or
reacting to external challenges by a series of inconsistent short-term quick fixes
or
resorting to erratic short-term reactions (instead of a proactive approach)
or
absence of direction

etc.

I see the image of a ship in a storm, and someone being flung from the guardrails on one side to the guardrails on the other side, as the ship is being kicked in all directions by the storm.

Translated in the case of managing a business: the business being kicked from all sides by external forces and the management trying to stay afloat by a series of inconsistent short-term quick fixes, instead of following some steady long term strategy.

There are in fact only TWO texts you can find on the Web where "swinging guardrail to guardrail" was used:

this one (republished on many websites):


"As CEO, what are you doing to manage the tensions?
I try to bring them to the surface and make them explicit, so that they’re right in front of people all the time—and that helps. It’s important to talk about them not as a choice, where one or the other is more important, but as a balance we must continually strive to achieve. I think it’s a mistake in organizations to oversimplify by conveying a sole focus on one end of the spectrum at the expense of the other—for example, “We must deliver short-term results.” When you do this, you end up swinging guardrail to guardrail. It is much more powerful to talk about the “and” of focusing on both the short-term and the long-term objectives. By doing that, you start teaching the organization how to appreciate and deal with the inherent paradoxes."

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/nz/Documents/...

and further down in the same text, the same idea expressed slightly differently:

The inherent features of strategic paradoxes make managing in such an environment very difficult. The leader’s challenge is not to choose between alternatives but to recognize that both imperatives must be addressed. Making that change from either/ or to both/and thinking requires leaders to shift focus frequently in the short term in order to satisfy competing demands in the long term. Rather than swinging wildly between opposing forces, leaders must execute purposeful microshifts that enable growth and sustainability.

The other one, where this idea of erratic short-term reactions (instead of a consistent proactive approach) also fits:

Catherine Knibbs coined the phrase “cyber trauma” and is the author of The Darker Side of the Internet for Children And Young People. This is not conservative doom and gloom. We get into attachment and neuroscience and provide realistic recommendations to help you and your children navigate the web, unpack myths, identify cyber bullying, discuss consent and provide proactive strategies that lead towards integration and health.

Respond more adaptively to the internet and social media rather than swinging guardrail-to-guardrail with unkept promises and overreactions. Explore the positive and negative elements of having a global “village” you can access instantly, anywhere via our phones and discuss the impact of the internet on developing minds and the interpersonal realm of young people and adults.
https://therapistuncensored.com/episodes/tu58-improving-the-...


you end up swinging guardrail to guardrail
=
you end up not knowing where you're going / being forced into a succession of erratic quick fixes