Make the Paradigm shift

It’s a word that might have sounded good when introduced, but one that has far overstayed its welcome. A couple of samplers from various meetings that I’ve attended – ‘Facilitate a paradigm shift by delivering holistic cross-functional solutions that will strengthen sustained competitive advantage’. Huh? Another one – ‘What we are looking for is the development of a communication paradigm that will be the guiding principles for the future’. Or the funniest one I’ve heard – ‘That’s the paradigm I’m coming from’. It sounds like a language that you understand, but you still don’t get what the other person is trying to say.

I have a theory – we tend to use such words to fool ourselves into believing that what we are doing is the matter of the gravest import. Using words like ‘paradigm’ in long-winded sentences and delivering it in an officious tone makes the whole thing quite intimidating and serious. Here is a plea to sanitize the business environment of jargon. Let’s keep it simple. Let’s make a paradigm shift.