Pérennité, innovation et résilience des entreprises

In the particular context of the current pandemic, which questions the durability of human and economic organisations, this book co-written by Marc Giget and Véronique Hillen sheds light on the fundamental characteristics of companies that withstand crises (world conflicts, economic and structural crises, pandemics) and ensure the economic continuity our societies depend on. A longevity closely tied to their capacity for innovation.

The book presents the results of the in-depth international study “Longevity, innovation and resilience of companies”, carried out by Marc Giget over eighteen months (autumn 2019 to spring 2021) and covering more than 1,000 companies around the world.

It analyses the fundamental factors behind the permanent renewal of long-lived companies: their principles, their values, their strategies of survival, adaptation and rebound. It also looks at the specific dynamics of the categories of companies most resistant to adversity, from historic American leaders to French luxury groups, the German Mittelstand, legendary Japanese groups and discreet but powerful family businesses. Each of them passes on its major strategic principles and its specific factors of longevity and resilience.

This in-depth international study shows an evolution that is the strict opposite of the assumption that pits an “old world” of tradition and inertia against a “new world” of radical transformation.

The exhaustive statistical work carried out by the author, based on the work of international economic institutions, financial analysts and the stock exchanges of the major countries, shows that not only does innovation result from the action of many actors, but that those playing the leading role are neither start-ups, nor the GAFA, nor the designers of the digital platforms currently in vogue. It is in fact the thousands of long-lived companies, with their incredible capacity for renewal, that irrigate the whole economy with their technological advances and their new products and services, and that dominate the creation of wealth, jobs and human progress.

To verify in situ the reality of this capacity for permanent renewal and to understand how the leaders of these long-haul companies think and act, Véronique Hillen went to meet 23 current leaders of iconic companies at the cutting edge of innovation, from a variety of sectors, ranging from world leaders and stars of the CAC 40 to family-owned SMEs. All of them agreed to share their visions, their values, their philosophy and their determination to secure their company’s future beyond the current storm.

A fascinating journey to the heart of corporate strategies that challenge us on the post-Covid-19 rebound.