Simple rule

The interesting thing about simple rules is that they enable decision making at the lowest levels of an organization. eople do not have to wonder what to do in a situation or get permission to act. If they follow the simple rules, they know how to suggest that a simple-rules strategy gives a company a strong competitive advantage in high-velocity markets because they allow an entire organization to act uniformly and quickly with little supervision.

This is the key to simple rules: They allow everyone in an organization to act quickly, synchronously, in a coordinated manner, without the necessity of waiting for instructions from above. In a complex and changing environment, long decision chains slow decision making down and separate decision making from execution. Simple rules allow decisions to be made on the spot, when and where they need to be made, taking current information into account. Thus, simple rules are a key mechanism to enable people to Decide as late as possible. —p65