Better, best and winning

One of our dearest held assumptions in business is the idea that better wins.

A better mousetrap will win the mousetrap market’s hearts and minds and dollars.

A better idea will persuade; a better video will spread further.

So we’d better set out to build better mousetraps.

Simples, no?

Well maybe and maybe not – it’s far from clear that better things win. Ask Sony about their betamax. Ask Neil Young and his high quality digital file technology. Ask the inventors of Esperanto.

One of the reasons for this is that we humans aren’t looking for the best – the very best. We are not maximers of utility (as the classical economists put it) but satisficers (good enough is good enough). We don’t choose that way…

In terms of the Copy Copy Copy map, we’re not nearly as much choosing in a NW-ern “considered” way, but using other means.

Indeed, very often things win despite themselves (VHS vs. Betamax is one example). The real driver of success here lies on the Eastern side of the map – in what other people are doing or have done.

It’s not that the quality of things doesn’t matter, it’s just that it isn’t enough – on it’s own – to drive success.

So be careful throwing all your money into building a better thing – a better mousetrap – it may not be the best way to bet for success.