There has been a lot of discussion about disrupting business practices. Most start-ups try to disrupt an existing paradigm or homeostasis in order to create something new with the help of technology. Uber did to taxi companies what email did to post office. There are a number of such disruptive technology examples that it is beyond the capacity of this blog post to discuss.
However, what we need to understand is, the current trend is to disrupt something that has worked well and replace it with something more intelligent and usually mobile. The prevalence of mobile technology has also played a role in disrupting existing business practices. One might wonder, what happens after one disrupts an existing business practice.
The answer to this question is usually convoluted. It is not easy to answer such a broad question whose answer depends on a number of factors. However, in this article, let us focus on a few possibilities that might happen once an existing business practice is disrupted.
What does disrupting consist of?
Usually, disrupting an existing business practice entails uprooting what was earlier practiced with something new. So, success is something that is taken for granted at least initially. Therefore , when you disrupt a business practice, there is success for those who disrupted and convenience for the users, while a certain set of people who practiced the old ways suffer. After this, success may decline or it may plateau. Usually, it declines without additional disruption or innovation. This is the reason why insiders would tell you that disruption is a constant process.
What MySpace was a decade is what Facebook is today. We can’t really say when Facebook will be replaced by something new. When that happens, we will speak of another disruption. Thus, it is important to keep innovating and disrupting, even if it means that we disrupt our own business practices. This ensures that we are one step ahead of the rest of the competition. While the rest of them are still trying to play catch-up with you, you can already disrupt what you started and move ahead to a new set of practice. This is how it works today in this world.
Should you disrupt?
The answer is always a yes, if it is possible. Sometimes, a disruption may not be necessary. However, there is always room for innovation and change. If you come up with a new programming language altogether to build mobile apps, you are disrupting the existing space. However, if you come up with a new technique to build better apps using existing languages, then you are innovating. It is difficult to disrupt and not so difficult to innovate. Most people do neither.
It is not possible for all of us to disrupt like Uber or Facebook did. However, we all can innovate and change the way we conduct our businesses. Innovation is what drives real growth. Disruption may make you a millionaire overnight but not everyone has the ability or aptitude to do that. If we are going to be realistic, it makes sense to focus on innovation.
Innovation by far is the most important business practice. If you are not going to innovate, you will probably perish, as the old clichéd comment goes. Usually, there is always a bit of truism in clichéd statements and this is one such.
Looking forward
If you need help regarding innovating your existing business practices, speak to a consultant who will be able to help you. Our team of developers and designers can help you sort your ideas and suggest ways to innovate and change your existing practices.
