It seems that the video MMS of a stripped-naked female Chinese national being forced to do ‘ear squats’ by Malaysian police was an unwritten procedure.:

The five-member independent commission set-up to probe the nude ear-squat incident at the Petaling Jaya police lock-up yesterday heard from the Petaling Jaya OCPD that it was an ‘unwritten’ procedure which has gone on for a very long time. The officers who did not adhere to this ‘procedure’ could face disciplinary action. This story was covered on prime time news on TV3 last night.

A lot of things came to my mind as I watched the news report. First and foremost was how an officer could face disciplinary action for something that was unwritten. What did they charge him/her with? Insubordination for a standing order that was not even on paper?

Then it hit me. Unwritten Procedures are things I try to weed out on corporate consultancy engagements. We look for them to determine … culture.

Yes, culture.

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