I have always believed that when one sees confusion in an industry, one should always run towards it to stay ahead of client needs and competitors. This is strategy could be called “invest in what can put you out of business.” It has been a theme in Disrupting the Future and it was first offered in Renewing the Printing Industry. It comes from the old joke about lawyers who make their living on contingency fees, prowling for unfortunate circumstances, and as a result being called “ambulance chasers,” with speeding light-and-siren ambulances being followed by speeding Cadillacs driven by lawyers. Consultants sometimes get the same reputation, going about print's countryside claiming that everyone's business will die unless they engage in certain kinds of behavior. One of the pre-packaged pieces of advice is, “Embrace change.” Implied is the accusation that the industry is resistant to change, despite its history of shifts from letterpress to offset to numerous digital devices, and from hot lead typography to phototypesetting to desktop publishing, as well as various other situations.

Confusion is the common denominator here: a technological shift, a change in customer tastes, a different business environment; all require some re-evaluation of the marketplace and a determination of the best proactive response. Don't run around being confused; rather, run toward the confusion and propose a solution.

Whenever industries are in transition, the resulting confusion makes business decisions more difficult to make. Sometimes minor alterations in business practice are necessary. Sometimes the adaptations have larger scope and need bigger actions. Often, managers have to find ways to gracefully exit their old way of doing business and effectively enter the next phase of business. It's always easier to deal with these changes when demand for what you produce is increasing. When demand is declining, you're faced with situations that do not allow for graceful exits or entries. It can get bloody.