, because change is inherent in research, and
because these documents took a long time to prepare, the
job descriptions were outdated in no time.
That raised the question of whether such a static rule-
and procedure-oriented instrument was actually suited for
a dynamic breeding ground. The answer is defi nitely yes,
as long as you view both sides positively and search for a
synthesis.
On the one side, you are dealing with the quickly chang-
ing research culture, while on the other side, there is a need
for consistency between roles, both international and within
the company. In order to do right by both extremes, the role
descriptions were written a bit more abstractly. By describ-
ing three kinds of researchers at three different levels, 1,200
people could be included in just nine job descriptions. Points
were awarded based on this description, and the person’s