Companies often experience growth as a result of a steady flow of small changes over time rather than standalone breakthroughs, according to recent analysis from Fast Company.
The analysis reveals that improvements to existing products accounted for an estimated 77 percent of companies' increases from 2003 to 2013. During the same period, creative destruction accounted for only about 19 percent of growth.
When applied to the healthcare sector, surgeon Atul Gawande, MD, agrees that episodic victories are not the main factor driving growth. "It is about the longer view of incremental steps that produce sustained progress," he told Fast Company.