Is Integrity Obsolete?

In the last blog I was on a roll about "functional obsolescence." It seems totally absurd to me that we are building a whole host of new products that are designed intentionally to become obsolete - just so marketers can profit from the sale of another one of the same product! Has "integrity" become obsolete?




Our world keeps changing at a faster, and faster pace. With that maniacal pace comes the continual upgrade in features, and performance as we discover new ways of providing technology to the marketplace. Some people just have to have the latest gadget or hottest style - I get that! But when an entire industry eliminates the analog signal for televisions so that you are really left no option but to buy a new digital TV set, I have a problem with that! Where is the integrity in this upgrade? Hey wait a minute - Sony already has developed the protocol that will replace 1080p televisions. Once again, this will make your TV clearer and even more sharp then it is today. All of the television cameras have already been built and tested, but Sony refuses to roll out the latest technology until their inventory of 1080p sets dwindles! Guess what - shortly our 1080p sets will be "technologically obsolete" so we will have to buy new sets in the future! Good for them, bad for us...

With all of the "obsoletes" noted in the last blog, has even integrity become obsolete? So what if the Boards of these large corporations press for profits to keep their shareholders happy - what is the right thing to do for the masses? You don't see Apple discontinuing service or features on their old iphones just because they have rolled out the new iphone 4! As a society we seem to strayed far from the concept of doing the "right thing" for everybody. The almighty dollar has taken over!




Hungry marketers often seem to say whatever they need to to get the next sale, or the next job. It's not uncommon at all for us to run face to face with a competitor who has promised things to an unsuspecting client that they cannot possibly deliver. Who gets hurt? Usually not the builder! That happens because as a society we have gotten away from "my word is my bond." Is the concept of "say what you'll do, and do what you say" now old fashioned? Isn't that what integrity is really all about?