Operations Management: Manage with Insight – Lead with Foresight

Modern and ancient literatures reveal that there is a handful of firms that have been in operation for over a millennium year. Their resilience, while fascinating, has triggered academic interests to uncover insights owing to diminishing modern firms’ lifespan. Previous studies have intuitively highlighted key elements of longevity. This study searches for the inner substance of these firms so many other organisations cannot replicate. The review of ten selected millennium-long history firms reveals that they spread from various business sectors. These firms report an “experience of harmony” refer to as “resonance”. Borrowing from natural science together with the integrated evidence from multiple disciplines including psychology and neuroscience, the concept of “motor resonance” was introduced in operations management to forge ahead with the theory of strategic resonance. Until now strategic resonance models were intuitive and metaphoric. The proposed model suggests that “motor resonance” is the driver of the dynamic interplay between internal and external environments of millennium-long history firms. Additionally, leading with foresight guarantee continuous resonance between the environment and the firms’ operational capabilities, while managing with insight guarantee continuous resonance between and within firm functions. Overall, findings contribute novel theoretical and practical insights to strategic resonance.