All of us have seen how great companies and even great industries have been radically transformed by disruptive changes that revolutionize everything from the way people think to the way they behave, and how those companies become dominant competitors in their markets or even create new ones, but what is behind those crazy ideas that destroy and modified complete industries.
If we think about it, there is a significant difference between changing something and transforming something. Companies face incredibly competitive environments, and they need to keep ahead of the market to survive. They need to modify the way they do things over and over again to remain in their consumers’ minds. Companies have to initiate transformations to stay atop their industries, and they need to be managed by leaders that have the capability to inspire people to achieve goals and exceed expectations.
According to Foster & Kaplan (2001), markets now change too quickly for traditional management structures to keep up. Companies need to hire the right kind of leaders. Just in the last decade, industries such as travel, entertainment, newspapers, language, retail, finance, transportation, manufacture, and farm, among others have dramatically restructured the way we perceive and live them. For example, Netflix and its rival Hulu are changing the way people watch TV, Spotify and iTunes have managed to do the same for the recording industry, Airbnb and HomeAway are changing the hotel and motel industry, and Uber, Lyft, and other car-sharing apps are changing the way we move from place to place.
Only companies with the ability to innovate and deliver disruptive products can transform the way people buy, think, and behave. Companies that see change as an opportunity to create new markets, to develop new industries, and to confront stereotypes are led by leaders who establish a vision that encourages others to make great things. Rather than aiming for continuity, companies should embrace revolutions. Such revolutionary transformations that position companies at the top are initiated by transformational leaders who can sync up and listen to others’ ideas.
Companies should encourage discontinuity. According to Andersen, Bjørnholt, Brol, and Petersen, (2018) there is a proven relationship between transformational leaders and performance because those leaders enable the improvement of communication and the understanding of goals and quality standards, as well as the development of new ideas. In companies that have managed to revolutionized industries, a change was initiated by great leaders who were willing to see things differently. Companies must seek to hire creative-destructive leaders willing to develop strategies of discontinuity, and who are eager to destroy paradigms and adopt new orders to maintain excellence and remain competitive.
In conclusion, companies that engage in revolutionary changes become the winners of the market in contrast with companies that merely focus on survival making just little changes to evolve. An outstanding leader is the one who becomes a role model, boots respect, and people trust her or him. They motivate providing challenges and meaning, and they rule their actions with honesty and integrity, and they push their followers to keep high standards of communication, and they promote their employee's critical thinking.
References
L. Andersen, B. Bjørnholt, L. Bro, and C.Petersen. (March 1, 2018). Achieving High Quality Through Transformational Leadership: A Qualitative Multilevel Analysis of Transformational Leadership and Perceived Professional Quality. Retrieve from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.amberton.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=047e0871-4c0d-48bf-9a3f-70623e5d1406%40sessionmgr4007
R. Foster & S. Kaplan, ( Apr 03, 2001). Creative Destruction