I've talked a few times in the past about the American luxury department store chain Nordstrom (see my post "The Tire Story"). The corporate culture at Nordstrom is legendary for its focus on customer service (see Robert Spector's excellent book, The Nordstrom Way). Part of that culture starts with Nordstrom's famous employee handbook, which is remarkable in its simplicity yet powerful in the tone it sets. It's handed out to every new employee upon hire and simply states, "Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Rule #1: Use your good judgement in all situations. There will be no additional rules."
While it is true that every new employee is handed a postcard with this information, there is a lot more to the story than just the famous "Rule #1". All companies, even Nordstrom, have to comply with employment related rules and regulations, so the actual employee handbook includes more information than "Rule #1". Still, the concise statement and single rule drive the corporate culture and makes clear what is expected of all employees when it comes to customer service.
I see a lot of parallels between Nordstrom's "Rule #1" and the High Reliability Organization principle of Deference to Expertise. How about you?
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