Whenever you start to do something, there is one important question that you have to ask- Why are you doing it?
Most often we start following something because people say that it's good or the organisation does it.
Most companies try to adapt the 'best' practices that other companies follow and tell their employees to do the same. 'It is like looking to the past for solutions to the problems that come in the future,' says an article in success.com.
We often look upon successful companies on what they did best and try to use the same technique. However the situation may differ for you and hence the result will also not be the same.
'The problem, of course, is that we rarely understand the complex situation in which these practices were designed and implemented. The true value in case studies is to understand the thought process and approach used to arrive at an effective solution, not the solution itself. To do this implies using a strategy most effectively employed by 3-year-olds—to ask “why” over and over and over again,' the article points out.
Not all 'best practices are bad'. However, instead of confining yourself to doing something that is already done, it is better to have own ideas which may even turn out to be better than the 'best practice'.
But then most of us are used to following examples, so how to become innovative?
The first thing to do is ask why something is done, until you find the root cause.
Instead of focusing completely on how you are going to solve a problem, first analyse what the problem is and then arrive at a solution that is practical.
There are three important questions that should be asked Whenever someone says it is the 'best practice'.
Who said it is the best?, What makes it the best? Will it be right for your situation?
Always remember there is not such thing as 'best practice' that will always be helpful. There are only practices and it is upto us to decide whether it is the best or not.
