Does your company or organization have spending limits for purchases? In many cases these rules are effective in making people think before they spend, thereby making spending more intelligent. However it can also be the opening to creative thinking.

Take the case of Chicago’s Public Schools. They spent $76,000 of taxpayer dollars to purchase 30 cappuccino machines for the district. By separating the purchases into one or two machines at a time, they were able to get around the district’s rule about competitive bids and the approval scrutiny they would bring upon the caffeinated project.

Unfortunately more thought apparently went into getting around the rules than whether or not the brewing devices were warranted. Several months have passed and 22 remain in their boxes. Of the eight boxes actually opened, only three have plugged in and used.

Do you have spending levels that generate additional activities? If so you can bet people are plotting to break the rules. A better avenue is to build a team focus on a shared goal of organizational sustainability.

Incidentally, how many textbooks would $76K have purchased?