Boeing Turns 100: Five Reasons It Survived While Competitors Died (from Forbes)

Boeing celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding this week.  Few of its competitors will ever reach such a milestone, which raises the question of how Boeing managed to survive and thrive in a hyper-competitive industry during a period of continuous change.  Aside from engineering excellence and financial discipline, five things stand out.  First, Boeing learned early-on how to operate without the guidance of a visionary founder.  Second, its engineering-driven culture was willing to spend whatever amount of money was needed to stay ahead — even when that entailed big risks.  Third, it adapted readily to changes in the market rather than trying to stick with a few signature products.  Fourth, it generated synergies from serving both commercial and government markets.  Finally, it built resilience by diversifying beyond aircraft into rotorcraft, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missiles and services.  I have written a commentary for Forbes here.