The Myth of Copying Success

Apple is now one of the most recognisable and financially successful companies in the world. But its journey to that position was far from inevitable.

Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Apple quickly became a pioneer in personal computing. Yet following Jobs’ departure in 1985, when he went on to establish NeXT, the company began to drift. Innovation slowed, direction became unclear, and by 1997 Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy. What is often overlooked, however, is what happened next.

Steve Jobs did not go on to immediate, runaway success at NeXT. Despite technical innovation and influence, the company struggled commercially. The same leader, with similar instincts and ideas, operating in a different context, produced very different outcomes.

This is where the lesson for schools becomes powerful. It is tempting to believe that success can be lifted and shifted, that if we take a strong leader, a successful strategy, or a high-performing school model, we can simply replicate it elsewhere. But Apple and NeXT remind us that success is rarely that transferable.

Because success is not just about leadership. It is about culture.

When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he did not simply reapply what he had done before. Instead, he worked within, and reshaped, the existing culture. He simplified product lines, sharpened focus, and aligned the organisation around a clear sense of purpose. Crucially, he rebuilt coherence. What followed was not just a turnaround, but a transformation. Leading to products like the iMac, iPod, and eventually the iPhone.

The difference was not just the leader. It was the alignment between leadership, strategy and culture. For schools, this matters deeply. Too often, we look outward for solutions: adopting another school’s behaviour system, curriculum model, or teaching approach. But without the cultural conditions that underpin those strategies, implementation can feel forced, inconsistent, or short-lived.

A behaviour system that thrives in one school may falter in another. A curriculum model that drives excellence elsewhere may feel ineffective when transplanted. Not because the strategy is flawed, but because the culture is different.

Culture shapes how things are interpreted, enacted and sustained. This is why surface-level alignment, such as shared values statements, is not enough. Two schools may both claim to value “high expectations” or “respect,” but how those values are lived day-to-day can vary dramatically. Culture is not what is written on the wall; it is what happens in the corridors, classrooms and conversations.

So what should leaders do?

Firstly, recognise that borrowing is not the problem: blind borrowing is. Looking outward for inspiration is valuable, but it must be followed by careful adaptation. Leaders must ask:

• Does this align with our current culture?
  
• If not, what needs to change first—our systems or our culture?
• What will this look like in practice, here, with our staff and students?

Secondly, focus on coherence. Successful schools are not defined by isolated strategies, but by how well those strategies align with each other and with the wider culture. Implementation is not just about introducing something new, it is about ensuring it fits.

Finally, understand that culture is built over time. It cannot be imported, accelerated overnight, or imposed through policy alone. It is shaped through consistent behaviours, shared expectations, and collective belief.

Apple’s story reminds us of something simple, but often overlooked: success is not portable.

In schools, as in business, what works is not just what you do, but where you do it, how you do it, and the culture in which it lives.