Specialization

This weekend, my family took a day trip up to the International Crane Foundation outside of Baraboo, WI.  The International Crane Foundation is a conservation organization that focuses on the preservation of the world’s cranes and their habitats around the world.  Just cranes.  That is all they do.

There is something special about a place that has such a specific mission and manages to stick so closely to that mission.  In Search of Excellence was a management book popular in the 80’s that called that “sticking to the knitting.” 

I find myself similarly intrigued by retail and service businesses that do only one thing, but work hard to make themselves the best they can be at that one thing. Common sense would indicate that these companies would need to be better than their more diversified competitors in order to survive.

It seems that these companies and organizations are staking a claim on being the best at their particular focus and are certain enough of their superiority that they operate without the safety net of diversification.