Page 56 - (DK) The Business Book
P. 56
54 REINVENTING AND ADAPTING
ust as human beings are
IN CONTEXT organisms that grow,
J change, and adapt, so do
FOCUS
successful businesses. In 1970, the
Process and product
US futurist Alvin Toffler published
KEY DATES Future Shock, a book that predicted The reinvention of daily life
1962 US professor Everett the coming phenomenon of “a means marching off the
Rogers writes Diffusion of perception of too much change edge of our maps.
Innovations, showing how in too short a period of time.” The Bob Black
innovation moves through pace of change, he said, would also US activist (1951–)
social systems. spread to the world of business, as
companies were forced to adapt
1983 US business consultant their products and processes to
Julien Phillips publishes the maintain advantage in an
first change-management increasingly competitive market.
model in the journal Human Toffler’s ideas of the effects of
Resource Management. rapid technological change were In 1989, US computer scientist
viewed at the time as far-fetched, Alan Kay claimed that it took 10
1985 In Innovation and
but with the invention of computers years for an innovation to go from
Entrepreneurship, Peter
and the Internet, change has the laboratory to everyday life, but
Drucker describes the best accelerated even more rapidly than by 2006 Twitter had managed to
approach to managing change he predicted. Toffler presciently cut this down to just four years.
as one that “always searches claimed that we would live in a Products can now be bought online
for change, responds to it, state of “high transience,” in which from anywhere in the world, and
and exploits it.” we would give ideas, organizations, customer feedback is instant and
and even relationships an ever- global. The challenge for companies
1993 US change expert Daryl
shorter amount of our time. Social to adapt and reinvent is huge.
Conner uses the metaphor of
media websites are witness to this
“the burning platform” to
idea in action, providing a platform Products and processes
describe the high cost of a
for the new ways we have begun The personal and business
business that stays the same.
relating to one another; they also landscape has changed so radically
demonstrate new ways of starting, since the 1960s that no industry or
growing, and building businesses. corporation has proved immune to
Markets are never static— Businesses must respond
change is inevitable to change through …in thinking, product,
and continuous. innovation… and process.
Adaptation
This flexibility allows
and reinvention companies to respond to the
are necessary market and gives them
for business a competitive edge.
survival.
