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The rise and fall of organizations in Istanbul

MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A NATURAL LIFE CYCLE OF RISE AND FALL. AS THE STARS OF YESTERDAY FADE, NEW STARS SOAR THROUGH THE HEAVENS.

No success lasts forever. Ask Kodak, ask Nokia, ask SAS. How many management books have attempted to find the success formula for rapid growth or to solve the riddle of how to avoid a downfall? In the narrow strait between Asia and Europe lies a city which for centuries has epitomized this quest. Empires have come and gone, but the city has never lost its significance: Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul. The city is a hub for continents, religions and trade. By many regarded as Europe’s most important city. 

To find the answer to what it is that promotes growth and prevents decline, we explore Istanbul’s history in the light of contemporary theories and examples of the same questions. There is a great deal more than management theory that is of interest to understand these transformations. 

Just take a look at the themes: 

  • Is conquest the basis of all growth? 
  • The motivation and powerful rhetoric of conquest.
  • Was Schumpeter right – must former giants fall in a creative destruction?
  • The theory of evolution misunderstood – eat or be eaten vs live and let live
  • Change-hungry death traps – when the latest trend defines the path.
  • The suffocating grip of bureaucracy.
  • Competitive differentiators – what is the true source of our success?

We have been delighted with all our KEIRON development experiences. Our executives find them to be inspiring, insightful and profoundly impactful.


Don Fraser. Head of Executive Development, Nokia