Overcoming Monoculture in Organisations

The pitfalls of monoculture

Monoculture gives rise to silo thinking, which creates insular realities detached from the world outside. Organisations that develop products and services within these narrow realities face uncertain success. Despite the prevalence of monoculture across industries, from engineer-led tech startups to established financial services, the challenge of establishing a diverse culture of thinking persists.

Changing customer mindset

Information technology has empowered customers with liquid experiences, enabling them to compare their best experiences with any other product or service. 

Customers no longer settle for comparing apples to oranges; they compare your offering to leading industry players like Apple. Consequently, organisations must align with customers’ expectations and needs, even if it means stepping out of their comfort zones.

Diversifying the thinking process

To overcome monoculture, organisations must initiate long-term strategies to diversify their product departments. 

Hiring individuals from different industries and backgrounds can inject fresh perspectives and foster a culture of diverse thinking. However, it is important to note that immediate results may not be forthcoming. In the interim, organizations can adopt the following considerations when developing new products or services:

• Real customer needs: Ensure products are built based on genuine customer needs rather than assumptions. Unbiased customer and market research, conducted either internally or with the assistance of external partners, can provide invaluable insights.

• Co-creation with diverse teams: Design products and services collaboratively with a diverse team that includes customers. Relying solely on internal individuals who claim to know customers can limit perspectives. Embracing co-creation can yield superior outcomes.

• Balancing customer benefit and organisational benefit: Evaluate if the product or service offers benefits not only to customers but also to the organisation. This benefit need not be solely monetary but can align with long-term product or organisational strategies.

• Prototyping and testing: Prioritise testing before launching a product or service. Beyond technology and usability testing, concept testing allows for gathering feedback from users and customers, enabling refinements that make a significant difference.

Gaining internal support

Selling the concept internally can be challenging. Potential sponsors should be involved in the research and co-creation phases to increase their chances of getting sponsorship. 

Encouraging their sense of ownership and actively seeking their input makes securing support more attainable. A solid argument grounded in customer and market insights and a compelling business case can convince even the most persistent “monoculturist” within an organisation.

The benefits of diversity

Embracing diversity of opinions, experiences, and professional backgrounds empowers organisations to create appealing products and services. It enables them to react promptly to evolving requirements and extend resilience beyond product development.

Monoculture stifles organisations’ ability to thrive in an ever-changing landscape. 

By acknowledging the limitations of monoculture and actively embracing diversity, organisations can unlock their full potential, foster innovation, and deliver exceptional products and services. 

Adopting a customer-centric mindset, conducting unbiased research, involving diverse teams, and gaining internal support are crucial to creating organisations that thrive in constant change.