The Smartest Companies Don’t Copy Their Competitors. They Do This Instead

What if the worst parts of your industry were your best opportunity?

EXPERT OPINION BY ANDREA OLSON, CEO, PRAGMADIK @PRAGMADIK

Illustration: Getty Images

Your strategy team just came back from a benchmarking exercise. They visited your top competitor, took notes, and made slides. Now they’re recommending you replicate three of that company’s best practices. Congratulations, you’ve officially committed to becoming a slightly worse version of someone else. 

Benchmarking is a convergence machine. When every company in a market studies the........

© Inc.com