Parameters Are The Problem

I recently ran across a business article about aligning your strategy with your environment. The hook was a cartoon of a man yelling “Why won’t this gigantic square peg fit in this round hole?!”

Standare fare, age-old advice.

But maybe? Sometimes the square peg is what’s actually needed, and it’s really the round hole that needs a change. And altering the peg to fit the nonsensical hole perpetuates and legitimizes a poor system and leaves people in the dark about the fact that they need to rethink things.

There’s a risk to pitching square pegs. The idea could get shut down completely.

The hybrid position might be highlighting the system’s shortcomings through the proposal or business case. Typically, two to three options are on offer. Perhaps the new practice should be providing both round peg options that fit current parameters, and square ones that require changing parameters and redefining – more accurately – the problem.

And slowly, the parameters might change.