The popular belief is that command and control principles are no longer necessary in a corporate environment. Yet, there are many corporate headquarters that still incorporate the principles of command and control management. These obsolete approaches are well-trenched in our corporate environment. One reason is that many of today’s executives were trained from the previous decades in these principles. Another reason is because organizations haven’t properly implemented alignment across its people about the core principles of their business. Therefore, command and control is the only way they feel comfortable making decisions. In today’s world, these companies might as well be using the telegraph to send information.

These command and control companies are under siege and some don’t even realize it. Today, the companies that have empowered decision makers closest to the customers will be the most successful. The best business processes of the 1980s and 1990s won’t allow brands to optimize the customer experience fast enough. Technology has made cost of switching of business customers less and less costly. So, an organization needs to be agile at its core. That means decisions need to be made from the field and not in a command center.

Companies with good products can drastically lose market share in a very short period of time. The game has changed. Organize to be agile with empowerment as close to the customers as possible.