A senior manager has a new, younger colleague in the business development department. This teammate just graduated near the top of her class and is brimming with confidence.

She believes that, given the firm’s capabilities, it can imitate the market leader and deliver products to gain market share rapidly.

The more seasoned manager argues that copying the leader is not feasible as the path the rival took to reach the apex is very different from the one proposed. Instead, their organization ought to pursue another market altogether.
Comment on these “unique historical conditions.”