The Buy vs. Build Shift: Letting Go of ‘We’re Unique’

For anyone involved in transformation you are have probably heard the pharse “We’re different. We’re unique. Off-the-shelf solutions won’t work for us.”   Let’s talk about why so many organizations believe this, and how that belief might be costing them more than they realize—not just in dollars, but in agility, scalability, and long-term customer value.  The shift from build to buy In the past, building software from scratch gave organizations full control. You could tailor it to every policy, every exception, every preference.   That control came with baggage:  long timelines huge budgets large technical debt that nobody wanted to own.  Today, modern platforms—especially in the cloud—are robust, scalable, and updated regularly.  They: are configurable  come with built-in security, analytics, even compliance tools.   You’re not starting from zero –That’s why we’re seeing this shift toward buying. It’s faster, safer, and in most cases, cheaper in the long run. The value is there.  The we're different story Here’s where many modernization efforts get stuck. Despite the clear advantages of buying, teams push back with the idea that they are somehow different—too complex, too regulated, too unique.  Every organization has its quirks—but are you truly unique? Or are we just deeply attached to the way we’ve always done things?  “We’re different” is often code for “we don’t want to change.”  When you use that mindset to push for heavy customization of out-of-the-box software, we’re not only recreating our legacy pain—we’re actively rejecting the best practices that come built into these new platforms.  3. Buying AND evolving How do you move forward?  Reframe the conversation -- buying software doesn’t mean you lose your identity.  It means you’re choosing a foundation that’s built to evolve—and you evolve with it.  Instead of asking, “How can this product fit our process?” Ask, “How can our process adapt to this product’s best practices?”  This is where leadership plays a critical role.  You need transformation champions who are willing to: challenge legacy thinking question the true value of customizations Elevate the idea that adapting to a product can actually be a strategic advantage  Protecting and growing your investment Customizations cost more than just money.   Customizations: block upgrades create dependencies increase maintenance overhead  isolate you from the innovation roadmaps that modern platforms offer.  If you adopt a vendor solution and keep it vanilla—or close to it—you benefit from regular improvements, broader community testing, and shared innovation.   You’re not out there alone.  That’s how you protect your investment.   That’s how you ensure it grows with you—not against you.  The more aligned you are to the product’s roadmap, the more confident you can be in scaling, integrating, and evolving.  5. Influencing the culture to embrace change How do we influence businesses to move past the “we’re different” mindset?  Storytelling  Show examples from other industries or jurisdictions. Show what’s possible when an organization leans into a product’s strengths instead of bending it to legacy processes.  It also means investing in change leadership.   Get your business teams into the demos. Let them see what modern platforms can do out of the box. Let them see how the best practices work.   Resistance softens when staff realize they’re not giving something up—they’re gaining something better.  Finally, measure and celebrate the wins. When you launch faster, when you reduce maintenance costs, when upgrades take days instead of months—share that story.   That’s how you shift the culture.   To wrap Letting go of what made your organization “special” can feel risky.   The real risk today is falling behind because of legacy thinking.