As industries confront accelerating technological change, workforce shifts and new business models, longevity alone is no guarantee of relevance. Organisations with decades of history face a dual challenge. They must preserve the strengths built over generations while continuing to adapt to new realities.
In a conversation with People Matters, KT Rao, Head – People & Culture and Communication, RHI Magnesita India, shares his perspective on how established organisations can remain competitive, avoid bureaucracy, sustain culture and attract the next generation of talent.
Why evolution matters more than age
For Rao, organisational longevity has value only when it is accompanied by continuous adaptation.
“Longevity matters only when an organisation continues to evolve. At RHI Magnesita, our heritage provides deep technical expertise and strong customer understanding, while our competitiveness comes from continuously adapting through technology, innovation, and new business models.”
He says long-term competitiveness comes from combining experience with a willingness to change.
“By combining the strengths of our legacy with a culture of learning, talent development, and openness to change, we build the resilience and agility needed to meet evolving customer needs and remain successful across generations.”
Preserving knowledge without preserving rigidity
Many established organisations struggle to balance institutional memory with reinvention. Rao believes the distinction lies in retaining lessons while remaining flexible in execution.
“A company preserves institutional knowledge while continuously reinventing itself by retaining its core purpose, values, and hard-earned lessons while remaining flexible in how it operates, innovates, and serves customers.”
He points to several mechanisms that help organisations transfer experience across generations.
Key enablers of institutional knowledge include:
Systems and documentation
Storytelling
Mentorship
Knowledge-sharing practices
“By embedding knowledge in systems, documentation, storytelling, and mentorship, organisations ensure that experience informs future decisions without creating rigidity.”
Rao stresses that enduring organisations focus on preserving insight rather than protecting legacy processes.
“The most successful companies preserve the wisdom behind past decisions, not the processes themselves, enabling them to adapt, innovate, and grow without losing their identity.”
Lessons younger companies can take from established enterprises
As younger businesses scale rapidly, Rao believes they can learn valuable lessons from organisations that have navigated multiple cycles of change.
“Younger businesses can learn that long-term success is built on adaptability, resilience, and a strong foundation of purpose and values.”
He notes that organisations which have successfully managed mergers, international growth and workforce shifts often share a common characteristic.
“Organisations that have navigated mergers, global expansion, industry disruptions, and shifting workforce expectations succeed because they balance continuity with change, preserving what matters most while continuously evolving how they operate.”
According to Rao, sustainable growth comes from building organisational capabilities rather than attempting to avoid disruption.
“They invest in institutional knowledge, embrace diverse perspectives, remain customer-focused, and view change not as a threat but as an opportunity to learn and grow.”
“Their experience shows that sustainable growth comes not from avoiding disruption, but from building the capability to adapt to it repeatedly.”
Scaling discipline without creating bureaucracy
One of the biggest challenges facing mature organisations is maintaining operational discipline while remaining agile.
Rao believes successful companies achieve this by empowering decision-making rather than expanding layers of control.
“As organisations grow and mature, the challenge is not simply maintaining operational discipline but doing so without becoming trapped in layers of bureaucracy.”
“The most successful legacy companies achieve this balance by establishing clear standards, accountability, and governance while empowering employees closest to customers and operations to make decisions.”
Instead of relying heavily on approvals and reporting structures, he advocates a stronger focus on outcomes and trust.
“Rather than relying on excessive approvals, committees, and reporting structures, they focus on outcomes, transparency, and a strong culture of trust.”
He also highlights the importance of continually reviewing organisational processes.
“By continuously reviewing and eliminating outdated processes, clarifying decision rights, and investing in capable talent, these organisations create an environment where discipline enhances performance rather than slowing it down.”
“The result is a company that combines the reliability and scale of an established enterprise with the agility and responsiveness of a startup.”
Culture as a bridge between generations
Technology and business models may change, but Rao sees culture as a critical source of continuity.
“Culture plays a critical role in helping an industrial organisation remain relevant across generations by providing a consistent sense of purpose and shared values.”
He points to several principles that continue to guide organisations regardless of changing circumstances.
Core cultural anchors include:
Safety
Integrity
Quality
Customer focus
“While technologies, business models, and workforce demographics evolve, a strong culture ensures that core principles such as safety, integrity, quality, and customer focus continue to guide decision-making and behaviour.”
Culture also plays a central role in transferring expertise between generations.
“A positive culture also enables knowledge transfer between experienced employees and newer generations entering the workforce.”
“By fostering collaboration, mentoring, and continuous learning, organisations can preserve critical expertise while encouraging fresh ideas and innovation.”
For Rao, culture ultimately helps connect an organisation’s past and future.
“In this way, culture becomes the bridge between an organisation's legacy and its future, ensuring long-term relevance and resilience.”
Reframing manufacturing careers for the next generation
With manufacturing facing talent shortages and evolving employee expectations, Rao believes established industrial organisations must change how they position themselves to prospective talent.
“Established industrial brands can attract ambitious young professionals by repositioning manufacturing as a technology-driven, innovative industry.”
He says areas such as automation, AI, digitalisation and smart factories can help demonstrate the sector’s future-facing potential.
“Highlighting areas such as automation, AI, digitalisation, and smart factories helps demonstrate that industrial careers offer opportunities to work on cutting-edge solutions that shape the future.”
Purpose is becoming equally important in attracting younger employees.
“Young talent increasingly seeks meaningful work, so organisations should clearly communicate how their products and operations contribute to sustainability, infrastructure, energy transition, and improving everyday life.”
Rao also highlights the importance of growth opportunities and employee experience.
“Companies need to offer strong career growth, continuous learning, and a modern employee experience.”
“Clear development pathways, mentorship, global exposure, flexibility where possible, and authentic employee stories can help industrial brands compete effectively with technology firms and startups for the next generation of talent.”