All organizations, regardless of their size or type, need to rethink their market strategy to remain current with the marketplace. The reason rethinking is so important is simple. Without it, an organization can quickly fall out of pace with its key customers because the market moves so much faster today than ever before.
On the surface, this may not sound so perilous, particularly if your organization is enjoying a triumphant wave of growth, but as we all know, today’s good times can change abruptly when some innovation disrupts a market. These disruptions catch organizations off guard and immediately push them into a reactive mode of thinking. This is dangerous.
Repeating strategies without rethinking them is a recipe for disaster.
Market changes don’t allow an organization the luxury to stay the course and continue by repeating the same strategies over and over. In fact, the “Stay the course” strategy is a terrific recipe for disaster because, at its heart, it tells the organization not to bother with anything new or different!
Rethinking organizations continuously and proactively consider alternative strategy scenarios, so they are far less prone to be negatively impacted by market shifts.
Repeating organizations are too busy or embroiled in their ways to consider new ideas. New ideas are met with instant resistance for no other reason than because they are unique.
Rethinking organizations are always open to new ideas, even if they are contrary to conventional wisdom, and they pursue them with a vengeance.
Repeating organizations have a tough time changing their mind and their organizational practices preferring to continue with policies that have worked in the past.
This may sound like I’m suggesting an organization should change its mind regularly. This is not what I’m advocating. Instead, I’m suggesting that organizations that remain in a constant state of rethinking are the toughest and most resilient in good times and bad. Rethinking organizations are those that stay in front of their market in a leadership position versus continually running to catch up with leaders in their market who have successfully developed new ways to stay ahead.