Abstract
This is a persuasive paper arguing for a concept of company traits that builds and sustain companies’ growth. Companies that have survived for hundreds of years versus shortly lived companies share sustainability and harmony with their surroundings and adaptation. They expand when times are prosperous and go into survival mode during times of crisis (De Geus, 1988). The purpose of this research is to find what traits are utilized in long living companies to ensure survival and growth, versus what negative traits that causes companies to disappear. This is to support the positive traits that are recommended for companies to follow and improve chances for survival. Multiple studies on business success have found similar traits shared by successful companies. A global quantitative research is suggested for more accurate results of successful characteristics.
Companies’ Success and Failure Based on Traits
A study by Kelly (1997), surveyed 30 companies that have survived for over 75 years. The study showed that organizations which survived the longest achieve long-term success and sustainability through harmony and adaptation, expanding in prosperous times and switching to survival mode in times of crisis. These companies also have executives that learn and act effectively. Furthermore, scenarios are created for optimal learning and experimental playing, leading to faster institutional learning. The results of the Shell study revealed that the life span of the company
When problem or crisis arise within the organization, leaders often lean toward implementing quick fixes with a goal to correct a situation. While this approach might relieve a particular crisis, the results will not be longstanding. Trebesch reveals principles and strategies that go beyond quick fixes and toward a thriving organization. She answers the "What does it mean to flourish?" question in relation to organizational flourishing where people would experience emotional, psychological and social well-being. The book introduces an ECO (the Ecology of Organizations) model for flourishing organizations and provides live case studies and effective best practices related to organizational dynamics, resulting in flourishing.
Organizations go through different life cycles similar to those of people. For example, people go through infancy, child-hood and early-teenage phases, which are characterized by rapid growth over a short period of time. Similarly, Organizations go through start-up, growth, maturity, decline, renewal and death. Employees in these phases often do whatever it takes to stay employed. (Ciavarella, 2001)
The objective of the “Great Game of Life”, which was formally known as “Play to Win” was founded by Larry Wilson, an expert in change management. It was designed to promote employees growth, to enable individuals to “make better choices in order to live a better life through choosing growth over fear.” The change effort was based on the organization’s model that claims
In addition, this study will provide vital information as it pertains to the way the organization runs during both a stable and/or unstable environment. Understanding how the organization operates in either situation will offer information needed to make the proper adjustments during unstable periods so that there is little to no loss of market share due to unknown obstacles. When times are good this information will give the organization the right information to sustain during stable times and not let an upward spike in performance fall by taking advantage of good times.
A company that grows too fast may exceed the maximum effectiveness and managing capacity. The rapid growth is beyond its sustainable level as a result of having the risk of decline. Most companies may wish to find certain stability in their growth processes and certain level of consistency. When a company has matured and saturated to a level so that all its processes, procedures and even the culture have been frozen, the managers feel there is nothing to achieve further. If stability and consistency are achieved, the managers become risk averse and inertia sets in.
Growing organization move through 5 phases of development, each of which contains a relatively calm period of growth that ends with a management crisis. Each developmental phase is strongly influenced by the previous one. Thus by knowing an organization’s development history it is possible to be more prepared for the next developmental crisis. These crises can be used in order to achieve future growth.
Organizations plan according to the changes in the environment. Planning for organizations 25 years ago was stable. This was due to the fact; organizations during that time frame remain essentially the same. There was no need to be worried about a volatile economy, or market. In the past organizations didn’t have to primarily plan for the uncertainty, as they have to do now. They generally planned for making profits and understanding how to enlarge
Age.It has been pointed out by Shumway (2001), that organization age could actually help firms to be more efficient,and age can be measured by the number of years since listing. As the organization aged, it helps them to build a name over the years. Moreover, the old age of the organization is a sign of knowing the appraisal value of the particular business due to obsolete and induces organizational decay (Agarwal, Rajshree&Gort, 2002). On the other hand, the success or downfall of a company depends solely on the management of the organization or entity’s.
For most companies, identifying what a learning organization should be and actually becoming one is tricky at best, impossible at worst. One way that manager's and companies can promote the concept of being a learning organization is to assess whether the company is in need of a short-term fix or whether it is more focused on long-term results. Organizational learning is a long-term activity that will build competitive advantage over time and requires sustained management attention, commitment, and effort. Learning organizations maximize their competitive positions during strong economic times and they prudently train their employees and prepare for change even in turbulent times. As a result, learning organizations and learning
In time of economic crisis, companies are looking for innovative methods to improve production and to meet the needs of a diverse workforce in order to improve or maintain the organization’s profit margin in a stress global economy. Indeed, companies are extremely concerned about their future, as well as, preventing closure of their establishment. SimmonsCompany is no exception. However, how does a major company make those changes when tradition is the foundation of their organization and the economic status of their company is in jeopardize of
According to the author of “Built to Last”, Good to Great outlines a representation for rotating a high-quality, regular or even ordinary corporation into a grand one. The book includes a helpful illustration that brings all the presumption collectively in a significant and unforgettable manner. By bringing mutually disciplined individuals, using restricted thought and action companies can makeup and penetrate the barrier that seize them from getting to greatness. The author, Jim Collins and his explore team put together collectively a roll of “good to great” organizations and compared them to the “contrast companies” in order to verify what distinguish the leaders from the rest.
They argue that only this structural development method can lead a corporation to the capabilities needed for sustained competitive advantage and high performance. The disagreement continues regarding how companies are able to maintain sustainable to continue their competitive advantage among others in the same industry. Is this sustainable due to how the company handles collaboration and direction, dedication and belief, technical skills and leadership capabilities, open conversation, inspiration, and the knowledge for capacity for encounters rather positive or negative and learning from each. The authors state that the way management approach the modification they want to make in a business is by using the results-driven change and slower, top-down, bottom-up development of the business, for this
While each factor of business has its own specific objectives, the formula as a whole has one overarching goal: Evergreen business success. It can be used as practical management tools which assures the firm’s profitability & sustainability. It is primarily intended for strategy formulation or validation, redefining of existing strategies to make sure it’s successful. The formula can be highly effective to entrepreneurs & decision makers – at all levels and in all functions of an organization – anyone who is struggling to make choice among multiple options. This vital decision is what turns the company from a nonprofit into a moneymaking endeavor in long run, whether across growing or declining market environment. Formula given will be relevant across industries like Automotive; Broadcasting, Media, and Technology; Chemicals; Construction; Food and Beverage; HR Services; Pharma; Retail, and Textiles, but not limited to. Although this qualitative research addressed a major limitation of past studies, that being the lack of explicating the relationship/critical-link between all major variables, it does not consider these factors in an empirical contextual, rather provided as a ‘conceptual umbrella’. But this is an excellent base from which subsequent research will be undertaken on validation of these relationships in diverse environmental contexts. We would also summarize key trends, challenges/opportunities, and illustrates how this formula is applicable, through real-life examples in follow-up
When a company grows it achieves economies of scale, it increases its market shares and thus wipes out competition. A company starts making more profits and can use these in constructive ways such as employing specialist workers and improving the variety and quality of products, by delving more into research and development. These are only some of the
In this book, the author, Jim Collins (and his team of twenty-one researchers, editors etc.), using specific and rigorous benchmarks, chose 11 companies that were clearly outperforming, with sustainability, their industry average. Collins wanted to know why and how. Many may initially assume that CEO compensation, technology, mergers and acquisitions, and change management initiatives were important factors in the greatness of these companies. However, Collins discovered that disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action, played a much more significant role in determining the ability for these companies to achieve and sustain greatness.