Strategic Shifts - Wednesday, February 13, 2008 20:59 - Comments

DNA and Lean Mass: new business concepts ?

Umair just got his new spot at HBSP and started off with a great post on companies DNA.His DNA term and examples have been met with various reactions, judging by the comment. I’ll propose something: complement the DNA concept with the “lean (body) mass” one. Let me explain:DNA is a great concept but has its limitations, specifically:

• Leaves leadership (at all levels) out of the equation - leadership matters and can change radically a company
• Seems to ignore the —admittedly few— successful turnarounds of slowly decaying companies (lots of this actually happens with small and midsize organizations)
• Focuses on competitive advantages but leaving out the past, and the market dynamics - while I do agree with Umair that DNA focuses on the crucial part of strategy, we still benefit from looking at the whole picture

So let me push the DNA metaphor further and propose to characterize companies not only along their DNA but also along their lean body mass Continue…