How to Manage Company Growing Pains Using the Greiner Curve Is your company growing so fast that you can't keep up? Working at a fast-growing company was fun at first... ...but recently things have become chaotic and stressful. Don't worry! It's normal for a company to experience crises at different stages of its growth. The Greiner Curve describes the different phases of growth and can help you to anticipate some of these crises. [1] Your company won't necessarily experience them in this order, but it helps to know about them, so you can try to avoid them. Phase 1: Creativity You're a buzzing start-up, busy creating products and expanding into new markets. Crisis hits! More important decisions need to be made and more people are joining the company. A leadership crisis ensues. Phase 2: Direction You've recruited new leaders and have introduced a more organized, hierarchical structure. Watch out! The business is changing so fast, managers can't keep up. They need greater autonomy. Phase 3: Delegation You've resolved the autonomy crisis by giving junior managers greater control. Bam! You're finding it hard to let go of control of the company that you created, causing confusion over who makes the decisions. Phase 4: Coordination and Monitoring You've taken a step back and introduced a clearer management structure. Key leaders feel more empowered to make decisions alone. BLAMMO! Red tape caused by the restructure is stifling creativity. Phase 5: Collaboration You've cut back the red tape. Different departments can now collaborate on new projects easily. KAPOW! The company has hit a ceiling. You'll need to look externally to find new opportunities for growth. Phase 6: Alliances Growth may continue through mergers, acquisitions, outsourcing, networks, or other external alliances. References [1] Greiner, L.E. (1998) 'Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow,' Harvard Business Review, May 1998. Availabe at: https://hbr.org/1998/05/evolution-and-revolution-as-organizations-grow © 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Ltd.