Is your company a living dead?

摘要

Something funny is happening to life expectancies. We humans are living longer and longer: according to the United Nations, a New Zealand girl born today is expected to live for more than 83 years - a whopping increase from her English medieval ancestor who had a 50-50 chance of reaching 30. But exactly the opposite development seems to be taking place among companies. According to Yale research, the average lifespan of an S&P 500 company has plunged from comfortable 67 years in the 1920s to a mere 15 years. This means that 75 percent of the S&P 500 list will be replaced by new firms by 2027. So, if you are like me, and work for an organisation that has been around for more than 15 years, an uncomfortable thought starts to emerge: is my company about to die? And if the answer is yes, what should we think of it?