June 30, 2003 10:17 AM

DEC is dead; long live DEC
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 10:17 AM

Call it one of the ironies of the early 21st century work world. In today's fast-changing markets, companies - even large corporations - may come and go. As a result, it is possible for corporate alumni networks to outlast the companies that spawned them. Such is the case for DEC alumni. ''As an economic entity, DEC is dead,'' said Edgar Schein, an emeritus professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. ''As a culture, it lives on in its alumni. A culture can be stronger than an economic unit.''