Nikkei Business electronic edition has published a feature article examining, from an economic perspective, why the practice of leaving one side of an escalator clear has not declined. Takizawa Hirokazu (瀧澤弘和) of Chuo University organizes the key points concerning the relationship between rules and human behavior.
Companies and societies seek to change people's behavior by changing rules, but this often does not work as intended. This article takes as its starting point the fact that even after new systems are introduced, irrational arrangements can remain because of past developments and established practices.
Using insights from economics, the article explains what perspectives are needed to operate desirable rules effectively. Takizawa Hirokazu (瀧澤弘和) of Chuo University's Faculty of Economics appears in the article and organizes the relationship between rules and human behavior.
Taking the everyday pattern of leaving one side of an escalator clear as an example, it discusses the challenges involved in changing rules inside and outside organizations, including the difficulty of designing systems and the possibility of provoking resistance on the ground.
The series is positioned as “A Time for Philosophy,” which explores the intersection of philosophy and management, and is expected to continue examining management and human behavior.