Are best practices really best?
Law firms frequently strive to identify and adapt "best practices" in whatever area is under examination. I used to think that this approach was laudable. Not anymore. The Harvard Business Review just posted Why Do We Ignore Best Practices?, which suggests some reasons why companies (firms) ignore best practices.
I take issue with the fundamental assumption of the HBS piece, which is that "best practices" are something to which businesses should universally aspire. In some areas, like IT, best practices may be precisely the right objective. But in most areas, seeking to emulate best practices created by someone else simply fosters a herd mentality. In areas like branding, this is obviously problematic, and it can be that way in substantive areas as well. Simply seeking to do the wrong thing the best way is not a virtue.
In my recent panel discussion with noted legal futurist and technologist Richard Susskind, Richard introduced the idea of blank sheet problem solving. It was brilliant, When being asked to solve a problem, a group starts with a blank sheet of paper, with the charge being essentially, start from scratch with no limitations and design a solution. If something elegant or innovative is designed by that process, the issue then becomes an engineering one, how to get from here to there. But notably absent in the process is an reference to what others are doing.
Of course, in this same lecture, Richard discussed his view that lawyers are more concerned about not suffering competitive disadvantage rather than interested in seeking competitive advantage. In other words, lawyers enjoy the herd. Which makes them perfect candidates for seeking best practices.
The punchline? Think about whether you are a herd animal or something more. If you want to live in the herd, best practices will be your friend. But if you want to excel, to rise above the herd, then ask whether best practices will hold you back. Create a system, whether Richard's suggested approach or something else, that fosters creativity and encourages people to be more than a pack animal. Challenge conventional wisdom, or as I see it, herd wisdom.
Patrick,
Great point!
If your company (including IT companies, by the way) follows the best practices for its industry, the BEST that company can do is to aspire to mediocrity.
Doesn't "blank sheet problem solving" have another name: re-inventing the wheel ?
