ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes how the seven Focus Group companies use them to leverage their cognitive skills, which is the source of their extraordinary ecological, social, and financial results. It begins with a holistic overview of living asset stewardship through the experience of Unilever: a producer of household goods, rated as one of the world’s most ethical and sustainable companies. The book discusses how Nucor reinvented the global steel industry by giving frontline employees the creative freedom to self-organize and network. It explains how the United Technologies Corporation, a manufacturer of capital goods, developed a capacity for self-regeneration by serving the personal and professional growth of employees. The book shows how Novo Nordisk became the profit leader of the global pharmaceutical industry by inspiring employees to think in a resource-conserving, holistic context.
