The Speed of Organizational Change
Every organization has a metabolic rate that determines how fast it can process change. Mismatched metabolic rates predict integration failure.
A hummingbird's heart beats 1,200 times per minute. An elephant's beats 30 times.
Neither is wrong. They're different metabolisms optimized for different contexts.
Organizations work the same way.
"Speed is a function of infrastructure. Change the infrastructure, change the speed."
Signal Processing
How fast does information flow? Hours? Quarters?
Decision Velocity
How quickly are decisions made?
Adaptation Speed
How fast can you change direction?
Learning Velocity
How quickly do insights become action?
GPI 1-3: FAST METABOLISM
Weekly/daily cycles. Continuous adaptation. High energy cost.
GPI 4-6: MEDIUM METABOLISM
Monthly cycles. Periodic adaptation. Balanced energy.
GPI 7-10: SLOW METABOLISM
Quarterly/annual cycles. Planned change. High inertia.
DISNEY + PIXAR
GPI gap: 2.2 points
Brain Trust spread. 19 years. $100B+ value.
HP + AUTONOMY
GPI gap: 4.7 points
Integration failed. $8.8B writedown.
Google + YouTube: GPI gap of 0.2 points. Near-identical metabolisms. $1.65B to ~$400B in 19 years.
1-2 points: 1-2 years. Process optimization.
2-3 points: 3-5 years. Structural change.
4+ points: 5-10 years. Complete transformation.
Organizations claiming 5 points in 18 months? Lying or delusional. Crash diets don't work.
"You can borrow speed from the future by running people harder. But you can't borrow it forever."
The interest on metabolic debt is paid in errors, burnout, and organizational fragility.
SLOW METABOLISM FITS
Regulated industries. Safety-critical ops. Long-cycle businesses. Mature markets.
FAST METABOLISM FITS
Technology. Consumer markets. Early-stage ventures. Disrupted industries.
Metabolic rate is infrastructure, not effort.
You can't speed up a slow organization by working harder. You have to change the systems that determine speed.
Change the infrastructure, change the metabolism.
From the upcoming book
The Growing Pains Index
Chapter 7: The Speed Gap
19 questions reveal your GPI across all dimensions. See your organizational metabolism.
TAKE THE GPI DIAGNOSTICHow organizations evolve through metabolic phases. The pattern of transformation.
EXPLORE →Why metabolic mismatches trigger rejection. The immune system at work.
EXPLORE →When decision velocity drops to zero. The symptom of metabolic failure.
EXPLORE →