Leadership and managing people

Losing talent is your number one risk.

New tools can help organizations manage stress and performance - but only if they're deployed ethically.

Using the results of a survey of 380 companies in 34 industries, this author examines three basic types of compensation plans: salary, commission, and combination (salary plus commission). Most companies in the study favored a combination plan, but such plans have some disadvantages to offset their obvious attractiveness. The author sets out the possible reasons […]

You'll need four key elements.

The CFO of a plastics company has been asked to moderate a heated internal debate over a revolutionary technology. The head of R&D thinks the company...

Many managers of service businesses are aware that the strategic management (by which I mean the total process of selecting and implementing a corporate strategy) of service businesses is different from that of manufacturing businesses. This article discusses how pure service businesses are different from product-oriented businesses and why they require different strategic thinking. A […]

It's not just a bunch of hippy-dippy nonsense.

BP doesn't need an engineer at the helm. It needs a leader. Of course engineers matter, when the task is stemming damage from the largest oil spill in...

One clarifying comment in a coaching conversation can help shift a person's perspective.

The eminent restaurateur, who has won 19 Michelin stars, talks about how he supervises his chefs and develops his staff.

The position, not the person, often determines whether a manager has power.

A confident approach is a useful strategy when dealing with difficult people.

Uncivil behavior at work damages productivity far more than most managers would imagine.

Do you and your team feel chronically overwhelmed and reactive?

Many organizations have statements of mission and values. Unfortunately, most of them sound alike. Who could quibble with the importance of "respect"...

Why failing to give feedback does long-term damage.

“Where on earth is it?” Mark Landstad wondered aloud. He scanned the sea of files in his predecessor’s master folder on the company network one more time. “I know it must be here somewhere!” Walking to the window, Mark gritted his teeth and scratched his face, which felt itchy and hot. He surveyed the crepuscular […]

He should start by spending time in the field, not the corporate office.

Denial dogged my travels around the world these past weeks. At a World Economic Forum gathering in Dubai just before Dubai World’s debt problems made headlines, the head Sheikh touted Dubai’s superiority over the West for problems that Dubai had seemingly avoided. But the idle cranes and empty buildings I saw were monuments to denial […]

Recently, I posted a list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Now I’m following up by delving into each one of them. This post is about the eighth belief: “One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a mistake?” I have authored or co-authored […]

This case describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation....

This one-paragraph case adds to the data presented in the (A) case. A redisguised and updated version of earlier case 494-006.

In early 2021, McKinsey & Company (McKinsey) agreed to pay US$573 million to end US state-level investigations into claims that it had helped exacerbate...

The cases describe the demise of Arthur Andersen, a firm that had long set the industry standard for professionalism in accounting and auditing. Once...

Describes the outcome of Erik Peterson's meetings over the course of two days with a number of senior executives from the parent company. Students should...

Cameron (Cam) Barker, founder and CEO of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear, manufacturers and distributers of sports apparel and accessories,...

Discusses accounting for long-lived fixed assets, depreciation, and asset impairments.

Proposed in 2012, Nord Stream 2 was a pipeline project that aimed to bring natural gas directly from Russia to Europe beneath the Baltic Sea. Gazprom,...

Frank Addante is a 28-year-old serial entrepreneur who is in the process of building his fifth venture. Of his first four ventures, two were sold, one...

Hill Country Snack Foods, located in Austin, Texas, manufactures, markets, and distributes snack foods and frozen treats. The CEO is passionate about...

Valve, one of the world's top video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization with virtually no hierarchy. A 400-person...

On January 23, 2015, DXSD India received an opportunity to add a complex new line of business to the company's value chain. The head of DXSD India, a...

When the mother-daughter founders of DivaCup set out with a mission to disrupt the menstrual care industry with an innovative product form, they initially...

The cases describe the demise of Arthur Andersen, a firm that had long set the industry standard for professionalism in accounting and auditing. Once...

Craft winning business plans and get buy in for your ideas. A well-crafted business plan generates enthusiasm for your idea and boosts your odds of success--whether...

In the short time between October 2018 and March 2019, two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes in different parts of the world were involved in deadly crashes....

Marketing managers are often called upon to make recommendations for or against programs that cost money to implement. Before expenditures are made, managers...

This case set follows Eric and Holly Nelson, founders of Special Hope Network, a nonprofit organization providing holistic therapy services for children...

Losing talent is your number one risk.

Like most management systems, business intelligence (BI) and performance management (PM) systems don't just maintain themselves, let alone evolve on their...

New tools can help organizations manage stress and performance - but only if they're deployed ethically.

This 10th anniversary issue of the Balanced Scorecard Report contains the following articles: "Linking Strategy to Operations: Part 2--Theme Teams and...

This case describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation....

Using the results of a survey of 380 companies in 34 industries, this author examines three basic types of compensation plans: salary, commission, and combination (salary plus commission). Most companies in the study favored a combination plan, but such plans have some disadvantages to offset their obvious attractiveness. The author sets out the possible reasons […]

You'll need four key elements.

This one-paragraph case adds to the data presented in the (A) case. A redisguised and updated version of earlier case 494-006.

Introductory slides for product #8867.

The CFO of a plastics company has been asked to moderate a heated internal debate over a revolutionary technology. The head of R&D thinks the company...