One attribute of the Pop Art culture that I enjoy is the tireless pursuit of making ourselves better. We take time out to enjoy successes, but we are looking for the next way we can improve internally and how we can help clients in new ways. In that spirit, the book Corporate Lifecycles by Ichak Adizes was recommended to me by L.B. Day and Frank Roehr - two advisors that I trust. The book is about how all companies follow a certain cycle from infancy to death and some of the pitfalls along the way. This post maps some of the concepts in that book to our business. The graph below describes this lifecycle.
Graph and IP Credit: www.adizes.com
The goal of any company to get within the "prime" stage of this cycle and to stay there for as long as they are able. Even though Pop Art has been around for a decade, my analysis is that we are in the "go-go" stage. I come to this conclusion because the interactive space changes to rapidly, forcing us to change rapidly and adapt. The market makes us an opportunity-driven organization where our company is focused on putting the smartest people in place to be able to capture the next opportunity we see in front of us for our clients.
There are aspects where we opportunity-driving (an aspect of a "prime" company) in areas like close-loop reporting for clients where every time a reaches an interactive touch point it is measured and reported back to against a business objective. This gives is a lens into what is happening on a real-time basis and allows us create opportunities to strengthen brands, sell goods, our understand customer behavior better. To do this our clients must trust us and utilize a broad range of services (creative, media, reporting and technology).
In looking at the lifecycle above, ask yourself where your company is on the curve? From my perspective, there are two stages where a "go-go" company like Pop Art can be the most symbiotic: other energetic "go-go" companies and those that are in "early bureaucracy." I'll explain why.
Teaming two "go-go" companies together is a very powerful combination. The level of excitement needed is present; each company recognizes each other's strengths and capitalizes on them. Momentum is carried by mutual success with calculated risks taken along the way. The two companies can develop a strong partnership because eagerness and culture are very similar in both companies. It can be compared with having a running partner that keeps you going when you are feeling tired - rarely are you ever tired at the same time and you keep the pace up. Eventually these companies are in their prime together.
A company in "early bureaucracy" has once been a "go-go" company and is yearning for those days back. They know there business extremity well, succeeded, but has lost its step. Teaming up with a "go-go" is a chance to get that step back. In the running analogy, you are finding a partner that is faster than you. It is tough at first because it is hard to get up to speed and take risks, but over time the company is nudged back in that prime spot. For the "go-go" company, there are things that are learned and helps elevate it towards that prime role.