Toyota Grades

I've spent years watching companies over time. You get to observe lots of neat things if you look closely. Companies almost appear as living, human entities (they're not, Supreme Court!) For example, one can observe a formerly innovative and nimble company get "fat and happy" and lose their competitive lead. This can happen for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is simply good, old fashioned arrogance. Corporate culture plays an important role too, particularly when a company's work force doubles in a relatively short time. The newer employees change the culture or have trouble integrating or are simply less manageable due to the sheer size and speed of the expansion.