From dead horse to racehorse: Revamping your business for the digital age

Kristian Arvidsson, CEO of Geins, explores the wisdom behind the Dead Horse Theory and its relevance in today's fast-paced business environment. 

☠ 🐴 When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.

- Indian tribal wisdom, passed on from generation to generation.

The Dead Horse Theory resonates deeply in today’s fast-paced business environment. Yet, many organizations fall into the trap of advanced strategies to keep the dead horse moving, rather than embracing necessary change.

Here are some common strategies that fail to address the real problem:

  • Buying a stronger whip:

Investing in more powerful servers or hardware upgrades, despite the outdated software infrastructure that limits performance.

  • Changing riders:

Hiring new personnel or consultants without addressing the fundamental limitations of the current platform.

  • Increasing the standards to ride dead horses:

Raising performance expectations for the current platform, assuming it will somehow meet modern demands.

  • Appointing a team to revive the dead horse:

Assigning a task force to tweak and improve a fundamentally flawed and outdated environment.

  • Reclassifying the dead horse as “living-impaired”:

Adding more layers of complexity and workarounds to the platform in an attempt to make it perform, instead of addressing its fundamental outdated nature.

  • Creating training sessions to improve riding skills:

Investing in additional training for employees to navigate the cumbersome legacy system.

  • Comparing the state of dead horses in today’s environment:

Rationalizing the situation by comparing it to other companies that are also still using outdated systems.

  • Declaring that the dead horse is cheaper and contributes more to the bottom line because it doesn’t require feeding and has lower overhead:

This flawed logic ignores the long-term inefficiencies and missed opportunities for innovation and growth.

Geins’ Vision

At Geins, we champion the idea of dismounting the dead horse. Our platform is built on the principles of flexibility, scalability, and innovation. We enable businesses to pivot swiftly, adapt to market changes, and harness modern technology to stay ahead of the curve.

Here’s how Geins helps businesses avoid the dead horse syndrome and thrive:

Seamless integrations between systems with API-First Approach: Ensure your business remains agile and adaptable.

Modular Design for Customization and Scaling: Customize and scale effortlessly with our modular platform, tailored to meet unique business needs.

Immediate Value Creation: Geins empowers companies to concentrate on building value from day one, bypassing the common pitfalls of getting stuck doing grunt work.

.. And some final words

Don’t get stuck trying to ride or revive a dead horse. Embrace change, invest in future-proof solutions, and drive your business forward. The market waits for no one—be ready to pivot and lead.

Author

Kristian Arvidsson

CEO