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5
Variations and Enterprise
Excellence
5.1 BUILT-FOR-VARIATION ENTERPRISES
Most large-scale change efforts in established enterprises fail to meet expectations because nearly
all models of organization design, effectiveness, and change assume that stability is not only desir-
able but also attainable. The theory and practice in organization design explicitly encourage orga-
nizations to seek alignment, stability, and equilibrium. The predominant logic of organizational
effectiveness has been that an organization’s t with its environment, its execution, and its predict-
ability are the keys to its success. Organizations are encouraged to inst