Everybody loves a clean start. When current systems aren't working and pressures are building, it's tempting to want to trash everything and start over fresh. But what is the cost? Time, Innovation and Lost Opportunity.
Time - The most valuable of all commodities. Once it has passed it can never be gotten back. Today I read an article of a major shoe retailer who declared bankruptcy. Think about it....400 stores, national distribution, massive buying power. Unfortunately, TIME ran out. I can only wonder, what if? What if they acted on an instinct to change? Did someone think about competing with the internet retailers....back when they had TIME? Were they shot down by someone who felt that they couldn't transform their systems or processes? Someone who made the case that they needed to acquire a massive system with an eco-system? Were consultants brought in to analyze and pontificate? TIME is a precious commodity for sure!
Innovation - Remember when you were a kid? What was more enjoyable, creating something from scratch or building a model? Seriously, think about it. $50 Lego Starwars or scrap lumber, some nails, wire, cloth and paint? I used to love creating and with that came insights and ideas. Ideas that spurred a trip to Clarkson University and an passion for engineering and innovation. Driven to challenge the status quo, I have found myself working with others using familiar tools and fresh ideas to create radical transformation. More recently we have created a platform to enable innovation and eliminate the need to learn a whole new "out of the box" eco-system to be just like everyone else.
Lost Opportunity - I think this is the biggest cost of a Rip and Replace mindset. Think about it. Sustainable businesses grow and thrive when they compete with their passion and creativity. Not when they adopt a me too mindset. If you want to read a good book, read Peter Theil's: Zero to One. I can assure you that the next last action in your industry is not adopting the me too platform. It is taking what you have, quickly innovating and then iterating, over and over.
No Need to Rip and Replace! Just enhance what you have. Take those old systems and connect them. Create your own agile custom eco-system with visionary processes leading to incredible customer engagement.