But that is the case for almost anything. Exceedingly few things are things you need to do right then, right there, or even at all.
For some it is more important, and they won't yield, but some proportion will doing something because the cost of doing it is low enough that there's no reason not to.
In that case giving a reason creates a cost in persisting in that you need to consciously think through whether or not it's worth arguing over, and if so what to respond. And sometimes that is enough that you'll just shift your focus to something else and not bother.
I have no doubt the effectiveness will vary greatly depending on type of action, and that it will vary greatly depending on other factors tied to why people wanted to carry out a given action in the first case, of course, but I also think people ask for or do a lot of things where they have not really made a conscious decision that they need it, just decided on a whim that there's no reason not to ask.
Especially with group dynamics involved, it might have been as simple as someone asking a question in a meeting ("do we need the source?" for example) and someone deciding "might as well ask for it, just in case", with nobody actually caring enough to defend it i you stand up to the demand. In that case the need is low enough that even a totally inane excuse for saying no might stand up even if it on the surface looks like a big, important question.
For some it is more important, and they won't yield, but some proportion will doing something because the cost of doing it is low enough that there's no reason not to.
In that case giving a reason creates a cost in persisting in that you need to consciously think through whether or not it's worth arguing over, and if so what to respond. And sometimes that is enough that you'll just shift your focus to something else and not bother.
I have no doubt the effectiveness will vary greatly depending on type of action, and that it will vary greatly depending on other factors tied to why people wanted to carry out a given action in the first case, of course, but I also think people ask for or do a lot of things where they have not really made a conscious decision that they need it, just decided on a whim that there's no reason not to ask.
Especially with group dynamics involved, it might have been as simple as someone asking a question in a meeting ("do we need the source?" for example) and someone deciding "might as well ask for it, just in case", with nobody actually caring enough to defend it i you stand up to the demand. In that case the need is low enough that even a totally inane excuse for saying no might stand up even if it on the surface looks like a big, important question.