Reverse to Revolutionize: The Power of Inverting Your Strategy
When 3M adopted a reverse budgeting mindset in the 2000s (under the guise of "zero-based growth"), they didn't just cut costs. They forced every division to prove its reason for existence from scratch. The result? They divested low-growth commodities and doubled down on high-margin health care and industrial adhesives. The reversal revealed which sacred cows were actually dead weight. reverse 2 revolutionize
Failed reversals include: New Coke (reversing the formula of an icon, ignoring brand loyalty) and Quibi (reversing the assumption that mobile video had to be short, while ignoring the reality that users wanted control, not arbitrary time limits). In both cases, they reversed the wrong variable. Reverse to Revolutionize: The Power of Inverting Your
This is the core of the philosophy.