What is Big Company Disease and how does it happen? Do all large companies have this? Or, how can you tell if we have Big Company Disease?

By Pascal Dennis

BCD infects companies once they reach a certain size. In a small business, you typically can see your customer and supplier.

You get to understand them and appreciate that your success depends on them. It keeps you humble and hungry to improve.

Once a company grows to multiple sites, perhaps in different countries, and multiple divisions -- you can't see it anymore.

You can't wrap your mind or your arms around the organization. Out of site is out of mind. So you optimize what you can see -- your zone.
With the best of intentions, we optimize our unit -- often at the expense of overall effectiveness

Not all big companies have BCG -- but all are prone to it.

We have to work hard to dispel the fog, connect with our customers, make our purpose and our problems visible.

Lean Thinking & Lean Tools are geared to do this.

Then we have to involve everybody in improvement -- which wakes us up.