
8 Inverting the Paradox of Excellence
1.1.3 appliCaTions
For sustainable success, companies must also understand how and when to initiate variations and/
or change. Variations are a central determinant of longer-run success and failure for commercial
enterprises. Most of the declining companies did not lack the technology to succeed; rather, these
resulted from companies failing to embrace variation and change effectively. As we have stated
earlier, initiating change and confronting change are the two most important issues facing the com-
panies today, and the ability to manage for today and for tomorrow simultaneously is critical for
long-ter ...