What is 'Chesterton's Fence', a way of thinking that makes good decisions and reduces mistakes?



'Mystery of the Queen'

Agatha Christie and ' Knox of the Ten Commandments , known for' Ronald Knox , 'behind closed doors of the king' and sung the Dikusun-car United Kingdom of which produced a famous mystery writer, such as mystery writer club the first president of G.K. Chesterton, who served, was famous not only as a detective novel such as the ' Father Brown' series, but also as a critic. The culture-themed blog Farnam Street discusses Chesterton's 'Fence of Chesterton, ' which refers to the idea that ' the fence should never be removed until you understand why it was built.'

Chesterton's Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking
https://fs.blog/2020/03/chestertons-fence/

Chesterton pointed out the importance of 'secondary thinking' when making reforms. Chesterton gave an example of 'a fence on the road,' saying, 'If you're a modern reformer,'I've never seen this fence in use, so it's okay to remove it.'' But a wise reformer told them, 'Never seeing this fence used is not a reason to remove it. You have this fence when you understand why it is placed, and should see 'respond and consider' for the removal work was discussed in the.

'Secondary thinking' is a way of thinking that after coming up with a solution, 'what is the impact of that solution' and 'what is the next possible problem when that measure is taken?' ..

What is 'secondary thinking' to create an extraordinary strategy? --GIGAZINE



'The fence wasn't grown from the ground, it wasn't built by crazy people, so there must have been reason for those who built the fence to think it's better,' Chesterton explained. To do. Chesterton argues that if you don't understand the motives of those who built fences in the past, someday unintended consequences will occur. Farnam Street explained Chesterton's claim that 'if there is a fence, there is some reason for it,' and the lesson learned from this claim is ' until you understand why the fence was installed in the first place.' Don't remove the fence . '



According to Farnam Street, Chesterton also mentions the general suspicion that 'old people were stupid and just built fences everywhere?' In response to this suspicion, Chesterton said, 'People are crap and don't want to waste time and resources on wasted fences. If you don't understand why you built a fence, it doesn't make sense. It's not always a thing. '

Farnam Street cites 'order within the organization' as an example of a modern 'Chesterton fence'. If there is a strict hierarchy, there is a problem that even if a regular employee submits a good improvement plan, it is unlikely to be adopted. However, Farnam Street said, 'Making decisions requires responsibility for the outcome, and in times of turmoil there is a tendency for people to naturally seek instructions from higher ranks.' Claims that existence is making the instruction system work well. 'There are times when a hierarchy forms naturally without a formal hierarchy,' he said, and there is a reason why the hierarchy within the organization is unevenly distributed, and it is the 'Chesterton's fence' that removes this. I explained that it wouldn't be.



Farnam Street also covers the case of entrepreneurship education flag bearer

Steve Blank , 'I've seen it many times at start-ups.' When they grow up, many start-ups try to hire a chief financial officer (CFO) to manage their finances, according to Blank. And since the hired CFO thinks 'I have to get results right away', I will be able to reduce small expenses such as 'sweets charges' that I had in the company until now.

Employees are paid enough to buy their own sweets, but they realize that the company is undergoing a transformation. Then, quitting from the most talented employees in order, the cost of sweets, which costs tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of yen a year, will be an irreparable pain. According to Mr. Blank, these cases 'always follow the same outcome.' Farnam Street explains, 'If the newly hired CFO doesn't think about why the fence called'candy charges' was built, that's the end.'



Farnam Street said, 'I don't want to warn anyone trying to improve, I should do'secondary thinking'before doing it. We made that decision before us. You're not smarter than others and you don't know things well. You shouldn't change or conclude that you're wrong unless you understand why someone made the decision. '

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