Companies that experience high levels of success often build models upon which to generate future growth. As success often becomes a byproduct of a new way of thinking, companies typically adhere to the principles that became pillars of growth in the past. In a constantly changing business environment, however, organizations must exercise a high degree of caution in adhering to the old ways of doing business. The reason is simple. What propelled a company to success in the past, might not work in a competitive business environment that’s changing at a seemingly exponential rate.
Moreover, organizations that implement processes and build infrastructure must always keep the end objective in mind. This means that the executive team must continuously reevaluate existing structures to ensure that they facilitate the end objectives with the highest degree of precision. Leonardo Da Vinci once said that “inaction saps the vigor of the mind."(1) In large organizations, processes and infrastructural components often become layers of bureaucracy that sap the vigor of innovation. With added layers of bureaucracy, organization are often confined to thinking within the structural components of the organization instead of mapping out a future based on changing marketplace dynamics. This type of inactive thought impedes innovation.
As a company moves forward, it’s imperative to ensure that an infrastructure is built on a forward-thinking philosophy and not the old ways of doing business. Remember, processes are a means to an end. Once a company becomes focused on the means instead of the end, it can lose sight of its vision for the future. In short, past successes can impede progress because there is propensity to adhere to things with a proven track record. Since companies are competing in an evolving competitive environment, it’s important to look forward on an ongoing basis to open up the doors to innovation—and not simply look backwards to open the new doors of success in today's changing marketplace.
Footnote (1): http://www.legacyproject.org.
