Image courtesy Yvonne Larsson
Organizations are similar to people in that their physical constructs - buildings, supplies, people, products, technology - change. But, organizations are different. The persistence of certain sets of ideas allows them to survive indefinitely, or at least as long as their purposes are warranted. Two years ago, the dean of an MBA program clarified my thinking with this definition of 'a team' that she teaches - "two or more people with a shared goal". When individuals choose to group together, as two or two-hundred thousand, it's because they mutually subscribe to a core of ideas. My wife and I grew a relationship based on shared values. Rugby players form a team out of shared passion for the sport and winning. A lawyer joins a firm because she matches with the mission and culture.
As individuals coalesce, shared ideas build momentum. The more that join, the greater the potential for synergistic impact. Ideas have the ability to unite entire organizations of highly diverse people around shared strategies and tactics. And, they have the power to align the symbols, language, values, and norms that make up their culture. While all physical things change, the ideas persist in some way.
Typically, formal organizations die younger than necessary and its ideas merely carry on in the minds of its experience-rs who are scattered across other groupings. However, unlike mortal humans, formal organizations have the ability to survive many generations of people. It's uncommon. There's a reason companies older than fifty years brand themselves to communicate it (e.g. "Since 1837"). Most companies are built haphazardly by leaders who are unintentional about healthy long-term growth. And, what happens? Their markets face disruption, more savvy competitors pop-up, or the economy dips. And, their structures crumble.
Then, there are the few Colgate's, Ziljian's, and AT&T's of the world who manage to survive many series of offices, technology eras and people. The difference can be found with leadership. Leaders with uncanny discretion (and perhaps outlier fortune on a bell curve) and the courage to transform. The way they lead increases their group's odds for greater longevity.