I recently led a strategic thinking and planning program at Fortune 500. During the group’s value mining campaign to explore new areas that bring value to customers, one comment came across an idea: “This is a taboo here.” Others agree, but some asked, “Why?”
Then, we discuss other ideas traditionally taboos:
Get into a stranger’s car.
Let strangers enter your home.
Share your personal details with many people.
Each of these once taboo ideas has become a multi-billion dollar business. Uber has become a stranger car, which is a convenient and effective way of transportation.
The idea of Airbnb is to get strangers into your home and stay overnight, becoming a new source of income for millions of people. Facebook makes sharing one’s most personal details as common as clicking the “Like” button.
Taboos are defined as “inappropriate or unacceptable” prohibited by society. Consider your business. What types of things currently considered to be considered inappropriate or unacceptable? Now, use these ideas and see if converting them can add value to someone in your ecosystem. If so, maybe it is not a taboo.
