The Illusion of Solid Ground

Your strategic playbook is obsolete. Not because your execution failed, but because the ground beneath it shifted.

Traditional strategy assumes a firm base to build upon. But today, even infrastructure moves.

With each breakthrough, layers of the technology stack can be commoditized, automated, or entirely replaced overnight. Your relevance isn’t based on what you build, but where and when you build it.

We need a new model: a way to think not in fixed plans, but in shifting terrain.

Enter the Pyramid of Change—a dynamic framework where technologies, platforms, and protocols evolve at different speeds and intensities. Here, strategy isn’t a blueprint—it’s situational awareness.

A Living Terrain

Imagine the technology landscape as a pyramid composed of many layers, each representing a technology, pattern, or institutional form. These layers don’t evolve uniformly—some stabilize over decades, others emerge and collapse within weeks. To navigate this terrain, we group layers into three broad segments:

These segments are heuristic, not rigid. Over time, a technology once at the apex may descend to the middle. The pyramid is constantly in flux—layers shift, compress, or descend based on factors such as adoption, standardization, and market forces.

The Entropy Problem

As the apex rises with new innovations, it exerts pressure on everything beneath it. However, unlike natural systems that tend to simplify, technology tends to accumulate complexity. Legacy code, abandoned APIs, and obsolete practices accumulate at the base, creating foundational entropy—technical debt that compounds over time. Competitive advantage is increasingly found in managing this entropy. Smart organizations conduct regular “archeological audits” to deprecate, consolidate, and offload legacy layers. They approach building with a mindset of subtraction, not just addition.

Strategic Movements

If innovation adds two new layers and you haven’t moved, you’ve effectively aged. Staying relevant means knowing when and how to shift segments.

Change-Fit

We once pursued product-market fit—the alignment between what we build and what the market desires. However, we must now seek change-fit—the alignment between our internal pace and the environment we operate in.

Change-fit prompts us to consider:

• Are our planning cycles synchronized with the volatility of our domain?
• Can our teams adapt swiftly enough to the Apex or provide stability for the Base?
• Are our organizational rhythms in harmony with the pace of change in our industry?

Mismatches can lead to dysfunction. Strategic coherence requires understanding one’s internal pace and aligning with it, or consciously creating translation layers to bridge the gap between different tempos.

Strategic Archetypes

Every organization plays a role in the pyramid. Knowing yours clarifies constraints and decisions:

The Explorer

• Segment: Apex
• Strength: Speed, timing, novelty detection
• Motto: Find what’s next
• Examples: Startups, research groups, innovation labs
• Risk: High failure rate, resource burn

The Synthesizer

• Segment: Middle
• Strength: Maturation, systematization, scaling
• Motto: Make it work
• Examples: Platform teams, infrastructure vendors, established SaaS companies
• Risk: Missing breakthrough innovations, being leapfrogged

The Settler

• Segment: Base
• Strength: Stability, trust, efficiency, compliance
• Motto: Make it last
• Examples: Utilities, core infrastructure, regulated financial services
• Risk: Slow adaptation, disruption from above

The Bridge-Builder

• Segment: All layers
• Strength: Translation, integration, ecosystem thinking
• Motto: Make it connect
• Examples: Integration platforms, DevOps tools, developer ecosystems
• Risk: Complexity management, maintaining multiple relationships

Organizations naturally evolve across these archetypes. As explorer startups scale, they often transform into Synthesizers. Over time, Synthesizers may solidify into Settlers. Wise leaders anticipate these transitions and adapt organizational design.

Mapping Your Position

Key Questions:

• What layer(s) does your core product inhabit?
• Does your internal cadence match your layer’s pace of change?
• Where do your customers live on the pyramid?
• What misalignments create friction or missed opportunities?

Actions:

• Audit your technology stack and identify layer classifications
• Assess team velocity against layer requirements
• Map customer positions and their change tolerance

Identifying Movements

Key Questions:

• What Apex technologies are showing signs of stabilization?
• Where are new layers emerging that could disrupt your position?
• What foundational layers are becoming unstable or obsolete?
• Where do you see compression or expansion in the pyramid?

Actions:

• Set up systematic monitoring of adjacent layers
• Build early warning systems for disruption
• Identify bridging opportunities between segments

Aligning Operations

Key Questions:

• How should you restructure teams for your target movement?
• What feedback loops will keep you aligned with your chosen layer?
• How will you build organizational change-fit?

Actions:

• Design an organizational structure for your archetype
• Create sensing and adaptation mechanisms
• Build capabilities for your chosen movement strategy

Conclusion

The Pyramid of Change isn’t a mere metaphor; it serves as a comprehensive map of the territory you’re navigating.

While predicting the future with absolute precision may be challenging, the key lies in developing the skill of discerning and responding effectively to its ever-changing nature.

Strategy isn’t a quarterly plan; it’s a dynamic orientation to changing circumstances.

Companies that succeed will be those that build organizational change-fit—the ability to perceive their current state, comprehend their future trajectory, and navigate through various layers with purpose.

The new competitive advantage lies not in predicting the future accurately, but in being adaptable and responsive to it.

Begin by mapping your position. Identify your natural archetype. Develop sensing mechanisms. Above all, remember that in a world of constant change, the only sustainable strategy is the ability to adapt strategically.

Appendix: Current Pyramid Mapping

Emerging Apex Trends:

• Agentic AI systems and autonomous workflows
• Real-time collaborative tools with AI integration
• Edge computing and distributed AI inference
• Quantum computing applications

Descending to Middle:

• Large language model APIs and platforms
• No-code/low-code development platforms
• Digital twin technologies and frameworks
• Blockchain development frameworks

Stabilizing Base:

• Cloud computing fundamentals
• API-first architecture patterns
• DevOps and CI/CD practices
• Data privacy and security frameworks