Could Robin Hood just keep on robbing?

What have Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and a popular BBC TV drama got in common? - they all have a love for dancing around in green tights.

Now, you probably know what i'm on about, but lets set the scene... 15^th century England on the outskirts of Nottingham. A heroic outlaw robs from the rich, to give to the poor. I’m sure you’re familiar with the folklore stories, or the modern day cinematic interpretations of Robin Hood. While all remakes have differences, the idea remains the same.

Now, let’s look at this in a very abstract manner – Robin himself as a business. He is the brand, and is the MD as well. The organisation is effectively Robin alongside his band of Merry Men. Quite simply, his business was stealing from the rich... with the mission to pay ransom for the release of King Richard ‘the Lion Heart’.  (Note: Depending on which Robin Hood story you read, this may not be the case.)

So, could Robin just keep on robbing?

Lets start bringing in some marketing implications of the above. Contrary to most modern day firms, Robin would not want word of mouth to spread – this could potentially harm his revenue streams with the rich knowing where he resides and operates! Similarly, he does not want to reach a tipping point to quickly whereby the following him and attempt to join suddenly. This growth would be vastly unsustainable, and being unplanned it would be very awkward to manage. 

Lets explore why this would be the case;  Firstly, lets face it, he only has limited rich people to rob! So, more employees in his Merry Men does not necessarily mean more income. Secondly, after inspiring the poor, his Merry Men would have an influx of interest to grow too quickly, he can’t feed them all – this can be seen as modern day mission creep. Finally, a larger group of Merry Men increase the risk of loosing control and accountability over individuals behaviour. So, looking internally at his company, Robin must unconditionally trust the honesty and loyalty of a select family like team. These reasons highlight the key as to why Robin desired an air mythicalism and definitely wanted to appear unreachable, by both the poor and the rich alike.

Many of Robin’s public rescues Maid Marian and the defacing of the Sheriff of Nottingham can be seen as publicity stunts. In the same way as many modern day publicity stunts or viral campaigns, they engaged people on an emotional level building loyalty and following.

Additionally, his actions fail to straddle between of rational and emotion. His relationship with Lady Marian and The Sherriff of Nottingham affected his decisions and actions, making them very emotive and personal, not planned rational business decisions or strategic judgments. Quite accordingly, these regularly ad hoc actions pose the greatest risk to himself and his allies.

If Robin wanted (or needed to as a result of personnel growth) to expand his income, how would he do it? A simple solution would be how many modern day organisations look to expand – by moving into new markets. Robin could take his successful model, and transfer it to another forest. Alternatively, he could follow Ansoff’s diversification model and develop a new product. Maybe the poor pay Robin in commodities for his continual services, or he could try to negotiate an almost subscription fee from the rich so as not to rob them!

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail”

So, to summarise, whilst Robin is very aware what his business and income streams are, he lacked long term visions and planning. His lack of plans and spontaneous emotional decisions placed great risk on his organisation. So while this may seem a strange, crude, analysis... it is clear to see the value of emptying your mug viewing things from a different angle. It open your thought process up and broadens your understanding from restrictions placed on it. Why not see Indiana Jones or Superman a business?!

Back to the real world applications: This scenario highlights the need for all decisions to be planned, based around solid research and understanding, and that all tactics fit within the indentified long term strategy. Next time rapid growth is achieved by an organisation, do not solely focus on the visible success, but also consider problems encountered and potentially forthcoming as a result.  

Thanks to @EliotStrategy for inspiring this post. Join his twitter and newly launched blog for more strategic discussions.