As we already know, the last chapter in Good to Great is called "The Flywheel and the Doom Loop". I had decided to cover the Doom Loop first (for obvious reasons). To be honest, I could barely finish the chapter because I had a feeling I knew where it was going. But you may not know where I am going with the Flywheel below, so you may want to keep reading.
Ferrari GT4 Flywheel. Shiny.
In theory, a flywheel is nothing more than a heavy wheel that keeps momentum once you crank it (ok.. angular momentum for you Engineers out there). It is fair to say a lot of work is required up-front. Just as in getting a big, heavy wheel to spin. Got to crank it. With enough effort and power, now you eventually obtain genuine Momentum! Not just because of some over-night, psyche-up strategy (see the previous post here).
It really is a great metaphor. The "Flywheel" concept is the sum of all the parts mentioned in each chapter that builds-up from good to great:
Good to Great Flywheel. Not as shiny.
If there is one thing I did like a lot about Good to Great, is that in the end, it all comes down to discipline - from the start and all the way through. Like a common-thread sewing it all up.
Imagine. An environment where everyone pulls their weight because they are disciplined. No finger pointing. No blame. Everyone is focused on the hedgehog (see this post) and says "no" to anything that doesn't line-up. They are disciplined in thought and action. Many may argue: "if you are so disciplined, doesn't that limit your imagination... won't it limit you as to what you would want to do"? On the contrary. Discipline sets you free. In quick "preview" of the 8th Habit, here is a great analogy on the freedom that comes with discipline. Dr. Covey asks if one can play the piano. He admits he cannot. He doesn't have the freedom to create music because he was not disciplined to learn it. Instead, chose to have fun and play outside with friends. I can totally relate.
Imagine. A workplace where the classic "carrot and stick" is not really required. The drive, the momentum comes from within - not from without... financial incentive & fear of job-loss: the typical external motivation. Stay tuned. I know that this too will be covered in more depth in the 8th Habit. Some might call it a "utopia" of a workplace. An extremely rare creature. However, I doubt it's as elusive as BigFoot or Nessy.
I know these guys...
In closing, there would seem to be one obvious question: Who wouldn't want to operate this way? No. Not like bigfoot or nessy. I mean within the flywheel. So - why do we not see more companies and corporations operating within the flywheel?
I have a great feeling the answer lies in the 8th Habit. In short, Jim Collins does do a good job of identifying what the "Great" companies did to become great and what the "Good" companies did... to remain good. But I do not see any deep-rooted, Earth-shattering, root-causes identified. That is, real, human behavioral, emotional and cultural/paradigm issues.
No doubt, the data is sound. The research and numbers look pretty solid. Stories? Convincing. It is a good book to read and got my attention. I totally understand where the theory comes from. However, anyone who would read the book may question how well grounded the theory is. The edition I read included Circuit City as a "Great" company. Unfortunately, we all know that they are no longer found in brick & mortar locations, but they are still around. Some storms and tides of the industry cannot be predicted and no matter how "great" you are, to weather them may require more than a flywheel.
There is a popular quote in the pre-Wright Brothers era that said: "If God had wanted man to fly, He would have given us wings". Well, surely enough He gave us the ingenuity so that we could make our own.
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