Do your business

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.

Blaming organizational problems on corporate culture is like saying something’s a communications problem: it doesn’t get you anywhere.

The purpose of business is business. These days the goal is often to become a responsive, real-time business.

The organization is what supports doing business better. In the words of Alfred Chandler, structure follows strategy. Notions like corporate culture, the learning organization, and knowledge management are lagging indicators. They support doing business right and are unimportant outside of that context.

Focus on the business; the organization will follow.

These basic truths were brought home to me in a conversation last week with Stan Davis. Stan’s the author of 2020 Vision, Blur, and It’s Alive. He has had enormous impact on how I look at business. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation.

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