Since the mid-1980s, a set of widely applied concepts used to reveal the hidden inner workings of organizations and society have commonly been referred to as 'unwritten rules'.[4][5][6][7] Devised by Peter Scott-Morgan[8][9][10] (and popularized by a best-selling business book in 1994 called The Unwritten Rules of the Game),[11] these concepts have been used as the theoretical framework for a variety of academic research projects across different countries,[12][13][14] and are cited in numerous academic papers,[15][16][17][18] scholarly books,[19][20] as well as specialist postings on the internet.[21][22][23] A professor at London Business School writes that in 1985 she became intrigued by these ideas when she first met Scott-Morgan "who at that time was beginning to develop a process which he called 'the unwritten rules of the game'."[24]
This usage of the term 'unwritten rules' has been incorporated into a range of management thinking[4][6][7] and is also highlighted in various business books[24][25][26][27][28] as well as business-related posts on the internet.[29][30][31] In addition, several management consultancies apply Unwritten Rules concepts.[5][8][32][33][34][35] The international management consultancy Arthur D. Little has revealed that from the mid-1990s conducting an Unwritten Rules assignment became something of a rite of passage amongst its 3000 consultants – on the theory that “once you’ve fed [the sensitive results] back to a CEO … and survived … then you can do anything.”[36] There are numerous accounts of organizations that have applied Unwritten Rules methodologies, such as Citibank,[37] Daimler-Benz,[38] Hewlett-Packard,[15] Lloyds TSB,[18] the UK National Health Service,[39] Philips Consumer Electronics,[34] and the Argentinian national oil company YPF.[40] The former-head of Process Review at British Petroleum has published that in 1992 his corporation's "search for best practice in the consulting world led to my meeting Peter Scott-Morgan and learning of his insights into understanding – and changing – the Unwritten Rules of the Game."[41] He then describes how BP tested, and became convinced of, the validity of Scott-Morgan's technique and went on to apply it in several major operating centers. There are specific accounts of its early use at BP's Wytch Farm oilfield.[26][41]