As human beings, we are supposed to mature as we age.
As children or teenagers, our behaviour may not be consistent or predictable. That is accepted. Our mistakes are pardoned. But growing up, our behaviour is expected to be predictable. If we don’t, that stalls our progress.
Companies also go through different phases as they age.
In the early days of a business, everything may be flexible and fluid. There may not be proper structure, processes or systems. Everyone may be doing everything. And that may be alright at that stage, because it may enable quick response and creative problem-solving.
However, as the company grows in size, volumes rise. Complexity increases. Cost of mistakes increases. Stakes get higher.
At that stage, stability and predictability are needed. What was fluid and flexible at a smaller size becomes a bottleneck as we grow. If responsibility is not fixed, performance may suffer, and chaos and dysfunction may result.
To avoid this well-known growth challenge, companies must put structures and routines in place. There must be a process and time for doing and then reviewing everything. There must be regular routines.
Until a company can establish structures, routines, processes and systems, it can’t grow sustainably.
The sign of the maturity of an organization is its predictability.