Typically heard by management in the last five years, paradigm shift is something that we can all actually get behind. Paradigm shift actually means a fundamental change in an individual’s or a society’s view of how things work in the world. Typically, it is used in both the business and tech world as something (idea, product, or culture) that will change how things were previously done or work. Paradigm shift often has a negative connotation as being just a buzzword, overused by marketers and self-promoting industry experts. In reality, paradigm shifts happen frequently and rapidly in today’s world. Check out these three real world-examples:
1. Galileo’s Discovery: Galileo is often used as the classic example of a paradigm shift. His discovery that shifted the Earth from the center of the universe to the sun. He discovered this through the an anomaly that the planets motion was irregular. This was attempted to explain through religion, the predominant force in science at the time. Galileo bravely gathered more anomalies and evidence to present his new view. It gathered great resistance from the establishment (Roman Church) before being adopted as correct much later in time. The same thing would later happen when the Earth was proven round.
2. The Internet: One of the most common paradigm shifts of our times. The internet provided a fundamental change in society’s consumption habits and communication methods. It would prove to change a variety of industries from phones, to music, to research. This is one of the most common examples of a major paradigm shift of modern day and the kind most businesses aspire to create.
3. Uber: Uber totally upended the taxi business. It also shifted in view how you can create a business. Along with the rise of Airbnb and Etsy, Uber provided any person the ability to take what they can and create a profit. This upending has further undone other industries, especially travel industries and has been proliferated further by the internet. Paradigm shifts may be overused and cliche but they exist in every kind of market. Every company wants to have the next paradigm shift to increase market share and profit. But telling the world you have a paradigm shift is different then creating one.