Greiner's growth model — the 6 predictable crises every scaling company hits
Larry Greiner's 1972 HBR model is the org-design equivalent of Maslow — taught everywhere, used too rarely. Each phase of growth ends in a predictable crisis…
- 6 phases, each ending in a predictable crisis the org must solve to move on.
- Phase 1 Creativity → Leadership crisis. Phase 2 Direction → Autonomy crisis. Phase 3 Delegation → Control crisis. Phase 4 Coordination → Red Tape crisis. Phase 5 Collaboration → Internal Growth crisis. Phase 6 Alliances → Identity crisis.
- Each crisis demands a different HR + leadership response — not a louder version of the previous one.
- The model is descriptive, not deterministic — but the patterns repeat with eerie reliability.
Most scaling pain is not unique. Greiner mapped it in 1972, updated in 1998, and the model still calls the shot. Knowing which crisis you are in stops you from solving last year's problem.
The 6 phases and crises
| Phase | Growth via | Ends in crisis of |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creativity (founder magic) | Leadership |
| 2 | Direction (hired managers) | Autonomy |
| 3 | Delegation (BU structure) | Control |
| 4 | Coordination (corporate processes) | Red tape |
| 5 | Collaboration (matrix, teams) | Internal growth / burnout |
| 6 | Alliances (M&A, networks) | Identity |
What HR should do in each crisis
- Leadership crisis: hire the first real COO/manager layer; founder steps back from people management.
- Autonomy crisis: build clear delegation (RACI/DACI), comp bands, and a leveling rubric.
- Control crisis: install financial + performance reporting without strangling teams.
- Red tape crisis: cut process debt; reorganise around customer/product, not function.
- Collaboration crisis: invest in OD, team launches, and well-being — burnout is the killer.
- Identity crisis: re-clarify culture and purpose after M&A or platform shifts.
'Which Greiner crisis is this?' is one of the highest-leverage questions an HRBP can bring to a CEO 1:1. It reframes drama as predictable growth.
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