It didn’t take long and now “disruption” has entered the lexicon of paradigm shifting scene-shifters. A whirligig for every new idea* (*includes every not new idea) ensuring nothing is taken to market without its very own bullshit badge.
I know I am in danger, if not long past the point, of being considered a grumpy park bench dweller, shouting at the pigeons; but I can’t help it. I feel like we are slightly mesmerised by a need to be endlessly innovative, but it’s like catching smoke.
New Law had to be “agile” even before it could stand on its own feet and now New Law has to be disruptive too. It risks sounding like a metaphorical toddler with a fist full of blue Smarties hanging upside-down from the banister and way past its bedtime, while tired parents cry with exhaustion trying to do the right thing.
What next after “disruption” I wonder? Stand back and crank-up the random adjective generator to find out. However if another macho, slam-dunk adjective is not your thing, there is always the limitless possibility of christening the next new kit and caboodle with a reassuringly unthreatening human name.
Well intended and expert providers currently leading the space and investing significantly to build their reputations need to be mindful that any johnny-come-lately chancer can mock up a glorified spreadsheet and imbue it with a little Silicon Valley kool-aid by following the same approach. It feels like an AI system/process/transformatory toolkit called “Dick” is only a breathless press release away.
The reason I sound grumpy however is not because we don’t need more investment in IT, or smarter systems or better infrastructure, or suppliers with integrity and the patience of saints (because we need these things more than ever); the reason I sound grumpy is because we are all mostly screwed and what is needed is not a new agile Dick but a proper sorting out.
Ten things that can screw things up:
This is why we are mostly screwed. It isn’t for a lack of Dick.
My fear therefore is that we don’t fix the things that need fixing and I really want those things to be fixed. What we need is a little more courage. We need courage to call things out for what they are (even if it is against us) and then to act:
And finally, my plea is to be a bit more human. Agile thruster rockets have their important place, but it is much more important to ensure that colleagues are not unnecessarily stressed, or worse made ill by the fact we have been too slow to make the workplace a better place with all the opportunity we have to make a difference.
Take care. Paul