But it’s so common sense!

Common sense behaviour, in the sense of shared and implicit code of conduct or response strategies, is slowly failing and fading. Go for explicit agreements on how to treat each other and behave within the common space.

Common sense should nowadays be what you’ve commonly agreed upon as being such. Don’t assume that the rest, the stuff you deem unnecessary to speak about, because it seems so common sense, is common sense.

It is not, or at least much less common than what you think. Your common sense is not my common sense.

Implicit common sense does not work well anymore …

In a more rapidly changing and mixing world, imprinted by decades of individualism, the only places where strong implicit common sense still exists, where it still does its job, are places of immutable structure, immutable values, immutable context. I know a few monasteries that match this definition. What about you?

As Priya Parker states in her resourceful book The Art of Gathering:

« Etiquette allows people to gather because they are the same … popup rules allow people to gather because they are different »

The author actually refers to popup rules in the context of gatherings (meetings, events, …), not generic rules in any context. It is my belief that her statement also applies in the context of teams and organizations, those being permanent gatherings. In our global landscape, common sense has become less and less common.

… unless you make it explicit

Unless you make it something agreed upon, something present to the hearts, in the voices and on the walls, regularly reviewed and openly discussed. Unless you build it and own it together.

So whenever you hear “it’s so common sense!”, genuinely ask yourself: “so what is it, that we need to agree upon?”