The pressure to conform
Sticking to the familiar can feel safe, but in the world of business, clinging too tightly to the status quo can stifle growth. Many industries face a persistent pressure to maintain established norms, especially when current methods seem to work well enough.
This resistance is often rooted in a fear of uncertainty, where predictability is equated with security. However, markets evolve, consumer preferences shift, and new competitors emerge with fresh ideas. So, companies that fail to embrace change risk being left behind. Change for the sake of change is not our goal.
We must learn to consistently recognise when old systems no longer serve their purpose. The courage to embrace calculated risk is a hallmark of forward-thinking brands. Though daring to innovate is often met with scepticism initially, history shows that those willing to push past conventional boundaries can claim victory not just financially but take their place as a cultural icon.
Author and consultant Simon Sinek notes, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it,” emphasising that purpose-driven thinking is the key driver to innovation.
Storm or drizzle – it's all water
To truly innovate we must occupy spaces where norms are challenged, and fresh ideas are encouraged. We must be rigorously opposed to convention. We have to learn that rethinking how problems are approached, daring to challenge assumptions, and taking strategic risks are essential milestones on the path to success. Looking at processes, products, and customer experiences not as fixed entities but as flexible opportunities for improvement is a perspective shift that is crucial for our movement – both culturally and financially.
We have to become comfortable with dismantling the mental models and ingrained beliefs that can manifest as obstacles on our path to evolution. Often, these models are invisible until challenged.
There was once an opinion that an exaggerated script and abundant budget was essential for effective messaging. But where there is an empire, there will always be rebels. Enter entrepreneurial “guerilla” producers that made a career out of creating authentic, relatable content with a shoe-string budget and a skeleton crew. Brands are now seeing the value in leveraging quirky, unpolished social media posts to create viral engagement, proving that breaking away from “perfection” can be just as engaging.
Jumping off the cliff of convention into the refreshing rush of innovation requires fostering a culture of experimentation. Embracing a process of constant testing and iteration. Creative teams that foster a “test-and-learn” mindset open themselves up to possibilities that more rigid companies miss. The best ideas don’t always come from deliberate brainstorming sessions.
Training against resistance
Similar to your physical muscles, a challenge for your creative muscles means making them work against a force. Resistance training builds strength we need to catalyse a paradigm shift.
While the initial discomfort and soreness may be deterrents, changes that the long-term benefits will bring are substantial. Overcoming this bias requires leaders to highlight the future value of change, not just its immediate cost.
The “status quo bias,” refers to the tendency for people to prefer things to stay the same, even when change could be beneficial. Companies are made up of individuals, and these individual biases translate into organizational inertia. Even the most creative teams may cling to familiar routines out of fear of failure or loss of control. People will tend place higher value on what they already know. Be it processes, systems, or brand identities. This “endowment effect” means that companies that have invested time, effort, and resources into specific tools or workflows may resist replacing them, even when newer, better options exist.
Many businesses default to “tried and true” because change introduces ambiguity and as human beings we naturally seek to avoid uncertainty. With clear communication and the establishment of a shared vision that aligns teams toward a common goal, emphasising the potential for growth and the consequences of stagnation can help shift the perception of risk.
Fostering a culture that sees change as an opportunity rather than a threat is not impossible, but it requires intention and strategy. Change management must move away from “strong-arming” our people to just accept what’s happening. Rather we need to encourage a buy-in and help them to understand why we’re doing it and embrace the inevitable benefits.
Necessity drives adoption
The tech industry thrives on disruption. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Tesla have shown that success comes from continuous reinvention. Realising that the productivity landscape would be completely different wouldn’t without the “20% time” policy implemented by Google. The policy encourages employees spend a portion of their workweek on side projects and has led to innovations like Gmail and Google Maps that are essential not only for corporate functionality but also for community connectivity. This approach reduces the fear of change by creating a safe space for exploration. It reframes change as a low-risk, high-reward activity, encouraging employees to see new ideas as opportunities rather than threats.
The recent global pandemic created a situation where embracing change at an accelerated pace was not an option but a at a requisite. This saw the rapid rise of telehealth solutions. Before the pandemic, virtual doctor visits were seen as a “nice-to-have” option. But the overwhelming need meant the whole world had to adapt, and now telehealth is a standard offering. The sudden shift to telehealth forced stakeholders to bypass the endowment effect but we don’t have to wait for another pandemic. Engineering “time-boxed” transformations can also push for change, with internal deadlines, competitions, or time-bound challenges acting as smaller-scale “external shocks.”
