Original article from the Flevy business blog can be found here: http://flevy.com/blog/why-a-quantum-leap-strategy-for-emerging-countries/ Gone are the days of incremental changes , whether on the micro or macro level, in sector reforms or a business plan of an SME project. In the globalization era, the business environment everywhere has turned into a process of perpetual dynamic transformations, this despite the onset of the financial crisis, with possibility that the latter symbolizes one of such brisk metamorphosis acts. This is the age of quantum leaps; this is the era of paradigm shifts. Not longtime ago corporate strategic plans were produced for some 7 to 10 years, and one could easily foresee futures with confidence 5 to 10 years ahead. Currently a strategic plan is already out of date and possibly obsolete even before the report is completed, and one would be very lucky to predict events with some certainty 2 to 3 years ahead, and strategies need revising at least twice a year. Globalization is only the start of this constant transformation process, and the future holds many surprises. Pace of the transformation process is becoming critical. Many developing and emerging countries have not yet grasped the consequences of this new paradigm . In many countries the same old practice of GRADUAL modern reforms is still adopted, whether seeking to promote and support SMEs, or to promote investments and exports, or to boost higher education and research. A quick transformation is deemed complex, difficult, unpredictable, and might be costly, and might carry too many risks in terms of non-compatibility. Gradual change is seen as more stable and easier to control and implement. The common approach still practiced widely in developing and emerging countries when seeking some sector reform, including reforms related to SME support, is to visit different advanced countries West and East and examine at proximity the different models put in place, and which are already tried and PROVEN. The next step would be to choose one of the most suitable models, and which is usually more adaptable to the country seeking to initiate the reform. It takes then one to three years for the process of transfer of the know-how and establishment of the pilot project, and for the integration and consolidation.