The Problem with Best Practices

Even though I will from time-to-time slip and refer to something as Best Practices, I am attempting to extricate that phrase from my vocabulary. I have actually come to cringe every time I hear a so called “expert” use the phrase in an authoritarian manner as a justification for the position they happen to be evangelizing. In the text that follows I will share several thoughts on this subject, many of which are espoused in an attempt to reveal the hidden dangers often associated with so called “Best Practices” implementations.

Let me begin with a bold statement that I’m sure will unleash the wrath of many: “There is no such thing as best practices” and you can feel free to quote me on that…Best Practices are really nothing more than disparate groups of methodologies, processes, rules, concepts, and theories that have previously garnered success in certain areas. However, prior individual or contextual successes rarely warrant being deemed as universal truths. It is nothing short of over exuberant thinking to assume that any single solution can be applied anywhere and everywhere, while boldly promising dramatic improvements in blanket fashion. Just because someone convincingly articulates an opinion, doesn’t mean said opinion should suddenly be taken as fact. Furthermore, just because company A had success with a certain initiative doesn’t mean that company B can seamlessly plug-and-play the same process and expect the same outcome.

Let’s use an example of a common problem that most businesses face at some point in their lifecycle, if not at multiple points, which is the need to implement a certain application in order to improve an existing inefficient process. Okay, my question is this: What constitutes best practices in this situation? Does the company purchase an off-the-shelf solution, utilize an ASP (Application Service Provider) solution, or embark upon developing a custom application? Moreover, if the company decides to develop the application, should this be done internally with existing staff or outsourced to a third party? If outsourced, will it be done domestically or offshore, and who will manage the process? Oh, and what about development methodology? I could go on ad-nauseum with this line of thinking, but I’m sure you get the point by now. The reality is that you can find someone who will tell you that anyone of the options mentioned above constitutes best practices, so who is right and who is wrong? 

It has been my experience that whenever methodologies become productized, that is precisely the point in time when objectivity is removed from the equation. Whenever you are being pitched a product as a solution I suggest you exercise extreme caution. Business is fluid, dynamic, and ever evolving. This means that static advice is at best short lived, but most times is simply incongruous with the very nature of business itself. I’m not looking for someone to cram my enterprise into their set of canned rules and processes. Rather I’m looking for someone to tailor a solution based upon the unique contextual circumstances of my environment.   

My experience has been consistent over the years in that whenever a common aspect of business turns into a “practice area,” and the heard mentality of the politically correct legions of consultants and advisors use said area as a platform to be evangelized, the necessity of common sense, and the reality of what actually works often times gets thrown out the window as a trade-off for promotional gain. It is precisely the dispensing of one-size fits all advice that has allowed the ranks of consultants, coaches, mentors and other professional advisors to swell to historical proportions. After all, if you can apply someone else’s theory in a vacuum it lowers the barrier to entry doesn’t it? Labeling something as “Best Practices” is not a defacto substitute for wisdom, experience, discernment, discretion, subject matter expertise, intellect, creativity or any of the other qualities I value in an advisor.

Popular business axioms and management theories are thrown around in such cavalier fashion these days that they can actually result in flawed decisioning. It is for precisely this reason that I believe too much common management wisdom is not wise at all, but instead represents flawed knowledge based on a misunderstanding or misapplication of “best practices” that often constitutes poor, incomplete, or outright obsolete thinking.

Let’s examine this from another angle…Why would you want to do business in the same fashion as your competitors? Don’t utilize your competitions business practices, but rather innovate around them, and improve upon them to create an advantage that can be leveraged in the market. Be disruptive in your approach, and don’t fall into the trap of doing something in a particular fashion just because others do it that way…

Bottom line…Just because a professor says it’s so, a consultant recommends it, a book has been written on it, or a product has been developed for it, doesn’t mean that whatever “it” is constitutes the right option for you. I have personally witnessed companies that embarked upon an enterprise-wide initiative because they were sold on “Best Practices” and after two years into a seven-figure implementation, and without any meaningful benefit, they woke-up to the fact that purchasing a product as a solution does not constitute best practices. When all is said and done, there is no substitute for solid due diligence and sound business logic that has been vetted against the context of the situation at hand.  

About the Author
Mike Myatt, is a Top CEO Coach, author of “Leadership Matters…The CEO Survival Manual” and a frequently requested speaker on the topics of leadership, strategy and innovation. More information on Mike Myatt can be found at www.N2growth.com.