The Economist writes:
As they search for growth opportunities, companies face a classic dilemma, one made more poignant by recent events: should they assume that the future will, more or less, be a continuation of the past; or should they try to anticipate the next big revolution? Should they, essentially, hang on to what they’ve got (their core competence), or should they strike out for a brave new world?
After the dotcom disaster and much idle talk of a new economic paradigm, revolutions are distinctly out of favour. Belief in rapid change and dramatic responses has been shaken by the bursting of the stockmarket bubble, and by the demise of such firms as Enron and Webvan. There is now a widespread aversion to management fads. Most managers today are more interested in getting the basics right than in chasing the next rainbow.