It is So Shiny! I Need to Have It!

It seems like every few years, some new must-have process or piece of technology sweeps through industries. When this happens, it can be very difficult for leaders of organizations to resist the urge to jump on the bandwagon and adopt the newest thing, even if doing so might be in their organization’s best interest.

9 February 2024

Have you ever noticed how every few years some new process or piece of technology sweeps through your industry and all of a sudden everyone is starting to use it? I have, and I have also noticed how hard it can be sometimes for the leaders of organizations to resist the urge to go along with the mob and switch to the newest, flashiest, trendiest thing – even when it seems like there might be better ways for the organization to use its time, money, and other resources.

One of the reasons it can be so hard for leaders of organizations to resist the urge to implement the “newest thing” is that there is safety in going along with what everyone else in your industry is doing, and there is real danger in going a different direction. A leader who goes along with industry trends can much more easily justify their actions should something go wrong than a leader who goes against trends, even if there are compelling reasons for an organization to do something different than its competitors. If something goes wrong, the leader who goes with an industry trend can always justify their actions by explaining how they made the prudent decision to follow industry best practices of the time. The leader who goes against an industry trend will likely face the uncomfortable situation of explaining why they thought they knew better than all their competitors.

While following industry trends is often the safest road a leader of an organization can take, it is not always the one that will actually lead the organization to the best outcome. Luckily, there are a few questions a leader can ask that will help them determine if they should follow an industry trend or not.

The first such question a leader should ask is whether or not the new thing will help the organization solve an issue or challenge the organization was actively trying to address before knowing about the new process or technology. If it does, then the organization should consider adopting it. However, if the latest thing does not address such an existing known issue or challenge, it might be in the organization’s best interest to spend its time and resources elsewhere.

There are some instances in which it might make sense for an organization to adopt a new process or technology even when it will not help the organization address a known issue or challenge. This is the case, for example, if not adopting the new process or technology will cause the organization to fall behind its competitors in an identifiable way. The key here is that the organization needs to be able to specify the exact way it will fall behind if it does not implement the newest thing. It should not be enough just to have a vague feeling or notion that not doing something will cause the organization to lag behind its competitors. A leader should be able to easily say, “If we do not implement this new process/technology, then our competitors will be able to do (x), and we will not – and this will hurt us in this exact way.”

While identifying how a new process or technology will address an existing issue/challenge or help an organization keep up with its competitors indicates that a leader should consider adopting a new process or technology, it alone is not enough to definitively determine whether or not adopting such a thing is in the organization’s best interest. One more question needs to be asked; namely, is this the best way for my organization to address this issue/challenge or keep up with its competitors?

Just because the newest thing can help an organization address a known issue or challenge, or help the organization keep up with its competitors, it does not mean it is the best way for the organization to do this. There might be other ways that will better fit the need. Perhaps there are different options that will help the organization even more. Or maybe there are options that will work just as well, but will be cheaper or easier to implement.

It can be hard for leaders of organizations to resist the urge to jump on the latest trend in their industry, but there are times when it makes sense to do so. Specifically, an organization might be better off skipping adoption of the latest and greatest thing if it does not address a known issue or challenge, is not required to keep up with competitors in a known and easily specified way, or is not the best way for the organization to do either.