The Living Company

A purely financial and economic view of companies had its place when capital was a scarce resource and it was management's duty to optimize its use. But today's scarce resource is knowledge and knowledge is created by a company's human assets, not its capital assets. This, now more than ever before, makes a company into a living work community, instead of a collection of assets on a balance sheet. It demands completely different management approaches and requires the language of...
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A purely financial and economic view of companies had its place when capital was a scarce resource and it was management's duty to optimize its use. But today's scarce resource is knowledge and knowledge is created by a company's human assets, not its capital assets. This, now more than ever before, makes a company into a living work community, instead of a collection of assets on a balance sheet. It demands completely different management approaches and requires the language of biology, anthropology and psychology for further insights. And in leading today's modern corporation, management must think in terms of learning as the main process through which the company can flourish and hold its own in a competitive market. This readable, thought-provoking and highly original book explores these themes and develops in depth what organizational learning means. It investigates the consequences of building a sustainable work community for human resource management, strategic planning and organizational structure. It makes a case for a thorough public debate on corporate governance and on the reallocation of power, both inside and around the company.