In the past couple of years it has been apparent in the “churn and burn” motto has been echoed throughout the corporate world. Executives continuously have their blinders on focusing only on their own interests. Too often many companies jump to conclusions and produce a substandard product or service by rushing a project. It has been proven throughout time, rushing things out the door equates to substandard product and quality. These characteristics lead to internal fracturing of the company and workforce. It doesn’t have to be this way though.
To understand why companies are turning to the dreaded “full force forwarded and no looking back” method, it is quite rudimentary. Far too long companies and corporations have been considered “sleeping giants”. Meaning projects were being delayed time and time again for a variety of reasons. In my experience it is usually related to corporate politics at the executive or management level. By doing so, no straight forward decision is made causing lower level employees to spiral.
Veteran employees of these types of corporations may be able to deal with these surroundings because of the experience and wisdom they have gained while being at the same company for an extended period of time. However; what about a new college graduate employee who wants to grab the company by the horns. When they on-board to one of these companies and find out about this method of business, they get bored fast and end up jumping ship. This can hold true for a veteran employee coming from a different work environment as well.
Corporations have finally caught on albeit late. To satisfy the “No Nonsense” employees they have incorporated company values of not taking no for an answer and moving forward with all projects to maintain head count. By doing so companies are going full throttle on projects where there is lack of understanding, experience, and knowledge. When anyone internally responds to slow down, take a step back, or validate data they are looked down upon because that was the “old company culture”. No one takes note of any observations and the objective employee is usually belittled or ridiculed. Thus, most employees nowadays will go with whatever upper management says because of the possibility of losing their job if there is a hold up.
It is a complicated situation for companies today to stay relative especially when their competitors can be a group of young intellectuals who grew up on the internet and thrive on a different business model. A good portion of “sleeping giants” have awoken and are trying to play this new game, but do not know the rules. Some companies exploit this as the “work hard, play hard culture”.
In today’s fast moving technological world, it is hard to stay pertinent especially in social media. Why does every company want to be trendy? It’s great if a remarkable product can be provided to the end user in a short period of time. There is one catch though; it has to work and be flawless. Who wants to drive a car at top speed with faulty brakes and a blown tire? Most people probably wouldn’t. The reality is most companies have been surpassed by technology and cannot keep pace.
When a product has an issue, there is always going to be blame and fallout. Most of the time the resources and finances involved to the resolve the issue outweigh the developmental cost. What company is savvy now?
These brief observations lead Pack Protocols to the philosophy of “Slow is Fast”. Out of the two types of business models presented, “Slow is Fast” thinking sways towards the former. Obviously most companies are not going to be able to stay above the technological curve. Companies should be identifying which new technologies are vital to growth and sustainability. If the technology does not satisfy their needs for the total investment required, do not use it.
In today’s American modern business world everyone wants everything done in an instant. If you look at prior generations it took our ancestors years and decades to craft the best products. A prime example is the surfboard.
Art and Image Courtesy of Erik Schwan Creative (erikschwan.com) and Great Lakes Boards (greatlakesboards.com)
The surfboard has been around since 500 A.D. It started as tribesmen riding huge pieces of wood. As more people became aware of surfing improvements were made. It wasn’t until the early 1930’s the surfboards weight dropped from 300 lbs to around 100 lbs (Over 1400 years!)1. To construct the new type of board it took time for surfers to identify how to make the board lighter so it would be easier to carry and ride waves. Design and development were carefully considered and evaluated. If the surfboard was designed improperly, it could potentially lead to some unwanted events including possible injury or death.
In the present modern surfboard manufacturing world there have been a number of improvements in technology. This has led to great advancements in the sport using high tech machinery and material to produce boards in minutes. Conversely, the most sought after surfboards by top performing surfers are using old technology such as old style tools, human intellect and touch.
Being first to market doesn’t always mean the company will be rolling in profits and end users will accept your product. Is it possible slow is fast?
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