The Viable System Model[1] for sustainable organizations describes that phenomenon of a "corporate DNA" that defines the unchanging essence of the organization.

The Viable System Model[1] for sustainable organizations describes that phenomenon of a "corporate DNA" that defines the unchanging essence of the organization. The VSM is an theory elaborated from classic cybernetics, the science of feedback-based control, which aims to predict how and if a particular system will be able to adapt to a changing environment. VSM is a fractal system with five types of blocks organized in three layers (a core defining long-term strategy, a bureaucracy evaluating compliance of defined plans and its adequacy to respond to external threats, and operative units to carry specific parts of the plan). In this model, the strategic core defines which should be the unchanging essence of the organization, while the rest of the system may change more drastically in order to adapt and survive against external threats. (The fractal part is because each component block is in turn divided into the same three layers). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viable_system_model https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viable_system_model