Traditionally slow to change, the financial industry has faced disruption from fintech startups like Square and PayPal. By offering seamless, user-friendly digital payment solutions, these companies challenged legacy financial institutions to catch up and provide competing services or else, go the way of the dodo. So not only is it important to be a willing to change from within but being aware that the actions of one agile company can disrupt entrenched practices and cause a ripple effect leading to revolution in the entire industry, linking internal innovation to external competitive threats, change leaders can overcome resistance.
The house that flexibility built
Fostering exploration and psychological safety will allow creative teams to dedicate a portion of their time to passion projects or experimental work that could drastically change the industry landscape.
To encourage this change leaders can establish “innovation hours” where team members can work on creative side projects aligned with broader organisational goals. Recognising and rewarding outcomes from these initiatives, even if they don’t result in immediate success, is the cornerstone the longevity of such programs which will inevitably lead to innovation. A “test-and-learn” approach can give employees the freedom to experiment without fear of failure. Allowing space for low-risk experimentation leads to fresh ideas that might never surface in more rigid systems.
Leveraging external shocks as catalysts for change cannot be predicted or engineered, so an exercise to shake off stagnation might mean change leaders need to simulate controlled urgency. Creating pilot programs with defined start and end dates to test new ideas and highlighting the risk of inaction will introduce the concept of “disrupt or be disrupted” to frame change as a competitive necessity. External pressures can accelerate innovation and though artificial, the implementation of “innovation sprints” can drive momentum.
Regular benchmarking of the organization’s creative output against industry innovators, use of competitor analysis to highlight the risks of stagnation and establishing performance metrics tied to innovation milestones are small stepping stones to overcome resistance to change.
Lessons in agility can leave a lasting impact. Smaller, cross-functional teams that can pivot quickly in response to new information, instead of sprawling teams burdened by excessive bureaucracy, will lead to a more adaptable and responsive approach.
Breaking the mould
Companies that embrace change position themselves to lead rather than follow, ensuring they remain relevant in an ever-evolving market. As history has shown, those bold enough to challenge convention often end up shaping the future.
Netflix’s pivot from DVD rentals to streaming exemplifies a masterclass in disruption and adaptability. Rather than waiting for DVDs to become obsolete, Netflix proactively embraced streaming as the future of media consumption. They recognized the potential of broadband internet to deliver content directly to users’ homes. In addition to being a content distributor they also produce original, high-quality shows. By controlling the content pipeline, Netflix reduced its dependence on third-party licensors and gained a competitive edge. This self-sufficiency enabled them to compete directly with traditional studios. By disrupting themselves before competitors could, Netflix stayed ahead of technological and consumer behaviour shifts. This “pre-emptive pivot” allowed them to shape the streaming industry rather than react to it.
Wendy’s made the very deliberate decision to reject a corporate tone in their social media presence in favour of a witty and irreverent one, sometimes being downright savage. Their infamous “roast” tweets and playful banter with other brands turned routine customer engagement into viral entertainment. This approach mirrors how real people communicate online, making Wendy’s feel more relatable and human. What they’re doing here is prioritising authentic content above overly polished content. Instead of producing slick, high-budget ads, Wendy’s focuses on simple, direct, and often social-only content like tweet threads, snarky one-liners, and playful memes. Wendy’s playful, low-cost posts feel more natural. It positions the brand as part of the cultural conversation rather than a distant corporate voice.
Airbnb also serves as a prime example. When the travel industry faced disruption during the pandemic, Airbnb adapted by promoting local “staycations” and long-term stays. Instead of focusing solely on vacation rentals, they redefined their offering to meet new consumer needs.
Finally, Spotify disrupted the music industry by rethinking how people access music. Instead of owning individual albums, consumers now stream music on demand. By challenging the “ownership” model, Spotify not only changed consumer behaviour but also reshaped an entire industry.
Breaking the mould is not necessarily an act of rebellion, but an acceptance of the need for survival and growth. We must learn to confront their psychological biases, seek inspiration from other sectors, and adopt agile, iterative processes that foster innovation. To thrive, creative businesses must learn to challenge convention and nurture an appetite for the unorthodox. So, go forth, accelerate innovation and reveal new possibilities.
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