There is much speculation as to why the dinosaurs disappeared. Whatever did them in must have been a blockbuster — or their own kind of sub-prime fiasco. It wasn't an altogether silent spring that wiped them out; some creatures survived. But large volume didn't save the dinosaurs. Small volume didn't save them. Agility didn't save them.

Unlike the dinosaurs, there was a time when the United States won by sheer numbers. In World War II, we produced 30,000-plus lousy Sherman tanks. For the Germans, Sherman tanks were more target than threat, but we won by numbers. We did the same thing in the submarine war: We produced more Liberty ships than they could sink. And our Flying Fortress planes flunked tough British testing, but the Brits underestimated what tens of thousands of them could do. We were the numbers king of the world.

Ironically, our number may be up. The amount of goods flowing from Asia, particularly China, is legion, despite toxic toys and poor quality. But we have nothing much to put into the shipping containers or the holds of planes returning to Asia, other than waste paper and hay. We are losing by numbers if you look at the balance of trade.

When numbers don't play, there is always size, though size didn't seem to help the dinosaurs. Today, big means big banks — and big goofs. Big U.S. airlines translate into delays, lost baggage, dangerous flying conditions, and mergers or bankruptcy. Big U.S. car companies translate into recalls, small sales, big layoffs, and lost dominance.

When neither numbers nor size affords advantage, a small but vital difference may be the right recipe. The scientific community recently revealed that the duck-billed platypus was active during the dinosaur age. Obviously, the platypus made it through whatever cataclysm hit. One reason may be that platypuses have a complex sensory organ in their beaks that very likely enabled them to hunt and track fish successfully. They ate the dinosaur's lunch and then competed with emerging mammals — that is, until humans came along and nearly drove them into extinction for their fur.

What can we learn from all this? Neither numbers nor size should be dismissed, but we clearly need to concentrate on what small, vital differences we can make to survive and, if possible, thrive. The late industrial designer Raymond Loewy, of the Shell logo, the Lucky Strike package, and Avanti automobile fame, said success depends on coming up with the just noticeable difference. By this he meant practicing design by evolution and not revolution.

We all hope for breakthroughs, but we must not count on such innovations. We would be better off making a better part, a better car. Make a better business and achieve a better ROI.

I am not suggesting refitting a dinosaur-like product with something akin to a platypus' network of sensors for a better hunt. No, better to return to the drawing board and try something new, though not necessarily radical. Even Darwin knew that evolution happened in very small increments. So what will win the day? Let's try focus, attentiveness, openness — all with a vision of making a small difference.

Malone's new book, Chain Reaction is available in bookstores, both the brick-and-mortar and the online kind.