User:HectorMoffet/Wikipedia is NOT NOT a BUREAUCRACY
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: We strive to achieve the ideal "Wikipedia is NOT a BUREAUCRACY". We have failed. |
While Wikipedia has many elements not usually found in a bureaucracy, it is governed by a byzantine system of policies, guidelines, rules, and unwritten norms. Rules are the purpose for some parts of the community. Written rules do not themselves constitute all accepted practice, as many rules are unwritten.
While Wikipedia's written policies and guidelines should not be taken so seriously, they are often be gamed or misused. We often follow an overly strict interpretation of the letter of policy without consideration for the principles of policies. If the ignore a rule would truly help you improving the encyclopedia, follow the rules. Disagreements are resolved through tightly sticking to rules and procedures, rather than by consensus-based discussion. Furthermore, consensus may be ignored to reflect new policies and guidelines.
A procedural error made in a proposal or request is automatic grounds for rejecting that proposal or request.
A procedural, coding, or grammatical error in a new contribution automatically grounds for reverting it, even if the error cannot easily be fixed.