will “best practices” be the death of innovation online?
Clients (quite understandably) are always asking for ‘best practices,’ defined over at Wikipedia as:
“an idea that asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc.”
Look hard at that description. “More effective… than any other technique.” (Italics mine.) The medium of the web has only been widely used in the US for, say, fifteen years. In year fifteen of the automobile industry, did we know the best way to make a car? The notion is laughable. Well, you laugh until you realize that many people within major corporations will not authorize or champion interactive projects that do not shelter under the mantle of “best practices.” If you make your living designing and creating digital stuff, this can be mighty frustrating.
But it’s silly to suggest that innovation will be stifled. Innovation will continue, and the companies that will survive the upcoming economic slough of despond will be the ones that empower and encourage their employees to be the ones defining ‘best practices,’ and not just following them.
