Be a hedgehog in business, and embrace simplicity! the Hedgehog Concept is one of the key themes that Jim Collins book Good to Great <\/a><\/em>recommends business leaders focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n If you could choose to be a fox or a hedgehog, which would you rather be?<\/p>\n\n\n Many people would choose to be a fox. After all, foxes are beautiful, sleek and cunning. Hedgehogs, which are small, prickly creatures found in Europe, Asia and Africa, are quite the opposite: slow, quiet and plodding.<\/p>\n\n\n So, what do foxes and hedgehogs have to do with your organization’s success? In short, everything! It’s all about learning the art of simplicity, like a hedgehog, and creating a clear focus for your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n In this article, we’ll look at the Hedgehog Concept, and discuss why, in business, it pays to be a hedgehog rather than a fox.<\/p>\n\n\n The Hedgehog Concept is based on an ancient Greek parable that states, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”<\/p>\n\n\n In the parable, the fox uses many strategies to try to catch the hedgehog. It sneaks, pounces, races, and plays dead. And yet, every time, it walks away defeated, its tender nose pricked by spines. The fox never learns that the hedgehog knows how to do one big thing perfectly: defend itself.<\/p>\n\n\n Philosopher Isaiah Berlin took this parable and applied it to the modern world in his 1953 essay, “The Hedgehog and the Fox<\/a>.” Berlin divided people into two groups: foxes and hedgehogs.<\/p>\n\n\n He argued that the foxes pursue many goals and interests at the same time. As a result, their thinking is scattered and unfocused, and ultimately they achieve very little. Hedgehogs, however, simplify the world and focus on a single, overarching vision, which they then achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n Business researcher and consultant, Jim Collins, developed the idea in his classic 2001 book, “Good to Great.”<\/a> Collins argued that organizations will more likely succeed if they can identify the one thing that they do best \u2013 their “Hedgehog Concept.”<\/p>\n\n\n When an organization has identified its Hedgehog Concept, its leaders should devote all of their energy and resources to pursuing it. Collins argues that when the going gets tough, it’s the organizations that focus on what they’re good at that survive and thrive.<\/p>\n\n\nWhat Is the Hedgehog Concept?<\/h2>\n\n\n