The oldest
companies are hundreds of years old, and are still going strong.
What makes them so special, and what are the keys to survival?
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A study
of some of the oldest companies in the world, including a Swedish
company that is over 700 years old, provides some of the answers.
The study, conducted by Arie de Geus when he worked for Shell (itself
over 100 years old) aimed to discover the common characteristics
of companies that had lived longer than Shell. Arie de Geus and
his team researched over 30 companies, from America, Europe and
Japan that ranged in age from 100 to 700 years.
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He identified
four shared 'personality traits' that could explain their longevity.
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• Conservatism
in financing
• Sensitivity to the world around them
• Awareness of their identity
• Tolerance of new ideas |
And the
priorities that managers set for themselves and their employees:
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• Valuing people, not assets
• Loosening steering and control
• Organizing for learning
• Shaping the human community |
Hence we
have to check to see how we fair with the characteristics of the
'living companies' that Arie de Geus investigated.
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