A few months ago I stumbled upon a terrifying story: A hiker got lost in the woods. After several weeks, she was finally found with a lot of difficulty, because during her ordeal she had not left any traces behind, such as campfires or shelter. She clearly adhered to the standard rule of hiking in nature: Never disturb the environment.
This sensible and practical behavior is great under normal circumstances, but of course disastrous if you’re looking to be rescued.
This is an example of myopic thinking: The inability to change course when circumstances change. It’s usually a crisis which unmasks tunnel vision in organizations. For example, a focus on favorable payment terms is a good business practice. Yet, right now there are numerous businesses who have seriously dented their reputation by not being flexible with their payment terms to their suppliers in these testing times.
A blind adherence to rules creates a fossilized organization.
Never outsource your thinking to industry best practices.