The David and Goliath metaphor conveys a powerful message of the glorified champion beaten by the underestimated novice. This narrative depicts champions as villains and transforms the unassuming into heroes.

Subtly, it satisfies our resentment toward those who appear unfairly advantaged while offering hope to those who hold the shorter end of the stick. What gives this story its appeal is our tendency to assume the shoes of David, the underdog, while often ignoring our own attributes that could render us as top dogs and cursed ones as such.

This article provides a strategic perspective on the David and Goliath lore, emphasising the risks of grandiose advantages and how organisations can mitigate them.

It also highlights how we often overlook the qualities necessary in making underdogs heroes, focusing instead on the unexpected victory. Additionally, it covers how underdog organisations can leverage innovation to win and why this approach can work effectively.

Who then is a ‘cursed top dog’? A cursed top dog is an organisation that has developed a key advantage so pronounced that it has become grandiose. Consider Apple and design, Ghana Television and its extensive coverage, or University of Ghana being the first in the country.

In the biblical narrative, Goliath possessed a formidable stature. These advantages are developed over time and bring the organisation certain benefits. They can be so powerful that they appear to make up for other crucial capabilities the organisation lacks, sometimes deceptively so.

For instance, GTV’s extensive coverage and credibility could be seen to compensate for what some may perceive as a lack of dynamism, but this is arguably a dangerous illusion that can lead to complacency.

Risks Confronting Top Dogs

The curse of top dogs is almost inevitable unless organisations remain consciously aware of the risk their grandiose advantages pose. If Goliath had been aware of the risks his height and continuous victory presented, he would have been less susceptible to defeat. These risks are as follows:

Interfered alertness: When results continue to come, organisations become less alert. Blind spots emerge because they fail to see the changing environment. Gradually, it compounds then suddenly the carpet is pulled out from under their feet.

When organisations are winning, they often overlook creative use of resources because results are coming. They say “we are winning anyway” until they are not. Goliath had a sword, spear and javelin but was unable to put them to use.

Compromised secrecy: When advantage is obvious and well known, competitors can anticipate your moves. Secrecy before execution becomes nearly impossible. Think of Apple’s product launches. Once your advantage is known, competitors can copy and counter it.

Every time a Goliath goes into battle, he must cover his forehead in the next engagement because his vulnerability has been exposed. This is why organisations must beware of their palpable advantages and understand where they are most likely to be attacked.

When a political affiliation is no longer news, when everyone knows Apple will soon launch its next phone, the element of surprise is lost. When it is no longer a secret that the Philistines will come with Goliath, David gets to adequately prepare for him.

Resistance to change: There is often resistance to change when things become institutionalised. When systems become grounded, change becomes difficult. Though systems create predictability, overreliance on predictability can lead to underestimating competitors.

Why would Goliath change anything at all when his physique and experience have been working? The organisation, with time, loses its innovative edge. Such an organisation faces a dilemma between protecting the foundations of its legacy and moving according to new trends.

On the other hand, an underdog is the organisation with potential; potential because its capabilities have not yet been tested and it is often underestimated in the competition. These capabilities are not palpable and have not matured to the point of grandiosity.

The underdog’s power, like David, lies in being underestimated and the opportunity to do something entirely new. Consider Peace FM as the first Twi station some decades ago. Most organisations start at this point, with everything to prove and nothing to lose.

The Innovative Power of Underdogs

Every risk inherent in the top dog status, on the flipside, is an opportunity for the underdog. These include:

A. Focused creativity: Lack of abundance of resources, a common situation for underdogs, makes creativity urgent. When resources are scarce, innovation becomes not just an option but a necessity. Awareness of limitations can spark remarkable creativity, forcing underdogs to find solutions where none seem to exist.

David’s limited skills and experience made him focus on the one skill he was certain of and, additionally, find how to use it creatively; targeting Goliath’s forehead. This, in business, suggests what top organisations are not focusing on is an opportunity for the underdog.

B. Ability to be flexible: When little is institutionalised, there is little to actually change. There are no entrenched systems or processes to overcome, no legacy mindsets to shift. This flexibility allows underdogs to pivot quickly and adopt new approaches without the friction that plagues larger, more established organisations.

Comparatively, it would be easier for the Israelite to use David than for the Philistines to change Goliath. When nothing is working, nothing gains permanence. It is easier to be welcoming of change when suffering/failure is obvious.

C. Advantage of secrecy: Underdogs benefit from not being expected to win. It makes competitors pay less attention to their moves, affording them secrecy before execution. This gives them the opportunity to plot without facing counter tactics from opponents.

Nobody expected David to win, not even Saul. Nobody knew he was going to throw stones. Goliath didn’t care to notice that on the battlefield, referring to them as sticks. This gave David the opportunity to conquer without interruption.

D. Abrupt distraction for competitors: The emotive response to novelty from an underdog is powerful. Shock, exploration, and the novelty effect hold significant power in human society. People experience boredom with the familiar and are drawn to form new favourites.

Innovation feeds the very nature of human existence, excitement, shock, and curiosity. David was a shock to the Philistines, Apple was a curiosity to the tech world, and Dubai was excitement to the global community.

The buzz and news surrounding an underdog’s bold move can distract unsure competitors from their own game. This distraction buys time and allows the underdog to strategize while competitors scramble to respond.

Consider Nokia and Kodak, companies widely seen as having been so focused on their existing advantages that they failed to see the innovation coming. The audacity of the underdog is itself a weapon. It need not be radical to distract; it simply needs to be unexpected.

It is, however, important that underdogs, and in fact all organisations, note that innovation without strategy is merely fancy. Just because David used a stone does not mean you should blindly use sticks in the name of ‘novel’. Being different is not for the sake of it. The underdog’s approach to innovation must be deliberate and strategic.

Above all, we need to take precaution that today’s heroic underdog is potentially tomorrow’s cursed top dog. The cycle continues, and the only way to break it is through constant awareness, strategic thinking, and a willingness to innovate even when success seems assured. Research must be leveraged to achieve this.

Consider your own experience. When has being a top dog in something become a disadvantage? Perhaps you were so confident in your expertise that you failed to see a better approach. When has being an underdog worked to your advantage? Maybe you were underestimated and used that freedom to try something truly innovative.

What represented David’s stones in your case? These questions are worth pondering, for in them lies the key to understanding the delicate balance between advantage and vulnerability, between success and the seeds of failure that success often carries.

Dr. Sangmorkuor Tetteh
Lecturer, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Corporate Trainer & Strategy Consultant
sangmorkuor.tetteh@upsamail.edu.gh
LinkedIn: Sangmorkuor Tetteh