Thoughts on PACE Layered architecture implementations in your business

According to Gartner, companies should adopt the Pace-Layered Application Strategy to build an application portfolio that supports new business ideas and the inevitable business changes.

The Pace-Layered Application Strategy Model from Gartner distinguishes three layers, which are helping organizations improve their applications by categorizing, selecting, managing and educating themselves on those applications. As a result, organizations are finding that it is more efficient, faster and more economical to change, differentiate and innovate, as well as realize returns on their investments.

Having been in several styles of organisations, I'm finding it more than often that organisations (both startups and enterprise), who do not have an understanding and thus a view to implement a pace layered approach find it very difficult to scale efficiently (tech, people, process, market).

Has anyone seen this approach and implemented it successfully to obtain the speed of innovation and market growth it promises?