Innovating in an imperfect world benefits from a worldview that strives for perfection

Imperfection sold as therapy (not an endorsement)

In the world of contemporary ceramics, there is a notion that Japanese handicraft artists are so skillful that they create perfect pottery. So perfect, that ceramic artists sometimes deliberately make dents in their work to make the work imperfect — beautiful. This is the worldview of wabi-sabi, simply put, appreciating and seeing the beauty of an imperfect world.

There are many articles and arguments about why in the modern workplace perfect is the enemy of good, and that instead of striving for perfection we should be happy with good. This one caught my eye recently. At UNHCR, perfectionism that leads to delays when delivering life-supporting services to refugees can be quite dangerous, counterproductive and ineffective. Delayed policies, statements, recommendations, case files, for example, in the name of perfecting the language can have real-life consequences. People may be detained longer, not be able to see their families, or they may miss opportunities to start a better life. The concept of appreciating the beauty of an imperfect world does not really apply when lives are at stake. At UNHCR’s Innovation Service, we also recognize the consequences perfectionism can have on adopting new approaches. In my experience working on creativity over the years, delays due to perfectionism in innovation processes throw off the power balance. The ‘perfectionist’ approach disrespects agreed timelines and puts the power into the hands of a perfectionist who ends up dictating the process. And in many cases, innovation and collaborative efforts won’t thrive in these environments.

But is the idea that “done, better than perfect”, true? Constant improvement of processes and services is hard work, time-consuming and many times abortive, but without it, perhaps we would all live in a world of “half-ass”. Mediocre work rarely delivers innovation, however, relentlessly pushing for the best does. Innovation happens when we come as close to perfection as possible, and even if we know we will fall short, we keep going and iterating. This is what is expected from service providers, especially when services are delivered to vulnerable populations on behalf of the more privileged citizens around the world. As people working in privileged organizations like UNHCR, shouldn’t we strive for perfection?

This argument can go on for a long time — cases for and against perfection in workplaces are nuanced. But when we talk about “done is better than perfect”, what we are often talking about is how we adhere to deadlines and if we respect them.

Perhaps it is more helpful to think about why we miss deadlines in creative and innovation processes rather than why someone is a perfectionist and why someone is encouraged to talk about how well they performed despite minimum preparation.

Why do we miss deadlines (whether we are perfectionists or trying to be ones) when we try to deliver novelty? These are my reasons/observations (being too busy is not included as it is one of the more valid reasons that probably requires a separate write-up):

1. We do not respect deadlines because they are arbitrary. Setting a deadline is a power play. The boss sets a deadline. The client sets a deadline. There might be an agreed delivery date, a set budget that will last until the said date, but many times statements like ‘I want this by Friday’ are arbitrary, because most of the time when Friday comes and goes, all we get is — ‘well, just get it done as soon as possible…please’.
2. Missing a deadline sometimes feels better than delivering something that we will be judged against. Here is a good article on why innovation and the emotion of fear go hand in hand. If we know that we will not receive constructive, timely, intelligent and meaningful feedback after a deadline, why bother?
3. Modern day work is complex and interdependent which can be quite overwhelming when you try to understand it, have a global view of it, or even realising that you are part of it: I remember when I worked in Japan and suddenly due to an issue with the global dairy supply chain, Tokyo’s bakeries could not produce anything with butter in it (yes, we eat yummy sandwiches in Asia too). It was one of those moments of realization that our world is interdependent, and complex, and that complexity has consequences on a very personal level. We rarely have full control and power over the complex processes we are part of — and those who claim that they are in control are most probably lying. No?
4. As innovators, and creative beings in larger complex organizations, we are also not (probably) the right people to deliver and cross the line on time with what we are entrusted to do. Especially as we move up the career ladder, we are deeply incompetent in our work because of how we are hired and promoted which slowly takes us away from our competency zones.
5. J.K. Rowling said in a commencement speech that there is an expiry date on blaming your parents for your life decisions. Well, J.K. Rowling did not have Korean immigrant parents, did she? This is to show that when we speak about the culture of delivering things on time and deciding on project management norms, we need to take diversity into consideration. Some people do not have the privilege to deliver “half-ass” and get away with it. Women are mostly promoted due to their achievements, men based on their potential. People in minority groups cannot simply just deliver something dented and say it is wabi-sabi. I suspect there are deep inequalities in our systems, our organizations and in our communities that dictate much more heavily the way we approach our work than norms on how deadlines should be dealt with.

We should always strive for perfect, for best— why go for second best? Innovation is about accepting failures and learning to improve effectively. It is only when we fall short of perfect that we know that we need to do better next time. Failing whilst not doing one’s best (striving for perfect) is probably not a good learning point. Succeeding after not having done one's best is rarely inspirational. Delivering perfect is never the point, it is that sense of next time we will come closer to perfection that drives many artists and creative people to continue with their work. Whether it is administrative paperwork processes or providing services to improve lives, it may be difficult to find the drive to understand the importance of timely feedback, continuous improvement, and curiosity — the stuff that drives innovation forward, without striving for perfection.

To help with perfecting things I recommend taking up something around creativity. It can be something complex like kick boxing and perfecting a balanced kick, to ceramics to writing the most balanced poem — and then trying to apply the learnings from the process to the work that we do as innovators.