Consider if you will the following quotations, each from executives at Philips, the global technology company—one in the late 1970s and one quite recently:
- “We typically lose out when a market commoditizes and we no longer differentiate, further aggravated by us being too slow or expensive.”1
- “The matrix is too slow—we are in a very turbulent market with great potential, and we have far too many low-cost competitors. We need very short communication lines, quick decisions, alertness—we’ve got to be able to adapt fast.”2
