Trap: Rule Beating -- abiding by the letter but not the spirit of the law. Source: a response of the lower levels in a hierarchy to overrigid, deleterious, unworkable, or ill-defined rules from above The Way Out - Strengthening the rule / enforcement -- usually giving rise to still greater system distortion - Revise, improve, rescind, or better explain the rules using rule beating as valuable feedback -- in the direction of achieving the purpose of the rules.