The events that have transpired since the onset of the current recessionary cycle underscore the turbulent times all organizations face. Although uncertainty is troubling, the time of greatest organizational opportunity is found when the business environment is experiencing its greatest turbulence.

If one looks at when the greatest industrial giants started, it was during times of upheaval and turbulence. Industrialists like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. P. Morgan emerged out of the shift from an agrarian to an industrial society. Companies like Hewlett-Packard, Apple, and Microsoft emerged from the shift to an electronic society. A leap to greatness is made possible by the fact that during times of turbulence, many of the traditional paradigms that govern business are shattered. Companies and whole markets begin to seek new solutions to the problems brought about by the forces of change.

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