Most companies do not survive the upheavals of change and competition over the long haul. But there are a few remarkable firms that have withstood the test of several centuries. What hidden lessons do they hold for the rest of us? Arie de Geus, the man who introduced the revolutionary concept of the learning organization, reveals the key to managing for a long and prosperous organizational life. The Living Company speaks not just to aspiring leaders, but to anyone trying to adapt to a turbulent business environment. Only those steeped in the habits of a living company will survive. 'This profound and uplifting book is for the leaders in all of us. Arie de Geus challenges most of the conventional wisdom in management thinking today' - Dr. James F. Moore, author of "The Death of Competition".'Arie de Geus gives leaders of the future an indispensable guidebook in which commitment to values, people, learning, and innovation defines the living company. It's in my book bag' - Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO, The Drucker Foundation.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sell Back Your Copy for $0.43
No matter where you bought them, get up to 70% back when you sell your books at Amazon.com.
Used Price$2.25
Trade-in Price$0.43
Price after
Trade-in$1.82 |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The average life span of a Fortune 500 company is less than half a century, yet there also are corporations around the world that have been in business for 200, 500, even 700 years. Arie de Geus, a retired Royal Dutch/Shell Group executive, maintains after studying both extremes that the most enduring treat their companies as "living work communities" rather than pure economic machines. The Living Company: Habits for Survival in a Turbulent Business Environment persuasively outlines his resultant prescription for organizational longevity.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
According to a study conducted by Royal Dutch Shell, where the author worked for 38 years, the average life expectancy of Fortune 500 firms is 40 to 50 years. Many such companies don't survive beyond a few years, while others have existed for over 200. Why? De Geus, widely credited with originating the concept of the learning organization, writes: "Companies die because their managers focus on the economic activity of producing goods and services, and they forget that their organizations' true nature is that of a community of humans." He summarizes the components of the long-lived company as sensitivity to the environment, cohesion and identity, tolerance and decentralization, and conservative financing. In this insightful study, he describes how today's managers and staff should strive to develop a living company and increase its life expectancy. An important work; recommended for academic libraries.?Lucy T. Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens Village, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
“ He successfully challenges the limits of the mechanical view of human interactions, and provides a great vision into what is possible. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Gautam Ghosh
Format:Hardcover
Arie de Gues is known to some management students as the person whose research spurred Peter Senge to do work on the "learning Organisation". In this book Arie talks about the evolving notion of the organization as a living being, instead of just an "economic entity" whose main purpose of existence is to survive, fulfill its potential, and to become great. Plain talking and cutting free from jargon, Arie illustrates this idea with examples from his career in Royal Dutch Shell and the studies Shell had carried out on long lasting and big organizations (they found only around 40 odd !!). This book needs to read by entreprenuers, business people and academicians to look at their organizations as some thing else apart from a money making machine ! Revolutionary!!
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If I have to stay with only one business book in my shelf( I have more than 300 in the last count), the living company would be this book. My review will be more emotional I think. This is so, because the way this book touched me. I read it three times and some time think I have to read it again.
This is a very similar with the "Built to last", one of the bestsellers of Amazon. If you liked that book this will be an excellent complement of your reading and thoughts.
Perhaps this is the book that a Startup's CEOs should had read before launch their enterprise, because one of the characteristic of a living company is that they are conservative in their finances.
De Geus wrote a book that it is not limit to a period of time like recent books dot com books. By this I mean that you can go back to it and reapply its contents in your business reality again and again.
An import thing to say is that this is a book of principles, not rules or easy steps to success. Although the author is going to show you that there is a pattern in all the living company, he goes beyond that, showing the root that origin these patterns. The principles was constructed by observing companies, specially Royal Doutch/shell, were Arie de Geus worked for many years, but with the help of other disciplines like psychology and biology, which study the behavior and life of humans and animals. To discuss about innovation for instance, you will observe how a specie of bird is very smart to pass a learning to the whole specie. And to understand how we react or anticipate an external change in our business, it will be useful to look some psychology's theories about the human mind, and so on.
Don't think this is a book for academic public, it is not. You will find not only theories but many examples and cases of the thesis of De Geus. But it is different, I think, of the recent business book. Some times it seems so easy to look a successful company today and says "look, this is what you have to do in your company". A couple of years ago you could find many books explaining why Netscape was so great. Where are Netscape now?. It would not pass in the test of time.
So if you are only worried to make your money no matter what is going to happen to your company, this is not a book for you. Probably you are Jim Clark type. Read the new, new thing instead. But if you thing that management is more than stock options ( I said more. I am saying that is a consequence not the only objective), if you believe the every company must have a reason to exist, if you believe the people are important, than I guarantee, you gonna like this book, tell me about
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Arie de Geus is probably the most unique business thinker around. He combines the pragmatism of someone who had a very successful career at Shell with the curiosity of a talented academic. Behind this unique perspective is a deep appreciation for people. Most of us automatically relate to organizations like Newton related to the natural world, as one big physical mechanism. We casually talk about "aligning parts of the organization", "operating in organizational smokestacks or silos", and "fixing communications channels". Mr. de Geus helps us learn to think about organizations from the natural perspective, as living organisms, subject to many of the same limitations and forces as individual people are. When you read this book, you will become a much better and more effective person in all parts of your life. You will also feel better about yourself, and make those around you feel better about themselves. Read THE LIVING COMPANY today. This book is a wonderful gift to us all!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
As low quality as you can get
Literally broke the first time I used them. I bought two, thinking that they were cheap and probably more prone to breaking. Read more
Published on November 5, 2010 by samh
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still good
To understand more about development of organizations to me its a good book. Fairly good readeble and stil actual. Basic principals never change.
Published on January 9, 2010 by B. Jongsma
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inside the black box that is a company
This book should be as instructive to economists as it is to students of business.
Formal economics has, for a long time, seen the company as a sort of black box which... Read more
Formal economics has, for a long time, seen the company as a sort of black box which... Read more
Published on January 18, 2009 by Junglies
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is a well researched book on sustainability in business
Arie provides a very good picture of companies that have sustained centuries of change. His research reveals what makes them click and what they aare doing that others are not... Read more
Published on October 24, 2006 by John Inman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why Companies Fail and What We Can Do About It
Companies die all the time. The current business climate favors short term profit over long term survival, and most companies don't adapt fast enough. Read more
Published on January 29, 2006 by Graham Lawes
5.0 out of 5 stars
deep and encouraging
I am re-reading the book, and was compelled to share my love and appreciation of the deep understanding and unique approach to organizations and to the ways of dealing with change... Read more
Published on December 8, 2005 by Galya Jazz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Management Book
This is a must read for all those people who are interested in the subject of organizational learning. Read more
Published on May 7, 2004
3.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful yet sarcastically entertaining.
I found this book to be a relief and escape to the way the corporate world has evolved. By taking a look at long living companies, the author has extracted some timeless advice... Read more
Published on October 14, 2001 by A. J. Valasek
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant insights to long lived companies
This has become a bible in my consulting practice especially the impacts of Economic vs Stewardship models in business. Read more
Published on May 1, 2000 by John P. Freymann Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
From a strategic exploration viewpoint, this is a MUST book!
I enjoyed reading this book very much - not only from the strategic exploration standpoint.
On top of sharing his own personal and professional experiences of applying... Read more
On top of sharing his own personal and professional experiences of applying... Read more
Published on April 3, 2000 by Lee Say Keng
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
