Have you ever made an innovative suggestion, only to hear a negative response, followed by the standby, “We’ve always done things this way”? Or worse, have you been guilty of using that phrase?

This week, I was fortunate to attend a meeting of the Beyond Budgeting Round Table in Copenhagen. The meeting presented four compelling case studies of companies implementing the Beyond Budgeting methodology around the globe. These implementers are certainly doing things differently.

However, on the flights back home I ran into a series of unsavory weather conditions and process errors that left me 12 hours behind my travel schedule and ultimately stranded me overnight at a Comfort Inn in Austin, Texas.

After a brief night’s sleep, I rolled my bag to the front desk at 6:45 a.m. and asked about the next shuttle to the airport. The clerk told me that the shuttle left every 30 minutes and that the next one would arrive at 7 a.m. I made a reservation for that shuttle and then walked across the lobby for a quick complimentary breakfast.

By 7:02 a.m., I still had not heard an announcement for the shuttle, so I returned to the front desk to ask about its arrival. The desk clerk told me my shuttle had left a few minutes ago and that I would have to wait until 7:30 a.m. to take the next shuttle.

At times like these you have to work hard not to explode. After a few moments, I suggested – as calmly as I could manage – that the hotel consider announcing the shuttle’s arrival and departure. The desk clerk’s immediate response called to mind what often happens when an improvement-minded individual suggests that a traditional budgeting process should be reconsidered: “In the five years that I have worked at this hotel, this is the way we have always handled the shuttle.”

He seemed to think that his response closed the matter. It did, but it also closed my business with that Comfort Inn.

“The way we’ve always done things” closes off too many companies from innovative and valuable process improvements. ###