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?

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, ranging in age from 100 to 700 years.

He identified four shared 'personality traits' that could explain their longevity:

• 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 were:

• Valuing people, not assets
  
• Loosening steering and control
  
• Organizing for learning
  
• Shaping the human community

Tremendous food for thought in these few bullet points.

Ask yourself: How do I perform against the characteristics of the 'living companies' that Arie de Geus investigated?