In my career, I have heard many terms used to basically define the same thing over and over. The terms do not really line up with what it is, and there is usually a more exact, simpler way of saying it. Unfortunately, verbiage is caught on and spreads life wildfire, and the core meaning of what that term is, is lost.
These days, the terms that are predominant are - disrupt, pivot, stealth. In a given week, I encounter these terms at least 6-12 times, and that is if I am lucky. To be clear, these terms are relevant in the right context, unfortunately, they are not stated as such.
So, what does one mean when they say "We are a disruptive organization that is pivoting in stealth mode?" To me, it sounds like a business with no focus or direction, somewhat like a car lost in a desert with no GPS.
Now, if I were to redefine that statement into more simpler terms, I would say "We are trying a new business model." This makes more sense to me. Everything else is just fluff.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
1) Disruptive - Any organization that "claims" to be disruptive is not. Disruption happens, it is not stated that it will happen. Some examples of these organizations today are Tesla Motors, Amazon, Apple, and Google. None of these organizations began with a bold statement saying "We will be disruptive." Instead, they built fantastic products and services that the market caught on to, and then claim what is disruptive about it. In my opinion, building products or services that are differentiated in certain ways to gain market share is a core tenement of business. I do not see how it is "disruptive" to do what you are supposed to do.
2) Pivot - Pivot is nothing more then trying new things. Any organization should always try and experiment with different ideas to see what works and what does not. If a certain path is not working, try a new one, even if means doing a 180. Trying new things is nothing new and has been done for centuries.
3) Stealth - This is generally looked at as fast as you can go to market. Firstly, all organizations, especially when starting up, should try to get to market as fast as possible. Secondly, this is somewhat of a dangerous term gives a certain visual of speed that is not accurate. An example, stealth does not mean killing your staff to get something out by having them work unbalanced hours. This is actually contradictory to stealth since the organization will still have longer-term issues trying to fix quality issues from speed of the current efforts and employee morale.
I would be weary of any company that uses these terms. To me, that signals a yellow flag of a company that is all sizzle and no steak.
Finally, these terms are used very cavalierly in general conversation. They do have truer meanings then their usage today, and should not be used so lightly.
