Predators Game-Changing Designs

A volume in LMX Leadership: The SeriesSeries Editor George B. Graen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Retired)When the tried and true formula for an organizations performance (its game plan) begins tofail, it must change its game or become obsolete. Publicly recognizing that the old formula isbecoming less useful and a new formula must be developed and implemented is difficult formost stakeholders, but for survival the stages of grief must be endured and the conclusionaccepted. Moreover, the romance of the grand old formula must be overcome by the realizationthat a new and more attractive formula must be invented or found to replace it. The fate ofthousands of organizations that did not change their games when WalMart came to town bearswitness to the Iron Law of Capitalistic Markets: Change your game when necessary to remaincompetitive. As Mr. Sam Walton told my son, Mike, stay the course as long as you can, but bewilling to change it when its not working. Clearly, Mr. Sams protégés got the message.This book describes game-changing designs using the latest research-based strategies for inside organizational participants from CEOs,Boards of Directors, top, middle and lower managers and participants, and those people outside with a stake in its continued performance.We have had the unique opportunity to understand from the inside-out both Mr. Sam Waltons miracle at WalMart and the great turnaroundat Cincinnatis Procter and Gamble over the last 15 plus years. We conclude from these studies that Mr. Sam has become amodern patron saint of American game-changers. WalMart has been seen by most business reviewers as a clear business case study ofa stay the course formula of lowest price for the customer, but our research shows that Mr. Sam created a game-changing designculture. Yes, Mr. Sam began to build his juggernaut using a lowest price strategy that changed the game by shock and awe strategiesin small markets. Moreover