--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason this works is that under…" description: "\"“The reason this works is that under normal circumstances, employers and employees alike conspire to maintain the fiction that a corporation is a set o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/venkatesh-g-rao-46651_quote_the-reason-this-works-is-that-under-norm_649504.jpg" --- # The reason this works is that under normal circumstances… ![“The reason this works is that under normal circumstances, employers and employees alike conspire to maintain the fiction that a corporation is a set of defined, rational roles that are filled by people with acceptable levels of skill, executing rational policies and procedures that are sufficient…” quote by Venkatesh G. Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/venkatesh-g-rao-46651_quote_the-reason-this-works-is-that-under-norm_649504.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/venkatesh-g-rao-46651_quote_the-reason-this-works-is-that-under-norm_649504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/venkatesh-g-rao-46651_quote_the-reason-this-works-is-that-under-norm_649504.jpg) > ““The reason this works is that under normal circumstances, employers and employees alike conspire to maintain the fiction that a corporation is a set of defined, rational roles that are filled by people with acceptable levels of skill, executing rational policies and procedures that are sufficient to get things done and turn a profit. In practice, nothing would ever get done if everybody did this. The rules aren’t a minimum definition of the profit-making business of a corporation. They are well below the minimum. Even disengaged minimum-effort types (“losers” in the Gervais Principle‡‡ sense) do more than this under normal circumstances.”” [Venkatesh G. Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkatesh-g-rao/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporate rules are deliberately vague; they rely on people’s initiative, not strict role definitions, to achieve results. **In simple terms:** Rules are minimal; people fill the gaps. Key Takeaway Leverage flexibility in organizations. Themes business psychology organizational behavior Mood analytical critical Type theoretical observational When to use this quote - project management - team leadership - startup culture Key Concepts bureaucracy agency informal networks Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms keep informal effort aligned? - How much ambiguity is tolerable? A Different Perspective Risk of chaos without enough structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corporation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporation/) ## Related quotes > [I am uneasy about having scientific exploration depend on profit-making companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/i-am-uneasy-about-having-scientific-exploration-depend-on-profit/) [Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/) > [Writers in a profit making economy are an exploitable commodity whose works are products to be marketed, and are so judged and handled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-olsen/writers-in-a-profit-making-economy-are-an-exploitable-commodity-whose/) [Tillie Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-olsen/) > [For better or for worse, our company (The News Corporation Ltd.) is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/for-better-or-for-worse-our-company-the-news-corporation-ltd-is-a/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [The definition of fascism is The marriage of corporation and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/the-definition-of-fascism-is-the-marriage-of-corporation-and-state/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [I don't think any business has to give up legal protections in order to simplify. 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The two are intertwined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-raymond/it-makes-no-sense-to-talk-of-the-social-obligations-of-the/) [Lee R. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-r-raymond/) ## More by Venkatesh G. Rao > [“So endgames are naturally messy. They may not be very dynamic, but when an active war is shutting down, there is still a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-g-rao/so-endgames-are-naturally-messy-they-may-not-be-very-dynamic-but-when/) [Venkatesh G. Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkatesh-g-rao/) > [“So revenge is obviously a deeply messed-up expression of vindictiveness. It is hard to even call it "evil." It is just plain insanity. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-g-rao/so-revenge-is-obviously-a-deeply-messed-up-expression-of/) [Venkatesh G. 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Few act on that recognition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-g-rao/most-people-recognize-that-many-blue-collar-jobs-pay-more-than-white/) [Venkatesh G. Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkatesh-g-rao/) > [“if you don’t know who the sucker is, it is probably you).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-g-rao/if-you-don-t-know-who-the-sucker-is-it-is-probably-you/) [Venkatesh G. Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkatesh-g-rao/) [Explore all 8 Venkatesh G. Rao quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkatesh-g-rao/) ## More Corporation quotes > [It makes no sense to talk of the social obligations of the corporation without reference to its economic obligations. The two are intertwined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-raymond/it-makes-no-sense-to-talk-of-the-social-obligations-of-the/) [Lee R. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-r-raymond/) > [The corporation is not an independent "person" with its own rights, needs, and desires that regulators must respect. It is a state created tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/the-corporation-is-not-an-independent-person-with-its-own-rights/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [The 'Occupy' movement seems to have found a central theme to its 2012 movement around overturning 'the corporation as a person,' and some legislators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/the-occupy-movement-seems-to-have-found-a-central-theme-to-its-2012/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“It’s so easy to lose faith and become lost in all of the politics of the world. That’s why we need the arts. 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Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Did you ever expect a corporation to have a conscience, when it has no soul to be damned, and nobody to be kicked?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thurlow-1st-baron-thurlow/did-you-ever-expect-a-corporation-to-have-a-conscience-when-it-has-no/) [Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thurlow-1st-baron-thurlow/) > [“a big corporation will destroy your life, your hopes and your dreams accidentally, without even noticing, and still won’t give a damn afterwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-thomson/a-big-corporation-will-destroy-your-life-your-hopes-and-your-dreams/) [L.H. Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-thomson/) > [A corporation has no soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-coke/a-corporation-has-no-soul/) [Edward Coke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-coke/) > [A record company used to be a very good thing, but they ended up soul-destroyingly trapping people in the accounting department. And you couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/a-record-company-used-to-be-a-very-good-thing-but-they-ended-up-soul/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I used the aspects of being a woman to my advantage, but I worked for myself, not a big corporation, so I was lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-used-the-aspects-of-being-a-woman-to-my-advantage-but-i-worked-for/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I don't think any business has to give up legal protections in order to simplify. The main consideration is that whatever protection, rights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-siegel/i-don-t-think-any-business-has-to-give-up-legal-protections-in-order/) [Alan Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-siegel/) > [The definition of fascism is The marriage of corporation and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/the-definition-of-fascism-is-the-marriage-of-corporation-and-state/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [For better or for worse, our company (The News Corporation Ltd.) is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/for-better-or-for-worse-our-company-the-news-corporation-ltd-is-a/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [I've been working with them for a couple years and a couple of projects. Essentially Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the chief litigator for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dean-anderson/i-ve-been-working-with-them-for-a-couple-years-and-a-couple-of/) [Richard Dean Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dean-anderson/) > [I've always found a way to make my way, and now I've had the fortune of being hired by a great company - Chrysler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/i-ve-always-found-a-way-to-make-my-way-and-now-i-ve-had-the-fortune/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) [Browse all 205 Corporation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The reason this works is that under normal circumstances, employers and employees alike conspire to maintain the fiction that a corporation is a set of defined, rational roles that are filled by people with acceptable levels of skill, executing rational policies and procedures that are sufficient to get things done and turn a profit. 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