Speed is a thing. For example, people that speak faster tend to dominate and direct conversations. Time is money, so when a task is completed quickly money is saved — certainly when billing on an hourly basis. When I was a young designer working in a team with other talented, more experienced designers, I would often spend extra time in the evenings or on weekends to complete a model or drawing so my ideas would be given serious consideration. The designer who can generate three proposals in the time others can generate only one will dominate the process. Like it or not, for better or worse, speed matters. Unfortunately, speed does not guarantee a proposal is the most thoughtful, nor does it ensure it is ethical or moral. In fact, speed reduces the likelihood that a particular idea or proposal was thoroughly vetted. Speed is a powerful tactic that can be used to dominate or overwhelm a competitor. We have all seen successful companies, in a rush to be “first to market,” release marginal, half-baked products.
It is interesting that as the world’s appetite for speed seems insatiable, the slow movement has emerged. The slow movement counters our desire for greater and greater speed by focusing on doing things better, rather than faster. It advocates slowing down and doing less. When tasks are prioritized as important, determining the right speed or amount of time one should allocate to those tasks becomes paramount. Although it appears that the principles of the slow movement are needed more than ever, they will most likely get crushed by the AI steamroller combined with the unprecedented informational fog generated by social media and information technologies. Who is going to pay individuals to ponder unforeseen implications, unintended consequences or ethical/moral considerations when there is serious money to be made — boat loads of money? The parallels between the slow movement and the arts and crafts movement during the industrial revolution are eerily similar. Like it or not, the race is on.