Erwin M. Soukup has compiled what he terms “The Seven Steps to Stagnation”:
1. We’ve never done it that way before.
2. We’re not ready for that.
3. We are doing all right without trying that.
4. We tried it once before.
5. We don’t have money for that.
6. That’s not our job.
7. Something like that can’t work.
Soukup admits that “there’s probably an eighth step, but we’ve never looked it up before.” (Martin E. Marty, “Context,” April 15, 1985)
