The Problem: Growing without Losing Control

There is no life without growth but company leaders feel torn: while they must develop and expand to succeed, at the same time, they must have control over the way they operate and manage risk. Attempting to satisfy these needs simultaneously can lead to a situation of blockage, even paralysis.

The context of the problem: why is everything so hard and uncertain?

Unprecedented levels of interdependencies are impacting every business directly and they pose challenges that have a precise name in systems science: complexity.

This complexity makes it even harder to compete if your company is fragmented into silos and offers piecemeal solutions. At best, this creates a highly suboptimal use of all your available resources and leads you to fire-fighting and whack-a-mole actions.

Break it down

When companies think they can “cut through” complexity, they fail to understand the science of it. They mistakenly (and artificially) simplify the problem by applying linear thinking and conventional tools to our non-linear reality. At the most fundamental level, this is why companies struggle. Siloes and linear thinking get in the way of the essentials for success today: consistent Quality, people’s sense of involvement, and speed of flow of information and cash generation. Complexity in the digital age calls for better decision-making, faster innovation and flawless delivery of products and services.

The problem with consultants

We have been dismayed over the years by what much of the consulting world has offered in terms of “adapting to the environment” or “understanding the context”. This simply means “we sell only what a customer is currently capable of conceiving”. This model perpetuates outdated, often illogical, almost invariably inconclusive and money-wasting approaches that are scientifically flawed and also lead to unsustainable practices. Business Schools and their fragmented, modular courses have not helped.

Summing it up: Unless we crack the Sustainable Growth Equation so a company can manage complexity to systematically produce Quality, ensure Involvement of people and speed of Flow, then companies cannot compete and scale successfully.

Let’s crack the sustainable growth equation