There are just a few stalls that are almost always
responsible for causing inappropriate reactions to
irresistible forces. The greatest stall is to be unsure of
your enterprise's purpose and direction when facing
irresistible force headwinds.
The effect of the irresistible force can leave everyone
confused because the organization finds itself constantly
shifting in new directions with remarkably different
choices and opportunities. This situation is like being
knocked off your feet by a large wave while wading and
finding yourself lost underwater, wondering which way is up.
The everyday business version of this occurs when a
business performs so poorly due to irresistible forces that
its leadership is constantly being changed. Each new
management team has a different idea of what needs to be
done, and less and less idea of what works for this type of
business. Confusion reigns amid continuing frantic activity.
Others will experience the stall of trying to discount the
irresistible force, preferring to believe in a friendly
future that matches their preferences for the
organization's environment. That is what most paper
companies do, despite having suffered from poor
profitability for decades.
Still others will simply feel overwhelmed, and be stuck on
the spot, immobile, as though Super Glue had been applied
to the soles of their feet. Many retailers from physical
stores reacted this way to the first inroads from
Internet-based competitors.
Some organizations will react primarily by withdrawing and
turning within. This response can take the form of simply
trying to limit the harm of the irresistible force rather
than turning it into a benefit. Department stores have
often done this when confronted with specialty retailers
who provide more variety at a better price.
Or the organization will choose to try to adapt solely with
its own people and knowledge, something that will provide
less flexibility than using a variety of resources. IBM
initially fell behind in developing the first personal
computer, until it overcame this stall.
Other organizations will become entranced by the plans they
are pursuing and that fixation will render them inflexible
to the actual business or organizational environment.
General Motors' tremendous loss of market share in the
1990s was influenced in part by this stall.
One of the most negative of responses is to try to pretend
that nothing adverse is happening and to cover up for any
damage that occurs so that no one knows the damage has
occurred. Many of the larger Japanese companies took this
route during the 1990s, delaying their eventual adjustment
to a changed competitive environment for their island
nation. This understandably human response leaves the
organization at risk for greater damage and can even
destroy the enterprise.
Even if the enterprise decides to adapt to irresistible
forces in positive ways, these forces are very powerful and
can shift rapidly. Riding the trend may be like staying on
a bucking Brahma bull.
You have to match your organization's approach to
irresistible forces by considering their strength and
volatility compared to your peoples' ability to work with
such forces. Faced with initially irresistible forces in
both retailing and financial services, Sears probably made
the right decision by trimming down to focus its attention
on retailing issues. Those have kept the company more than
occupied for the last several years. That refocus,
however, proved inadequate, and K-mart became the new owner.
Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .
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