The Motte and Bailey (Part 5 of 5)

You can't fix what you won't admit is broken.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: we've built systems that reward retreat.

The motte and bailey isn't a communication problem.

It's an evolutionary adaptation to organizational schizophrenia.

Remember the high performer from Part 3?

They learned the real rules.

The spoken rules say "be strategic."

The enforced rules say, "don't get blamed."

So they retreat to the motte.

We all do.

The obvious thing? We've made safety and truth mutually exclusive.

Most organizations will demand courage and compliance, strategy and SOPs, innovation and process adherence.

It's like demanding water be both frozen and boiling.

They'll wonder why nothing changes while rewarding the behavior they claim to discourage.

The motte and bailey trap isn't about medieval warfare.

It's about designing systems that make honesty dangerous.

You know which one you're building.

The answer is in every meeting you attend.

Watch the retreats.

Count the castles.

The game's designed.

The obvious fix? Stop pretending you want both.

Prioritize one: strategic thinking or process compliance. Then design your entire system around that choice.

But you won't.

Because admitting the choice exists means admitting the current system is a lie and that’s terrifying.