Reader question:

Please explain “reinvent the wheel”, as in: “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.”

My comments:

Alright, suppose you’re building an eco-friendly, or green, car.

Instead of an engine that burns on oil, you may want to invent a new one that burns on gas, which is more efficient, or use a battery, which is even better and which is what most green car manufacturers are currently doing anyway.

But you don’t have to, literally, reinvent the wheel. That is, you don’t have to make major changes to the round-shaped tyred wheel, unless, of course, you’re building an eco-friendly tank or tractor.

Anyways, whenever someone says “there’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” they’re merely saying that there’s no need to make a complete overhaul to something and start anew – better take advantage of existing technologies, materials, or what works.

In other words, there is no need to waste time inventing a new wheel to the proverbial vehicle when existing wheels are perfect, or perfectly adequate to use.

As you can see, this idiom is often used in the negative, as a caution against making more changes than necessary. However, when drastic changes or complete overhauls are called for, it’s perfectly alright to suggest that we do reinvent the wheel, figuratively speaking, from time to time.

Here are media examples:

1. Don’t you sometimes notice that a lot of tech companies are simply reinventing the wheel? Take for instance search engines. Long before Google was king, there have been several search engines that have pre-dated it (and perhaps now we can say Google has “predated” those other search engines in another sense). And even after Google took dominance in the search industry, a host of other search outfits are trying to get into the game. Some are small, but some are arguably giants in themselves. Take Microsoft, for instance.

In business, does it make sense to reinvent the wheel?

In competition, does it make sense to challenge the status quo? Can you always be the David that stares Goliath in the face, while planning to bring the giant down? Or are you not just wasting your time by entering into a sphere were someone is still dominant, and is not likely to give up top spot that easily?

For years, MySpace ruled the social networking scene. Facebook started out simply as a closed network, but when it opened to the public, along with its plethora of applications and inherent expandability, it just took off. But it’s not always the case. There are a handful of other startups that looked promising from the start. But where are they now? Think Friendster. Think Multiply. Perhaps they still serve a niche, but they probably no longer merit the same expectations as before.

Are there lost opportunities here? Did people take a wrong turn? Is this a case of reinventing the wheel, and then realizing it’s an exercise in futility?

Sure, innovation is good. But it does take timing, hard work and a bit of luck (or serendipity) before something will click.

- Why Reinvent the Wheel? WISLounge.com, September 5, 2009.

2. David Chang never set out to be the king of pork buns, and the fact that this is now the case is something he finds a little weird. As he puts it: “Can you imagine being Neil Diamond and having to sing ‘Cracklin’ Rosie’ every time you get on stage for the rest of your life?” The whole thing was an accident. In 2004, Chang signed a lease on his first Manhattan restaurant, a noodle bar he called Momofuku, which means “l(fā)ucky peach” in Japanese, but is also a nod to the inventor of instant noodles, Momofuku Ando. The menu was simple: ramen noodles with shredded pork, $7; Momofuku ramen with pork and a poached egg, $12; spicy noodles, $9; rice with chicken and egg, $10. The business was cash only. But he had no business to speak of. No one came. Chang would gaze on the “terrible” Japanese place across the street, which was always packed, and wonder what in hell he was doing wrong.

His luck only changed when he decided that if he was going to go bust, he should do it in style, and cook whatever he felt like. He added bowls of tripe and sweetbreads to the menu, and a Korean-inspired burrito. In time, it was normal for Chang to rock up for work and see a little crowd outside, waiting for him to open. But it was his pork buns that people were really mad for. “Every ticket started to have a pork bun on it,” he says. “Four people would get four orders of pork buns. They’re only pork belly sandwiches, and usually people are so afraid of fat. I didn’t understand it. It’s not like we reinvented the wheel.” He shrugs. Six years on, 33-year-old Chang is the owner of six New York restaurants, one of which – Momofuku Ko – has two Michelin stars. Is it fair to say that he owes all this to pork buns? “Oh, yes. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for pork belly.”

- David Chang: New York’s king of the pork belly bun, The Observer, November 14, 2010.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

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