In a world where technological disruption and constant change are reshaping markets, innovation is no longer limited to products or services. Increasingly, companies are showing that true competitive advantage lies in how they are managed and organized internally.
Iconic cases demonstrate this clearly: Haier, the Chinese appliance giant, broke traditional corporate structures and replaced them with a network of autonomous micro-enterprises. Each unit operates like a startup, making independent decisions while leveraging shared digital resources. This model has allowed Haier to gain agility, accelerate innovation, and secure a position that competitors find difficult to replicate.
Similarly, the Dutch healthcare provider Buurtzorg has replaced rigid hierarchies with self-managed teams, achieving both operational efficiency and better patient outcomes. In Japan, Kyocera implemented its “amoeba management” system, dividing the company into small units aligned with a shared vision, fostering adaptability and innovation across all levels of the organization.
Even in Europe and the United States, major corporations are adopting similar strategies: Bayer has reduced bureaucratic layers to empower teams in strategic decision-making, while Mastercard has restructured its organization to enhance agility and responsiveness in a rapidly evolving sector.
The message is clear: companies that reinvent their management create inherent adaptability, cultivate cultures of experimentation, and leverage external collaboration ecosystems. Innovation in management does not happen by chance; it emerges when leaders recognize the limits of traditional structures and create environments where new ways of working can take root and evolve.
Today, organizational success depends as much on how companies are managed as on what they produce. The ability to continuously adapt and reinvent has become the defining factor between resilient companies and those left behind by disruption.
European initiatives like TechGrow support this vision by providing companies in traditional sectors with digital tools, methodological guides, and technological watch platforms that facilitate the adoption of more agile and innovative management practices, boosting competitiveness and adaptability to market changes.