One of the more commonly used buzzwords in today’s business world is “disruption.” Like a lot of in vogue words or phrases, people use them without knowing their true meaning or application. By definition, a company or individual who is considered a disruptor or disruptive has found an innovative way of doing business that creates a new market in the process. Whether it be intra company or external. They shake up the status quo which can be a good thing depending on the situation. I would say that a certain amount of ongoing disruption is good. Otherwise, people and products get stale and die on the vine. That said, disruption just for the sake of artificially stimulating the workplace can be disharmonious because you are constantly interrupting the natural rhythmic flow of what brought you success in the first place.
I have watched this disruptive phenomenon play out over and again. It’s when someone or an organization continually inserts disruption into an established more harmonious environment. Where ideas are thrown against the wall de jure. What is your result? Chaos? It depends. If it’s just ideas for idea’s sake then it can be disruptive. But if things are stagnated and need a certain amount of upheaving, then by all means introduce disruptive ideas. The key is to remain steady and not react based on pressure. When in doubt, err on the side of what I refer to as urgent methodology which is systematically feeding disruptive ideas into the harmonious flow of your organization.
Harmony occurs when your business is firing on all cylinders from employees to customer satisfaction, and fiduciary performance. It’s imperative that leaders stay steady and instinctual when it comes to the rhythmic flow of their organization. If they don’t, they will lose the confidence of their staff, customer base, and partners. The late great martial artist Bruce Lee made this apropos statement, “Out of chaos, find simplicity, from discord, find harmony.” If I had to interpret what Lee is saying in today’s business terms, I would say disruption causes chaos, which leads back to simplification, which elicits impassioned dialogue, which leads to harmony.
