The Frontline CEO: Turn Employees into Decision Makers Who Innovate Solutions, Win Customers, and Boost Profits

5

MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT THROUGH CHANGE

Every company either adapts to the changing environment or moves a little closer to its demise. The numbers are jarring. Most small businesses don’t survive past the first five years. Larger companies fare better, but even they can fall precipitously, from thriving to extinct in one year. This is especially true in the twenty-first century, when technological change brings the constant risk of disruption from new, more nimble competitors. Large companies that intend to stick around can’t just double down on what they’ve always done. They cannot merely react to the change; they must begin to lead it.

This poses a challenge: ideas that redefine an industry tend to come from younger, smaller companies, with the ...