The phase mismatch

Challenge the assumption that “failure to adapt” is, in fact, a failure. Instead, individuals have different temperaments and skills that lend themselves to specific phases of company growth.

• Chaos/founding (0-1 product, survival mode)
• Structure/scaling (product-market fit found, processes emerging)
• Optimization/maturity (established systems, efficiency focus)
• Bureaucracy/ossification (the optional dystopia stage)

A preference for one or more of these typical phases is natural and even common. For managers, this means understanding what phase they work best in, and also understanding that a phase mismatch among their direct reports is also quite likely to happen over time.

Look out for those signals of material change in the structure and attitude and culture of a company as it grows. Are those material changes causing discontent or apparent poor performance in anyone?

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