Prophet and the Age of Invention

Welcome back, if you have missed our first article about organization life cycles, go here…

It is said that “reasonable men adapt to their surroundings; irrational men seek to change their surroundings to suit their own purposes.” To put it another way, “All progress has been made by those who are irrationally optimistic.” Geoffrey Beckett Shaw

At the outset, we have the word, the creative act, and the spirit of regeneration. It appears that creative people, particularly religious prophets, have a tendency of withdrawing and returning. They disappear into the desert or the mountains. Rather than being distracted by the current system, they seek a vision of a brighter future. Their power to inspire others resurfaces only when they deliberately challenge the status quo. The supporters of a revolution are more like a group of disciples than a political party. The problem stems from an absence of order, not the presence of it. As a creative person, it’s in your nature to do so.

Visions from prophets are explosive bursts of energy that shake up the present quo and catalyze change. In many cases, these prophets are exiled to a new land because they are unable to carry out their purpose in the previous regime. The new wine of innovation may need the use of a new bottle of the new organization, just as fresh wine necessitates the use of new bottles (Mar 2:22). Old bottles of wine should never be used to store new wine, as the new wine can cause the old ones to explode, resulting in wine spills and bottle scuffs.

Most firms appear to be driven by a prophet who provides an inventive solution to a problem. A great manager or administrator is rarely a creative person. They were formed by visionaries who were committed to their technology, research, and the development of new commodities. Bureaucrats and aristocrats seeking to maintain order in the “latter days” will crucify or expel the prophets. The prophets, by their own nature, are haphazard. Prophets are tasked with bringing down the status quo.

One has to wonder if Thomas Edison might have found a place in the businesses that sprang from his innovations. Is he capable of coping with the contemporary GE Corporation? ‘

By following the trail of tobacco juice Edison left behind in his laboratory, some said that you could find him. A spittoon would be difficult to hit, but the floor would be impossible to miss, he remarked to his wife when she queried why he wouldn’t use one. In addition to his bad habits, he was also a terrible manager and a terrible communicator. It’s quite improbable that the current GE has any ties to Thomas Edison.

It’s not just Edison who has established a reputation for himself as an inventor. With the support of others, he created and implemented concepts, but only with the aid of those who were more grounded in reality. Edison said, “Thinking is my business.” It is said that “the greatest delights of life are missed by those who do not resolve to cultivate the habit of thinking.”

When a company is first established, what are its assets and liabilities? According to how and by whom it was established, of course. However, the organization is most likely to have a high spiritual capital of a common belief in a noble purpose and a strong sense of belonging. There will be a high level of social interaction within the company, but little or no brand equity. It may have a substantial amount of technological or procedural innovation capital. It’s highly possible that the organization is lacking in both personnel and financial resources.

With these resources, the new company has both its strengths and weaknesses. Smaller circles provide a greater risk to the business and therefore require additional attention. It’s important that they don’t take precedence over the leader’s own talents, though. As a rule, Prophets lead in technological innovation. Brand equity and financial management are both beyond his comprehension. He runs the danger of compromising the core rationale for the establishment of the organization if he concentrates on these areas. When it comes to internal connections, the Prophet has a hard time finding people that compliment his or her own abilities.

This graphic depicts relative strengths and weaknesses rather than absolute ones. If a large firm is constantly innovating in both technology and procedure, it is conceivable that it has outstanding research and development capabilities. However, innovation capital appears to be more balanced than other types of capital because it has generated enormous brand value and financial and human resources. Organizations are susceptible when they are out of balance. The Prophet’s age is a high-risk stage because the new organization has not created a balanced wealth profile.

Due to a lack of cash flow, it may be out of business and bankrupt the next day, even if it has a brilliant technological innovation. A lack of human marketing knowledge could also result in a lack of brand equity. In the early phases of a company’s life, motivation may outweigh competence, and the opposite may be true later on. The core of the wealth strategy is the recognition of current assets and liabilities. In order to achieve organizational balance, it provides a practical technique.

Strategic planning should focus on each of the smaller circles while also ensuring that executives nurture and sustain their asset base if an organization’s wealth profile is like the one illustrated above.

The wealth profile, as depicted in the diagram, is wildly out of whack at this early stage. The organization’s level of risk is determined by the degree of imbalance. A “happy existence” lies at the heart of the quest to achieve equilibrium. When a person spends all of his or her time engaging in social relationships, he or she will miss out on learning. A person’s future will be bleak if all of his or her efforts are devoted to accumulating wealth at the expense of spiritual ideals and a higher purpose.

It sank into anarchy when it was at its peak of success. Existing evidence for the decline of creativity, spirituality, and social capital has gone unnoticed for too long. The mission of the organization is to achieve long-term viability by achieving a state of equilibrium within it.

New technology or an imaginative process that delivers better assistance to customers is the wealth that Prophet’s age business relies on for its survival and success. Most organizations have a larger goal in mind, and the Prophet leader is likely to lay forth a strong set of ideals for their members to follow.

Most likely, the shortages are a result of a lack of financial or human capital. Social capital is likely to be insufficient in the marketplace even when there may be a high level of internal sociability, trust, and teamwork After that, we’ll discuss it.

As we all know, the vast majority of organizations succumb to natural and early death. Because of a lack of resources (financial and human), their potential is never realized, like a seed that is blown by the wind.

You might be a Prophet If…

• You have long-range and forward-looking thoughts.

• You’re willing to devote a lot of time and energy to see your ideas come to fruition.

In order to sort out your thoughts, you often take extensive sabbaticals.

As a problem-spotter, you see things others don’t.

• You’re seen as a touch “odd” by others. As a high school student, you weren’t exactly a household name.

When it comes to administrative tasks, you’re undoubtedly annoyed and disorganized.

This could be a prophetic sign for your business if…

• The CEO of your organization was a visionary and innovative thinker.

• The feasibility of your company’s product has yet to be shown in the market.

• There is a great deal of uncertainty, with reporting relationships and processes in flux, but there is also a great deal of excitement and a strong belief in what you are trying to do.

That is ends the first part of the Organization life cycles. For the next part of Barbarian cycle read here…