Adaptability Can Be Terrifying

Have you ever had the chance to head up into the St. Louis Arch? It’s a wonderful experience, with one giant caveat. Don’t go if it’s too windy! 

Here in the Midwest, we get some good wind gusts. The engineers that built the Arch had to take that into account and create the arch so that it wouldn’t be too rigid; that it would move with the wind gusts while maintaining integrity. 
 
That all sounds well and fine, until you’re in the Arch and it’s swaying! It can be pretty terrifying!


Adaptability in IT creates that same feeling. In theory, it’s fine, until you experience the sway. In fact, many of us in IT have layered in as much governance as possible to protect our systems.  But today’s market makes that line of thinking outdated. Our systems must be adaptable; too much governance limits innovation. The “winds of change” if you will, are ever present. Lines of business must pivot rapidly to stay competitive.


Being able to not only create but operate a system that is adaptable, that is able to “sway” in the wind is a challenge. But if one thing is certain about tomorrow it’s this: it’s going to change. If we build in too much rigidity, our system will crack. The future is about adaptability and we need to embrace it.