Serial Innovators

In this summary you will learn

• Why, like all people, most businesses mature, age and die
• How behavioral economics, psychology, sociology and neuroscience provide clues to extending corporate life
• How “serial innovators” defy the odds to survive and thrive for decades

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Why you should read Serial Innovators

Businesses, like people, follow a natural life cycle: They’re born, they grow, they live and they die. Only 15% of all firms reach 30 years and only 5% make it to their 50th anniversaries. Yet some organizations defy the odds, continue to produce and contribute many decades beyond an expected life span. These “serial innovators” go through a constant series of changes, perpetually reinventing and adapting themselves to shifting markets and environments. McKinsey executive Claudio Feser delves into economics, sociology, neuroscience and psychology – one chunk at a time using the connective framework of an engaging business novella. He sets out to help you understand what drives long-lived companies to outperform and outlast their competitors. Feser’s personable story of Carl Berger, a bright CEO who reshapes his firm, illustrates how leaders can apply the latest findings – explained here – in management, personnel practices, cognitive science and corporate longevity. getAbstract recommends this imaginative, wide-ranging book to executives seeking a strategy for discovering the corporate fountain of youth.

About the Author

Claudio Feser is a director of McKinsey & Company. He heads the company’s CEO Network, focusing on executive training and coaching.