I have been reading with some interest a book by Nasim Taleb titled Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.  The premise of the book is that institutions fall into three distinct categories.

The first is fragile.  These can be seemingly strong organizations that have some fundamental flaws that make them unsuitable for growth and unsustainable.  Think of something like Lehmann Brothers which had a storied name and long history but was shattered by the economic downturn.   These kinds of actors necessarily must control their environment in order to survive.  An uncontrollable change in the environment causes them to collapse.

The next organization is the robust one.  It is able to continue decently performing despite the changes and chances of the environment.  It is a generally desirable category because it is a dependable one however it is not given to any great leaps nor soaring achievements.

The final category is…