Rigor Mortis is a stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body a few hours after death, usually lasting from one to four days - in corporations rigor mortis lasts somewhat longer.
Group members express group attitudes through the use of cliches. Common among them are "status quo" cliches - those used when changes are proposed to a successful environment. Two popular examples are: "dance with the one that brung ya" and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
The status quo cliche that best illustrates lack of original thought is the "ain't broke" cliche. The "ain't broke" cliche constitutes a great danger because it fails to recognize that success doesn't deter competition, it attracts it!
Roger Bannister's sub-four minute mile was hailed as one of the greatest human feats ever. John Landy beat Bannister's record just 46 days later. Landy's improvement of Bannister's record points to another status quo failure - the failure to understand improvement is not unusual - it is inevitable and it is obvious.
The status quo thinking "ain't broke" represents provides an opening for competition to intrude on another's success. This is because status quo behavior leads to corporate rigidity and by definition rigid structures can't react. In the time it takes to respond to the competition's score, the game is over.
Sustaining a successful company demands replacing status quo cliches with positive business principles. In other words, "If it ain't broke - break it. You can bet your competition is."