The Best Practice Myth: Why Copying Others Destroys Real Progress

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The best practice myth is one of the most comforting lies in modern organisations. We see a successful company, watch a shiny conference talk, or read a LinkedIn post and think, “We should do it like them.” It feels smart, efficient, and safe. But the truth is — copying what worked elsewhere often kills the very progress it promises to create.

The Copycat Comfort Zone

Let’s be honest: copying others feels good. It reduces the anxiety of not knowing what to do. If Spotify, Google, or Amazon did it, then surely it must work for us too, right?
Except… it doesn’t.

Every organization is a living system shaped by its own history, culture, constraints, and people. When you import a “proven model” without understanding the soil it grew in, you’re not transferring success — you’re transplanting context. And most of the time, that context doesn’t survive the trip.

So instead of gaining agility or innovation, what you often get is bureaucracy in new clothes. You get new rituals, new labels, and the same old problems.

Why “Best” Is Never Universal

A “best practice” is never universally best. It’s best for someone, somewhere, under certain conditions.
What made it successful there was a web of invisible factors: timing, leadership style, team maturity, power structures, even personality chemistry.

Take these examples:

  • Spotify’s squad model thrived because of high alignment and engineering autonomy — not because of its famous structure.
  • Toyota’s lean system worked because it was built on decades of learning and reflection, not because of a few Japanese words.
  • Netflix’s culture deck fits a company that rewards radical honesty and constant performance pressure — not every organisation wants that trade-off.

When others try to copy these models, they usually end up with the theatre of progress — the forms and ceremonies — without the underlying thinking.

From Copying to Understanding

The alternative to imitation isn’t chaos — it’s contextual thinking.
Instead of asking, “What are others doing?” ask, “What problem are we trying to solve — and what works for us?”

That shift changes everything:

  • Observe your own system. Where does value actually flow? Where does it get stuck?
  • Experiment small. Borrow ideas, but test and adapt them.
  • Create feedback loops. Don’t scale what you haven’t validated.
  • Share your findings. Internal learning beats imported wisdom every time.

It’s not about reinventing the wheel — it’s about understanding your terrain before deciding which wheels fit.

The Myth Behind the Myth

At its core, the best practice myth hides something deeper: the fear of uncertainty.
Copying what others do gives the illusion of movement. It allows leaders to say, “We’re following industry standards,” while quietly avoiding the harder work — understanding their own system.

It’s much easier to replicate someone’s slides than to sit in ambiguity, listen to people, and design what actually fits. But that’s where real leadership lives — in the uncomfortable space between knowing and learning.

Related reading

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In Short

Stop chasing “best.” Start understanding your.
Progress doesn’t come from imitation — it comes from insight.
Because the moment you stop copying others and start designing for your own reality, you stop performing agility and start becoming agile.

Recommended Book

📘 “The Systems Bible” by John Gall
A timeless and hilarious exploration of why complex systems fail — and why copying others’ systems almost guarantees you’ll build a worse one. Perfect reading for anyone ready to escape the best practice myth.