Outcome orientation used to be really important. It took a long time to build a factory, but once you did, you just collected the profits for a long time. You focused on the goal of completing a factory and didn’t compromise that vision because you knew it would pay off. The process of building a business sucked, but once you had one, you were all set.
Now, the total opposite is true! You can incorporate a company and start selling online before you’ve manufactured anything. That’s not to say anyone will buy it, but on the internet you can set up shop in one day. This is a blessing for entrepreneurs and a nightmare for business owners.
Since anyone with an idea can start a company, they do. There’s more competition than ever. To be successful in business now means having a process orientation. Adaptability and innovation are now the keys to staying in business.
The hard part used to be building the physical infrastructure. Now, the hard part is fuzzier. You can rent the infrastructure, you can outsource almost every aspect of your company. The hard thing you have to do is find a new way to capture and deliver value.
Your business is a constant quest to find new ways to solve your customer’s problems. It’s a never-ending process of reinvention.
Businesses of the past focused on one specific outcome. Businesses of the future focus on the process of showing up every day to deliver value.