Thoughts on Successful Organizations

A little while ago, I posted thoughts about what makes an organization successful.  My original post focused mostly on the idea that there is no set formula or recipe for creating and sustaining a successful organization, but I kept thinking about it and arrived at a second thought: perhaps there is a universal equation.  Perhaps if one takes the right people, attempting the right thing, at the right time in the right place, perhaps there's no reason to doubt it would be successful.  Of course, this formula is similar to dieting.  Everyone knows that a healthy diet consists of eating healthy portions of nutritious foods and additional physical activity and exercise.  Simple, right? I'm confident that the vast majority of people are well aware of this idea, but, as always, the devil's in the details. What works for one person will be unlikely to work for another.  The issue comes in the application.  In figuring out what works best for YOU and YOUR organization.

So perhaps there is a universal principle.  Of course, at least one factor is well beyond our control - the right time - and so we have to adapt to do the best we can in the here and now while planning for the future.  So, in continuing the question from the original thought, what works?  What doesn't?  How do you facilitate the variables under your control?  And how do you mitigate those that aren't?