We often hear the phrase "“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."(1) In fact, as humans we copy the work of others only when we feel it's useful and impactful.

In coding, sharing your code so others can use, tweak, and see how it works is pretty much the norm. Developers often use pieces from others, mix them together, and create something new based on it. In music DJ and sample artist do the same.

Even, in the world of services, some organization do the same. For example the UK Governement shares it's Service Standard Manual to create meaningful services. FutureGov doest that too as this organization shares the lego pieces that make good public services in its LocalGov Patterns website. This sharing helps other organizations but also benefits the organization who shares. You get feedback from others who modify and re-share elements, which you can then bring back into their own service.

Action question

What parts of your service have made the most positive impact? How can you or your organization make it easier for competitors or the wider community to reuse parts of your service or tools?

Footnotes

(1) Apparently the full quote is from Oscar Wilde who said: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

Daniele's notes

• This is the first shitty draft of this principle

• This principle might one day make it in the fifth book in the "Service Design Principles" series that explores how to better serve humans and the planet.

• If you're curious about service design principles, you can get the four previous books in the series, with proofread principles and less grammatical creativity.

Written with AI help
This principle draft is based on an audio note I took while walking that was transcribed and cleaned using Audiopen. I then reviewed and improved the text by hand.