Adapt or Die – Why Your Business Won’t Survive
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin
I remember a certain case study from back in business school. The narrative revolved around one of the most successful slide rule companies Pickett Eckel, Inc and how they were blindsided by a technological change. At their peak, they were one of the best producers of slide rules, an ancient technology for making calculation that you may have heard of.
Anyone who job involved mathematics or engineering used a slide rule to improve accuracy and to increase the speed of calculations. In the 1960’s, slide rules were the gold standard in computing and they were even used in the Apollo missions to the moon alongside computers with less power than yesterday’s cell phones. At that time, companies in the slide rule industry had already perfected the manufacturing and technology, and they were merely fighting it out for brand preference and market share.
Perhaps they were too comfortable or naive, but it appears that they failed to realize what they offered was not the best slide rules- they offered the best calculators. Though it is extremely complicated to change direction with so much time investment in one direction, it’s necessary for survival. You see customers have always wanted the best and most affordable technology to aid in their everyday lives. For computing into the early 1970’s, slide rules were … READ MORE ...