My friend and colleague at Strategy Dynamics Solutions points me to this article from HBR which reports work on seeing when a business risks stalling.  If we can see the patterns of how this happens, perhaps we can see the signs early next time and avoid it [see latest post on Starbucks] – better still, not get in that position in the first place.   BTW – The article includes the line ‘Senior management at Levi Strauss & Company could be forgiven for not seeing it coming. The year was 1996.’ “It” was a sudden fall in performance after some strong yers, especially a record-breaking result in ’95. Well – no they can’t be forgiven for it – that’s what they are paid for, and it can be done !