Hi Paul.  Love the descriptive language: " But a closer look of their internal parts revealed they were a hollow shell."  That is one reason I left corporate america.  I'm not bashing my former employer because really any company of any size can start as, or evolve to a hollow shell.

It can be from growing too fast, without thoughtfulness, as in the foodservice example you described -- or a company can get so big, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.  I'm not a big fan of unnecessary structure and rigidity, but I do believe processes need to be in place, backed up by character and values, that support employees through training and leadership, to make organizations (and the employees) successful instead of leaving painful experiences in the wake.

Thanks for sharing this thoughtful post today, Paul.