Organizational Inertia

Scaling a business is hard—especially when growth outpaces your systems and processes. The vision is there, but execution stalls, bottlenecks pile up, and suddenly, things aren’t moving as fast as they should. That’s where a fractional COO steps in: they provide the operational muscle to break through bottlenecks, streamline execution, and drive sustainable growth—all without the full-time cost.
Scaling a company means facing several challenges at once: from managing internal friction to aligning teams around the company’s vision and more. Darryl Piasecki of Mckinsey & Company has written a series of articles that speak to the COOs agenda (here and here). These articles describe how a COO brings structure and clarity by addressing five critical areas: managing inertia, creating operational clarity, engaging stakeholders, driving operational excellence, and managing talent effectively. First up—what slows most growing companies down: inertia.

Managing Inertia: Unsticking Your Growth Engine

Every growing company hits points of friction where momentum slows. It’s often the result of inertia—those lingering processes, slow decision-making, or outdated systems that no longer fit a scaling business. A fractional COO, drawing from Piasecki’s core insights, steps in to actively manage and eliminate inertia.
Think of it like this: If your business feels like a car struggling to climb a hill, bringing in a fractional COO is like shifting into a lower gear—harnessing more torque and momentum to accelerate toward the top. By removing inefficiencies and cutting through the clutter, a fractional COO creates the conditions for real progress. They streamline processes and redesign workflows, so your team can focus on moving forward, not getting tangled in unnecessary bureaucracy. Once inertia is addressed, the next challenge is bridging the gap between your bold vision and the operational clarity needed to bring it to life.

Turning Vision Into Action: Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Execution

A CEO’s vision is essential, but as Piasecki points out, operational clarity is what transforms that vision into reality. A COO doesn’t just talk strategy—they roll up their sleeves and make sure it’s executed. They break down high-level goals into actionable, measurable steps and ensure every team is aligned.
By eliminating inertia and bringing clarity, fractional COOs (and Integrators) ensure that teams not only understand what they’re doing but also why it’s important. For a fast-growing startup, this could mean transforming an ambitious product launch vision into a detailed roadmap with clear deadlines, ownership, and KPIs—each aligned with the desired outcome. This key seat is the architect, making sure that strategy and execution aren’t just ideas but are put into action effectively.

Keeping Everyone on the Same Page: Engaging Stakeholders for Alignment

Of course, even the best-laid plans require buy-in across the board. Without every stakeholder pulling in the same direction, even the most detailed roadmap can falter. As your company scales, misalignment between leadership and frontline teams can bring even the best strategies to a grinding halt. According to Piasecki, effective stakeholder engagement is critical for operational success.
COOs foster this engagement by acting as a bridge between teams, ensuring that everyone understands how their work ties into the company’s larger goals. By fostering alignment across teams, fractional COOs create the foundation for true operational excellence. Whether it’s marketing, sales, or product, a they eliminate silos and ensures cross-functional alignment. Their leadership ensures that every part of the business is working toward a shared outcome, avoiding confusion and inefficiency.

Driving Operational Excellence Through Scalable Systems

By fostering alignment, COOs ensure that the company is set up for operational excellence. As Piasecki highlights, operational excellence goes beyond efficiency—it’s about ensuring that the systems in place can scale with the company. A fractional COO doesn’t just optimize for today’s problems; they build processes that will support future growth. They identify where workflows are breaking down, where redundancies exist, and introduce leaner systems that can keep up with the demands of a growing business.
In practice, this might involve overhauling project management structures or automating repetitive tasks. Whatever the solution, they ensure that operational efficiency isn’t just a quick fix but a long-term advantage.

Developing Talent and Building a High-Performance Culture

Operational excellence doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it requires strong leadership and capable teams to sustain it. As Piasecki stresses, talent management is another critical area where COOs create value. A fractional COO ensures that the company’s leadership pipeline is built for growth. They align teams with the company’s mission, foster accountability, and build a culture where employees are empowered to contribute to the company’s success.
When a company is scaling rapidly, leadership gaps can emerge. A fractional COO works with teams to identify those gaps, coach leaders, and ensure that the organization has the right talent in place to support its growth trajectory. This focus on talent management ensures that the systems they build have the right people to drive them.

Why Growing Companies Are Choosing Fractional COOs

By building strong teams and leadership capacity, fractional COOs ensure that companies are equipped to handle the complexities of scaling. This holistic approach—balancing operational efficiency with talent development—is yet another reason why more growing companies are turning to fractional COOs for strategic flexibility and leadership without the full-time commitment.
As a Fractional COO, we provide strategic flexibility for companies in high-growth phases. We bring senior-level operational expertise precisely when it’s needed, without the long-term financial commitment of a full-time hire. As Piasecki emphasizes that a well-structured COO agenda is essential for scaling, fractional COOs are uniquely equipped to execute one with high impact at a lower cost.

Whether you’re overcoming inefficiencies, aligning teams, or developing leaders, a fractional COO provides the leadership necessary to move your business forward at speed, overcoming organizational inertia, without the added overhead.