3 Reasons to Avoid Best Practices

1. Freedom from the market
In the for-profit arena there is a point of view that industries, not individual companies, succeed.  If that point of view has merit, "industry practice" is reasonable on some level. But a non-profit organization fills a need that is not otherwise met by the market. Almost by definition there is no adequate local industry for the service -- fulfillment of the mission -- that the organization provides.  

2. Avoiding disaster is not good enough
There's a fun theoretical discussion about the differences among "best" "smart" and "good" practices. In the end though, whatever you call them, the practices usually are not emprically proven.  Instead they are: one, common and, two, have not led to obvious failure. If the best that can be said about an employee is that her work is common, or that her work has not led to disaster, any manager will run for cover at the suggestion of working with her.  Likewise, organizations should steer clear of practices that have nothing more to recommend them. 

3. The expert is in the mirror
Sometimes a best practice results from the collective input of experts in a field -- guidelines from an association for example. Here's the thing though, no one is as expert about the unique context of an organization as its board and its leadership staff. Even if the practice is based on empirical evidence, the practice must be contextualized for your organization. So while guidelines from experts are a fair place to begin sifting for excellent ideas, they are not a place to end. 

Before cutting and pasting a seemingly successful neighbor's practices into your organization's arsenal of practices, here are some things to consider:

• Does the other organization have the same goals? The same values?  
• Is the other organization guided by a mission that overlaps with your organization's?  If so, by adopting the practice might your organization compromise the very thing that sets it apart?
• Is there a causal link between the practice and extraordinary measurable results?  
• Is the practice best or safe? In this instance is risk reduction justification enough to adopt the practice?   
• What is the source of the best practices and whose interests does that source promote or protect?
• Are the practices adjusted in some way to be forward looking?
• Do the practices impact the heart and soul of the organization (e.g., governance structure, bylaws, strategic plan, distinguishing characteristics, the story)? 

There is no shortcut to setting goals, assessing risk, allocating resources and thinking through what is right and best for your unique and special organization. And why would we ever want there to be?  That's the fun part!