Trade‐offs, compromises and growth — the value of lateral thinking

Abstract

Specifies that many managers see themselves as inhibited and trapped through being in a mature slow‐growth business, in stagnant, dead‐in‐the‐water industries. Highlights three US companies trying to break out of this trap: Chrysler — the minivan was introduced into the dying station‐wagon market segment in 1984, in the next ten years sales of this vehicle grew eight times faster than the industry overall; Home Depot — managed to create 20% annual growth in an industry (DIY) which was scarcely managing 5% per annum; Southwest Airlines — whose growth was seven times faster than the industry average over the last ten years, even though there is overcapacity and flat demand. Concludes that though examples used are from the USA, it would not be difficult to transplant them to another country or culture.

Citation

Kippenberger, T. (1997), "Trade‐offs, compromises and growth — the value of lateral thinking", The Antidote, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 24-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006405