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Viewpoint: "Rocking the Boat"

By David A. Morrison
TWENTYSOMETHING^™ Inc.

Kudos to a recent article Advertising Age ran on challenging the status quo. It is not coincidental that I recently lectured on competitive advantage as the subject is intrinsically linked to Change Management. In the timeless ebb and flow of the business cycle, a firm’s competitive advantage is usually finite. This fact is doubly true for the accelerated worlds of the high-techs, dot-coms, and young adult markets. Thus, once a company rests on its laurels, it is doomed to be overtaken by wpe25.jpg (6628 bytes) more aggressive and innovative competitors. Chrysler and Apple are lucky that their downward spirals were successfully reversed by well-engineered and well-implemented "Strategic CPR". And yet, status quo bias remains both sinister and seductive.

Many managers don’t want to rock the boat of a successful company, brand, etc. After all, who wants to be given credit for the next "New Coke" debacle? Yet, such conservative thinking rarely leads to revolutionary advancements. An organization’s willingness to take risks can determine if that company will ever attain market leadership or if it will unwittingly become entangled in mediocrity.

Gillette is an excellent example of a company constantly pushing the envelope; management intentionally introduces products that will partly cannibalize Gillette’s existing portfolio. The strategy is exemplary as it (a) keeps the money in the "family" and (b) helps sustain market domination through continued innovation. Change is inevitable. Companies that resist its force risk drowning in unseen undercurrents that are far beyond their control. Conversely, firms that properly manage change can successfully surf onward and upward.

David A. Morrison is president of TWENTYSOMETHING^™ Inc. Philadelphia-based and an industry pioneer, his firm specializes in young adult consulting and marketing research. Clients include an impressive array of Fortune 500s, leading advertising agencies, colleges and universities, global nonprofits, and state as well as federal government agencies.

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