Predator'S Game-Changing Designs

A volume in LMX Leadership: The SeriesSeries Editor George B. Graen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Retired)When the tried and true formula for an organization''s performance (its game plan) begins tofail, it must change its game or become obsolete. Publicly recognizing that the old formula isbecoming less useful and a new formula must be developed and implemented is difficult formost stakeholders, but for survival the stages of grief must be endured and the conclusionaccepted. Moreover, the romance of the "grand old formula" must be overcome by the realizationthat a new and more attractive formula must be invented or found to replace it. The fate ofthousands of organizations that did not change their games when WalMart came to town bearswitness to the Iron Law of Capitalistic Markets: "Change your game when necessary to remaincompetitive". As Mr. Sam Walton told my son, Mike, stay the course as long as you can, but bewilling to change it when it''s not working. Clearly, M