"Planning as Learning" was published during Arie's tenancy as Group Planning Coordinator at Royal Dutch Shell and, to a certain extent, could be seen as part of an internal debate with his colleagues. In those days, there was a lot of scepticism whether the verb "to learn" was applicable to the decision taking process at high levels of complex and sophisticated organisations like Shell. The article attracted a lot of attention, and not only internally in the Shell Group. Several translations and elaborations were published in the ensuing years:
Foreword, Modelling to predict or to learn? European Journal of Operational Research vol. 59, nr.1 - 26 May 1992 - Elsevier Science Publishers bv -(English) - ISSN 0377-2217
L'Avenir est pluriel - La Prospective Stratégique d'entreprise - January 1996 - InterÉditions - (French) - ISBN 2 7296 0443 X - http://www.dunod.com/pages/ouvrages/ficheouvrage.asp?id=45286
Planejamento como aprendizado Como as Organizaçoes Aprendem - 1997 - Editora Futura - www.siciliano.com.br - (Portuguese) - ISBN 85-86082-25-2
The Knowledge: Arie de Geus - Knowledge Management, vol.6, issue 10 - July/Aug 2003 - Ark Group - www.kmmagazine.com - (English)
Being exposed to a widening field of institutions (from the World Bank and universities to many major industries and Government organisations) created curiosity in Arie's mind and a new theme developed: "What is the real nature of companies?".