Image courtesy European Parliament
According to management expert Ichak Adizes, an organization's fountain of youth is found at the balancing point between flexibility and control. Therefore, part of management's responsibility, after the first treacherous stages of growth, is to create an environment that isn't too loose and flexible yet not too controlled and bureaucratic.
Likewise, Jim Collin's research of best companies of the 20th century reveals their competitive advantage - a unique combination. They're able to preserve the core. Managers create strong frameworks with core values and purposes. The right ideas provide just enough structure to unify. At the same time, these long-lasting companies stimulate progress. They keep flexible enough to shift with quickly changing markets.
To survive, organization's must adapt to their environments. This means, every individual's growth is pinnacle because it is individuals who engage with those being served. Each person's learning forms the organization's collective conscious for staying attuned to meet clients' shifting needs. By doing so, a company avoids becoming obsolete to it's customers. Instead, they're able to adjust themselves to identify new mutually beneficial ways to meet market demands. IBM is a notable example, having pivoted from computer production to technology consulting. They were able to keep their core while transforming the way they served customers.
An organization's impact is a culmination of its individuals' ability to serve effectively. It's easy to feel like a person can simply blend into the mass of a conglomerate company. And, although it is true that those with more power have greater responsibility to be thoughtful in an organization's development, the truth is that everyone's behavior is important. They are the organization, like literal links in the chain of service. Each persons greatest task is simple: to steward themselves and the resources they have as well as possible to serve the greater whole. The better they do, the more evolved their organizations are and the more positive the legacy that carries on.