Time, Growth, Complexity, and Transitions: Entrepreneurial Challenges for the Future

Abstract

This paper presents a model that depicts the relationships between time, complexity, and transitions in the context of high-growth new ventures or stable ventures that have been forced into radical change as a consequence of environmental conditions. This model treats time as an unrelenting driving force that requires organizational change and adaptation. Key parameters affecting transitions needed by successful organizations are explored, as are the rates at which these changes are accomplished. It is proposed that managers should seek to minimize overall transition time by making any required quantum changes to the organizational system quickly. Such changes are argued to best ensure the rapid reestablishment of viable organizational gestaits.