Isn’t it interesting how some words and expressions become fashionable for a period of time? It always makes me wonder how this occurs. One of the latest linguistic fashions in the business world is ‘to disrupt’. It’s suddenly pretty ‘cool’ to be a ‘disruptor’ and people wear the label with pride.

Are we using this expression in the right circumstances? Sometimes yes, sometimes maybe not really.

According to the dictionary, to disrupt means ‘to cause turmoil, to destroy, to radically change something.’

Sometimes that’s exactly what is needed in an industry or situation; to change something radically. Other times though, the word ‘to evolve’ might be more accurate, ‘to develop or to gradually change something’.

When we say we are ‘disrupting an industry’, are we really talking about radical changes or are we talking about evolving what people before us have created. It depends. Disrupting might sound more sexy, but sometimes evolving is exactly what is needed. Taking something that is already there and improving on it. And sometimes disrupting and shaking things up completely may be required.

Let’s throw another one in… ‘to revolutionise’ which is defined as ‘to bring about a radical change’. A revolutionist is someone who “wants to change the world.”

What if the world doesn’t need changing though, what if it is our behaviours that need to be adapted? Can we do this through a revolution, evolution or disruption?

There is no right or wrong answer, just something to ponder. Evolving could sometimes be more appropriate than disrupting or revolutionizing. It’s more gentle, yet very effective without destroying what’s already there if what’s there is usable.

Are you a disruptor, an evolver or a revolutionist? You can be all of them, depending on the situation.