“I have to go pick up my kid now. If I’m late, the school charges 300,000 VND.”
“We have CCTV footage of you placing trash next to a full bin. That’s a 500,000 VND fine.”
“If you turn right at a red light, the penalty is 6 million.”

In daily life, it sometimes feels like the only way to influence behavior in Vietnam is through punishment. There’s an underlying assumption that we can’t trust people to make the right decision on their own, so we must control them with rules, fines, and restrictions.

It’s no surprise that we see the same thinking in many organizations. Internal guidelines become so detailed and rigid that staff have no room to maneuver. And what happens? People inevitably find situations that weren’t covered by the rules. The response? More rules. More procedures. More forms. Eventually, people don’t do anything without asking permission, even for the smallest things. Then leadership turns around and asks for innovation. 🤡

This approach is built on one core belief: that people are lazy, and will make bad choices unless strictly controlled.

But what if we flipped that script?

What if we assumed that people want to do the right thing?

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain once tried this. Every staff member, from housekeeping to reception to maintenance, was given a small budget they could spend (without approval) to create exceptional customer experiences. Critics feared chaos: “What if they spend it all carelessly?” But the opposite happened. Staff used the budget sparingly and thoughtfully, only when truly needed. Guest satisfaction skyrocketed. Costs stayed low. Why? Because the staff were trusted.

Now imagine trying that in a typical Vietnamese company:

• A pre-approved list of spending options, signed off by upper management.
  
• Two forms for every transaction (one for VAT).
  
• Final approval required by the manager for each transaction.

Would that have created the same effect? Of course not. That’s not trust. That’s people desperately trying to control. 

So next time you’re setting up a new guideline, ask yourself:
Are we doing this because it’s legally required, or because we don’t trust our people?

If you’re ready to rethink how your organization approaches rules, autonomy, and trust, let’s talk. Contact us via the contact button!