Conforming is something we do everyday because it makes life easier. Some symbols of conformity are funny when we think about them like the white shirt only dress code at IBM. Conformity is fairly easy to teach to the masses of employees. In some cases we just hand out a manual or send folks to an online training class. Conformity is easy to measure and test for success. Take it from someone that sometimes fails to take the required training in the required time frame and routinely shows up on "The List". Conformity is also easy to manage because it’s so black and white. You didn’t get the project done in the time allocated. You failed to allocate your time appropriately and didn’t fill the appropriate forms. You stepped outside the process and that must be punished.

Our schools thought us conformity, our higher education systems followed suit, and now our employment organizations believe our future relies on it. What’s the problem with conformity? It must be the greatest thing since the executive manual since every organization seems to thrive on it. What we like about conformity, more than anything else is the predictability. We love the ability to predict success which, by definition, attempts to eliminate the possibility of failure. Maybe it's better stated that we strive to eliminate the variations of life that create failure.

Of course, without failure there is no progression. Progress comes a top the failures which we strive so hard to get rid of. We need more failure, more people willing to step out of the Six Sigma mindset. Maybe I need to return my white belt after saying such blasphemy. It’s not just our processes that hate failure but our evaluation systems. Will I be better judged by delivering 10 projects on time or failing on a stretch commitment? We need more failure, not less. When Paul Ehrlich discovered the drug to treat syphilis, he called it Formula 606. This was due to his 605 failures that came before. We need more innovation, more initiative, and more ideas that rethink the basic definition of doing business in a 2.0 world. I put forth one of my favorite quotes:

The number one reason that organizations fail is Good Management - Clayton Christensen.

How could this statement have a shred of truth? Because "Good Management" strives for conformity, control, and predictability. Not what you want is a fast, dynamic, and evolving business environment. More importantly, this is the death nail for any organization looking to compete in a 2.0 world. The Olympics just ended and we should applaud all those that didn’t win a medal. You can bet everyone that even participated in the Olympics didn’t conform to the mediocrity standards set by the majority. They failed, failed, and failed again to be the best in the world. That deserves praise, not condemnation.