“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.”

— Arie de Geus

Source: The Living Company, 1997, p. 3

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Companies die because their managers focus on the economic activity of producing goods and services, and they forget th…" by Arie de Geus?

Arie de Geus photo

Arie de Geus6

Dutch businessman 1930

Related quotes

“I definitely want to focus on economic development, because that is what is needed in the community, as well as education.”

Jose Peralta (1971–2018) American politician

“Some see danger in bigness. They fear the concentration of economic power that it brings with it. That is in a degree true. It simply means, however, that industrial management must expand its horizons of responsibility. It must recognize that it can no longer confine its activities to the mere production of goods and services. It must consider the impact of its operation on the economy as a whole in relation to the social and economic welfare of the entire community. For years I have preached this philosophy. Those charged with great industrial responsibility must become industrial statesmen.”

Alfred P. Sloan (1875–1966) American businessman

Source: "The Broadened Responsibilities of Industry's Executive," 1936, p. 358; Also in Sloan & Sparkes (1941, 145); Partly cited in: Roland Marchand (1997, p. 83)

“Poetry is produced not by the mere caprice of pleasure, but by natural necessity. It is the primary activity of the human mind.”

Benedetto Croce (1866–1952) Italian writer, philosopher, politician

Benedetto Croce, The Philosophy of Giambattista Vico. trans. R. G. Collingwood, London 1923.

“A manager sets objectives - A manager organizes - A manager motivates and communicates - A manager, by establishing yardsticks, measures”

Peter F. Drucker (1909–2005) American business consultant

A manager develops people.
Source: 1930s- 1950s, The Practice of Management (1954), p. 344

“The technique of management, in its human relationships, can be best described as the technique of handling or managing people, which should be based on a deep and enlightened human understanding. The technique of organization may be described as that of relating specific duties or functions in a completely coordinated scheme. This statement of the difference between managing and organizing clearly shows their intimate relationship. It also shows, which is our present purpose, that the technique of organizing is inferior, in logical order, to that of management. It is true that a sound organizer may, because of temperamental failings, be a poor manager, but on the other hand it is inconceivable that a poor organizer may ever make a good manager… The prime necessity in all organization is harmonious relationships based on integrated interests, and, to this end, the first essential is an integrated and harmonious relationship in the duties, considered in themselves.”

James D. Mooney (1884–1957) American businessman

Source: Onward Industry!, 1931, p. 14-15; As cited in: Morgen Witzel (2003) Fifty Key Figures in Management. p. 197-8

“Every human activity can be put at the service of the divine and of love. We should all exercise our gift to build community.”

Jean Vanier (1928–2019) Canadian humanitarian

Source: Community And Growth

“Good managements produce a good average market price, and bad managements produce bad market prices.”

Benjamin Graham (1894–1976) American investor

Source: The Intelligent Investor: The Classic Text on Value Investing (1949), Chapter II, The Investor and Stock-Market Fluctuations, p. 44

“Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.”

Xun Zi (-313–-238 BC) Ancient Chinese philosopher

Quoted in: Fayek S. Hourani (2012) Daily Bread for Your Mind and Soul, p. 336.

“Focus on the impacts and not the odds of humanity. This is when you have good time with the natures. Natures only have focus of rewarding. It is ever a nice time to spend with natures with one heart. Because, it doesn’t understand too much questions to answer humans, rather, there are good in giving direct and accurate results as put before them. This doesn’t mean, natures are ignorance of things, but that, there are not partial – straight things and straight things only.”

Idegu Ojonugwa Shadrach (1995)

“Real economic efficiency implies including all resources that affect sustainable human well-being in the allocation system, not just marketed goods and services. Our current market allocation system excludes most non-marketed natural and social capital assets and services that are critical contributors to human well-being. The current economic model ignores this and therefore does not achieve real economic efficiency. A new, sustainable ecological economic model would measure and include the contributions of natural and social capital and could better approximate real economic efficiency.”

Robert Costanza (1950) American economist

Source: Toward a New Sustainable Economy, 2008, p. 46

Related topics