The Tyranny of Sameness

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What It’s About: I like to challenge what I call the tyranny of sameness in organizations. Why? Too often, organizations copy each other, and then compete by trying to be somewhat better on the same stuff. Additionally, the eco system in industries perpetuates this situation. The same consultants and suppliers sell common solutions. Subsequently, some innovation does occur at a continuous improvement level. As an example, banks may offer similar deposits and loans. Colleges apply very similar ways of admitting students, or delivering learning. Auto dealerships essentially sell and service vehicles the same way. Why is this a concern?

So What?: In a highly turbulent and disruptive environment, organizations that follow each other solely on sameness become vulnerable prey to disruptors. What good would it have done if a taxi company made their dispatch system much better to ward off Uber? They could have made the system 25 percent better than a competitor, and it wouldn’t have mattered. Competing on sameness can sometimes be a sucker punch. This principle also applies in hiring the same type of people. One runs the risk of having little diversity in views and ideas, because everyones’ lens is very similar. Sameness can lead to being blinded by a shallow or narrow perspective.

Now What?: Give thought to where and how you might challenge sameness in your organization and group. Ask why we do it that way regularly. Ask how might we be 10x better on something that really matters and would distinguish you. Ask people if they have considered different perspectives. Get people out of their comfort zones as part of daily life. When you see someone stuck in a routine, nudge them out of it. Disrupt yourself first. Fight against the tyranny of sameness, before you get hurt or devoured.

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: Templates are very comfortable. We resort to them as reliable methods, but sometimes they become a crutch. Think of your resume. How basic was its format? It likely follows a tight order of your professional credentials, and if you were buck wild, you changed the font or something. Then one day you read about a person who printed their resume on the back of a chocolate bar. They not only got the job, they made the news! But then you go, “well how do I even go about printing my resume on a chocolate bar? What kind of ROI can I get from that? It’s already been done anyways now. Forget it.” I think the idea is, sometimes we have to take more chocolate bar resume chances if we really want to stand out. More “how might we,” and less “we can’t because.”

- Garrett

The Tyranny of Sameness

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