Depending on if you are part of a small startup or a big established conglomerate, SOPs – or standard operating procedures – are certainly something you have encountered. SOPs are an important part of corporate life as they serve as ground rules for how we work. However, SOPs can also wreck havoc on an organization if not utilized properly. Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

The larger an organization gets the more important it is to align with regards to ground rules. Who are we and what rules do we play by? SOPs can help us guide our behaviors, explain what is acceptable performance or behavior and what is not. 

It also lays out what needs to get done for people in order to be promoted. That is extremely important in order to promote transparency and clarity within the organization. 

SOPs can also be used so people know how to deal with internal and external customers. That way, it is easy for new joiners to get up to speed and learn the ropes of the business. In addition, it can help maintain the same level of customer service.

A company that does this very well is Starbucks. It doesn’t matter where in the world you go to Starbucks you can generally expect the same atmosphere and products. Service is also generally standardized but accounting for local differences.

Another great example is Les Mills, the world leader in group fitness. It doesn’t matter where you take a Bodypump or Les Mills Grit class, it is always the same. Are their instructors all soulless robots? Far from it! They are trained to deliver high quality classes in line with the Les Mills methodology – SOP if you like – but at the same time they are still given enough room to express themselves.

The Bad

At the same time, there are three cases whereby SOPs can backfire. 

You might have too many SOPs. All of a sudden you find yourself trapped in SOPs that limit creative freedom of expression and your employees become robots. If everything including email templates and what to say is standardized across the board, what do you still need humans for?

Secondly, you might have outdated SOPs. Rules, laws and SOPs are established at a certain point in time to deal with the circumstances at that particular time. As time goes by, it is very likely that the circumstances change and your rules and SOPs are no longer appropriate.

Lastly, your SOPs might have been a failed attempt in the first place. You might have tried to standardize something that didn’t need to be standardized or the rules you established are just straight up wrong to begin with.

The Ugly

Now, SOPs are not laws so they can technically be changed or ignored. But it gets very difficult when senior management decides to ignore their own SOPs whenever it suits them but at the same time uses SOPs against their own employees. If you as a leader in the business notice that you find yourself working around the SOPs more often than not, it is time to rethink SOP instead of taking advantage of your superior position. Because what happens is people under you see it and you lose credibility and you’ll lose it fast. 

What To Do About It

So what can you do? Abolish all SOPs? Well, that is not an option as that would cause chaos. But what you can and should do is realize that your SOPs are not perfect and might need to be revised (and sometimes yes, removed). Keep close to your people and listen to their feedback. 

The focus needs to be on the desired outcome and reflect if the SOP serves that purpose. Can we write it so it leaves more wiggle room? Generally, the amount of SOP should be limited to the absolute minimum. Otherwise you end up with a situation similar to the German tax law which is insanely complex that no average person understands it.

Lastly, do the right thing! Regardless of what the SOP says, realize that you as a leader must do the right thing. That is paramount. A manager went slightly over budget for a team celebration after having a record quarter? Fine, approve it! Have someone who worked incredibly hard, is truly committed and deserves a promotion but does not meet all the criteria in the SOP? Promote them anyway! Have an employee going above and beyond for your customer and not sticking to the SOP? Still praise them instead or reprimanding them for breaking SOP. They did something for your customer and they will thank you with more business.

That is not only because it is morally the right thing to do but also because it makes more sense from a business perspective, every single time.