If “Best Practices” Are Best, Then Why Do So Few Companies Do Them?

The term "best practices" is in danger of becoming like so many other popular phrases of the last 20 years.  Think about contingency planning, paradigm shifts, thinking outside the box, scalability, the paperless office, etc.  I could go on an on becasue I do strive to be buzzword compliant.  The thing all these have in common are that they are great concepts and everybody talked about them, but did they actually get implemented and if they did are they still in place? 

I was all set to write an entry on economic news in manufacturing and distribution and how companies are reacting to it. Then I got completely sidetracked by an article I came across by Ann Grackin, the CEO of Chainlink Research about Best Practices and the failure to act on them.

In the modern information age (buzz word) there is so much information available about companies that do things well. There is no shortage of thought leaders (buzz word) who have put time and effort into researching and documenting how to best perform every business task and function. Wikipedia (buzz word or not?) defines a Best Practice as a , method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance. ...

So with all this knowledge at our fingertips shouldn’t every company be world class (buzz word)? Of course, but knowing about Best Practices and implementing them are very different. My favorite part of the article is the following chart that compiles survey responses on why certain ideas and concepts, which could be defined as Best Practices, have not been implemented.

Source

I think this shows that businesses are often their own worst enemies. They can see and even clearly articulate the solutions to problems but can’t seem to get out of their own way  to put those solutions in place. However, knowing the challenges is part of the solution. For most “Best Practices” there is usually someone who can implement them on your behalf. I certainly am a fan of that model even though I recognize that if you chose to go that route you are still going to encounter some of the above impediments. The other option is just old fashioned brute force and determination to not let anything stand in the way of success.

However you choose to accomplish the task of implementing Best Practices you should do it as long as the real cost of doing so is justified. You know the problem, you know the solution and you know the challenges, now make it happen. Just don’t get sidetracked with Change Management… (buzz word)

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