Perspectives on creating and leveraging a company archive
A business history archive—a repository of critical records and artifacts that tell your story—can serve as a company’s bedrock especially in times of transition. The materials included in an archival collection can have permanent value as they explain:
- Who you are, what you stand for, your reputation and brand, as well as your family and business history
- What you do, how you do it, your decision-making processes, and your products and services
- Where you are headed in the future and your vision and values
Consider the value of a company archive, both today and as you anticipate future changes and growth. Tap into our experience as you take your first steps.
What is the value of your business archive?
- Family and enterprise stakeholders. Preserve and leverage the stories of your company’s founding, growth, setbacks, and mergers and acquisitions. Draw upon historical case studies when developing curriculum and activities for business retreats and multigenerational family meetings.
- Brand-building/marketing. Tell customers who you are and what you stand for. Create demand for your products or services by combining the best of your history, market research, and strategic thinking.
- Communications. Maintain internal and external continuity and consistency. Reinforce your vision, values, and ethics. Build trust. Connect with the communities in which you do business.
- Legal and regulatory affairs. Record what happened. This may help defend against unknown risks, including lawsuits and compliance issues of material consequence. Have ready access to context that puts incidents in perspective.
- Business resumption. Plan for inevitable adverse events to help minimize risk and ensure continuity.
- Management education and succession planning. Document the art of decision-making. Utilize your history in leadership training and strategic planning.
- Business transitions. Perpetuate your entrepreneurial spirit and/or unique corporate culture amid changes in ownership.
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Creating a business archive
Identify a leader of the initiative. Their responsibilities may include creating a project budget, securing a physical space, hiring an archivist (temporary or permanent), identifying partners, and communicating across business channels.
Organize your archive using the principle of provenance— that is, according to who created the information. First, file your materials by company name (previous company
names, merger partner names, subsidiary names, etc.). Second, identify the organizational unit within the company (board, departments, committees, etc.).
Set up a companion knowledge bank—a system that cross- indexes your archive by subject and tracks materials that are important to you—on– and off-site. This includes information about your company in other institutions, publications, and libraries.
Let us help you get started building or leveraging your corporate memory.
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