> So you’re suggesting that one person decides that they like JQuery on the front end and one decides that they want to use plain Vanilla JS and one decides they like the look of Material UI, the other Bootstrap, and one happens to like sites that look like MySpace that’s ok?
The expectation is that developers are literate in their line of work, even though most companies don't hire like that. Since developers are expected to be literate don't waste time worrying about how to write code. If a developer suggests a tool that helps them on the "how to write the code" reject the tool.
Set business principles that specifically communicate the acceptable scope of work. Such principles can be something like this:
* code will execute within X milliseconds.
* code will allow up to X total dependencies (choose wisely).
* code will not exceed X bytes total size. If they want to include jQuery their code solution just increased 69kb.
The common failing is confusion around standards. Many developers find it easier if everybody just did everything the same way so that things appear standard. That approach ignores everything relevant to product quality and the goals of the business, which is stupid. It is stupid because it sacrifices simple for easy at the lowest level of leadership by lazy or weak managers. You don't get to offload management onto a framework and still hope to be a strong effective manager. Ultimately the success of a manager is tied to the work of that manager's team whether the team can retain/promote effective people.
When you set concrete and specific business limitations the limits are easily understood and based on objective criteria. Innovation and creativity are not stifled as developers are free to work within the constraints anyway they please.
This all makes sense once you accept that the group is worth more than the individual, but the product is worth more than the group. Sacrificing business goals for group cohesion is backwards just as sacrificing group integrity for an individuals option is backwards.
> You’d be surprised at how many cheap developers
That is also a common failure. Developers are never cheap unless you offshore. In hoping for cheap you will actually get developers that cost the same, do crappy work, don't value themselves, and that aren't valued by the organization. That is toxic. Instead hire people with potential to do great things and manage them effectively.