In response to this week’s discussion board prompt on flywheel and doom loop, an
organization that has embodied the flywheel principle is the mega online retailer, Amazon. The
flywheel principle essentially cannot pinpoint its initial success or what gave the organization
such great momentum. It focuses on the notion that steady and consistent pushing towards a goal
will be enough to sustain momentum, regardless of how daunting and tiresome the work is
(Collins, 2001). When reading the description of the flywheel principle in the course textbook,
the organization that immediately came to mind was Amazon. The massive success of Amazon is
due to its appeal to consumers and the convivence it offers. However, the company itself has
become such a massive force overnight, that the demand for Amazon employees and distribution
centers has accelerated the company further as becoming a source of employment within
communities. Amazon has always been a good company, catering to consumers with competitive
pricing, reliable customer service, and the convivence of home delivery. These amenities only
increased consumer traffic and essentially pushed Amazon as the leading retailor nationwide. As
a result, local malls and department stores cannot fulfill the same consumer demands as Amazon,
and there has been a significant decline in department and retail stores across the country.
The doom loop on the other hand basically attempt to reinvent the wheel every other day.
This concept focuses on companies that frequently launch new concepts or ideas in an effort to
regain the public’s interest or spark new momentum (Collins, 2001). The organization that came
to mind when considering the doom loop is the military. Specifically, anytime there is a shift in
leadership, such as a changing of command, new leaders always try to immediately implement
changes or regain trust and confidence from subordinates. However, their grand plans to increase
morale and command positivity usually fall short because the junior or enlisted leadership does
not fully embrace these new changes and the leadership falls short of delivering on their
promises. My experiences in the military have led me to conclude that the armed forces are
consistent with desiring to keep up with the latest fads and societal norms but fails to fully grasps
the emotional and mental toll it has on its service members. “A great manager will stop and think
before making critical decisions and will stay consistent when it comes to implementing
company policy as well as communicating policy clearly among employees and team members”
(Troy, Justin, Jitendra & Bharat, 2017, p. 1). Public safety organizations would greatly benefit
from embodying the flywheel principle such as appealing to the public and gaining momentum
for their cause based off public interest. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money” (New International Version, 2011/1978).
References
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t. New
York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN: 9780066620992.
New International Version Bible. (2011). Zondervan. (Original work published 1978)
Troy, W., Justin, K., Jitendra, M., & Bharat, M. (2017). What great managers do. Advances in
Management (Indore, India), 10(3), 1.
