When times are good, businesses tend to stick with what’s working. “It’s served us well so far,” goes the reasoning, “so why mess with success?” We fall into ruts where we don’t question whether the approach we’re using is truly the best one—we just work to push it further. It’s during these periods that needless layers are piled on: product lines expand, often without good reason; processes become more detailed and entrenched; project teams grow larger; and more people are involved in approving and completing every task. Companies, like households, accumulate stuff in times of abundance.