Drift: When Pricing Stops Reflecting the Business

In his book Drift, Kevin McCabe explores the silent erosion of profitability that occurs when a company's pricing no longer reflects the actual value it provides. He defines Drift as a structural misalignment where businesses rely on outdated models and reactive workarounds rather than intentional commercial design. Through the lens of systemic thinking, McCabe argues that pricing is a diagnostic tool that reveals hidden gaps in strategy, operations, and organizational incentives. He critiques common corporate responses, such as enforcement cycles and attribution errors, which mistakenly blame individuals for systemic failures. Instead, the text advocates for Restoration, a leadership-driven process of rebuilding the connection between value creation and value capture. Ultimately, he provides a framework for recognizing these patterns and implementing more sustainable economic models, such as the Profit Streams® discipline.