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Bureaucracies Quote by Lester Thurow

“Change requires individuals who recognize that new things can be done and who take the initiative to get them done ... The existing bureaucracies, public and private, will not take on the job of changing what is.” quote by Lester Thurow
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“Change requires individuals who recognize that new things can be done and who take the initiative to get them done ... The existing bureaucracies, public and private, will not take on the job of changing what is.”

Lester Thurow

About This Quote

Source Book: The Future of Capitalism, 1998

Change needs visionary individuals who see possibilities and act, because existing institutions resist transformation.

In simple terms: Visionaries drive change when bureaucracy blocks it.

Key Takeaway

Support innovators, challenge bureaucracy.

Themes

innovation leadership bureaucracy

Mood

optimistic pragmatic

Type

motivational strategic

When to use this quote

  • business strategy
  • policy reform
  • community organizing

Key Concepts

Change management institutional inertia entrepreneurship

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we motivate institutions to embrace change?
  • What incentives spark individual initiative?
A Different Perspective

Bureaucracies may adapt if pressured, not always static.

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