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Canada’s economic axis was originally domestic, running east to west. Later, with the North American Free Trade Agreement, it ran north to south. Now, Canada is in free trade negotiations with the European Union and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and has a bilateral pact with Japan. This article, by a former senior policy advisor to the prime minister of Canada, begins by examining Asia’s economic miracle, including China’s rise and Japan’s generation of the largest increase in wealth creation in world history. It then describes the proposed but somewhat uncertain Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would include various Pacific nations, as well as Canada and the United States. It argues that the top priority for Canada should be a bilateral free trade agreement with Japan and that three issues should guide Canada’s actions: a) Canadian manufacturers can become part of Japanese global manufacturing by producing specialized parts; b) Japanese banks, trading firms, and manufacturers have entered into alliances and networks to invest in new technology, share production, transfer technology, and enter new markets; c) Japan, which invented lean production and just-in-time production, is aggressively transforming global supply chains and Canada could become a North American gateway for container flows from Europe and Asia. In describing the global economic climate, this article shows the economic shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the importance of leveraging the new opportunities therein.

Canada ranks 17th out of 24 OECD countries on productivity. Many consider productivity to mean “working harder for less pay,” but a more accurate definition would be “output per hour of work” or “combined output from labour and capital.” General disinterest in and misunderstanding about productivity impedes necessary actions being taken to fix Canada’s looming crisis. As this article explains, reasons for Canada’s productivity deficit include its abundance of small businesses, which generally invest less in R&D; Canadian governmental and private-sector under-investment in information technology; unfavourable taxation; and inertia due to unions’ demands. Yet there are various opportunities for Canada to boost productivity, including implementing more government policy that addresses barriers to competition and growth and promotes technology and education investment; researching opportunities in the private sector and applying them in the public sector; and investing in teams, processes, and equipment. This article, based on interviews with business executives who have overseen significant change, finishes by detailing various enablers of productivity, including technology investment; strategic leadership; better workplace cultures with a stronger sense of teamwork and increased training; and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Increasingly, commercializing new technological innovations means drawing on multiple inventions spread across various firms. In multi-invention contexts (such as smartphones), a single person or company rarely invents and patents all the components of a commercially viable product. Success requires that companies choose the right business model, manage their patent strategies, and align their business model and company strategies. Firms must choose between integrated business models (assembling as many complementary technologies and commercialization assets as possible within the firm) and non-integrated business models (combining inventions with those of others through component or licensing market relationships). <br><br>After selecting a business model, firms need to implement a patent strategy, which can be broadly categorized as either a) proprietary, where the firm seeks to stake out and defend a proprietary market advantage; b) defensive, where the firm may not wish to use patents to gain a competitive advantage, but needs to not be put at a competitive disadvantage by other firms’ patents; and c) leveraging, where the firm relies on using a patent’s power to prevent others from using the invention, thus enabling the firm to collect revenue, influence a technology, or close business deals. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of firms developing and aligning patent strategies with business models from the beginning, not merely on an ad hoc basis.

China is facing a shortage of workers as its demographics and role as the “factory of the world” change. Though set to remain an export hub, China is climbing the value chain and its middle class is growing, so that “Made in China” will turn into “Sales in China.” Since the economic crisis, Asian markets have shown resilience for three reasons. Firstly, Asia is diversifying its trade base, with less dependence on Western trade and more domestic and intra-Asia trade. Also, economic diversity has stabilized the region, due to the presence of developed financial centres like Hong Kong, sophisticated manufacturing bases like mainland China, and low-cost manufacturing, such as in Vietnam and Bangladesh. Finally, the region is well financed, with such rapid economic growth that the Asian middle class is expected to account for over 40 per cent of total global consumption by 2020. A global talent imbalance exists due to high unemployment in mature markets and talent scarcity and rapid economic growth in Asian markets. Opportunities in this scenario include the chance for foreign universities to attract more Chinese students, a role for the subsidiaries of multinational enterprises to develop capable talent for Chinese operations, a prioritization of Chinese-language schools, and a strengthening of relations with China in the key area of trade engagement.

Big data is a capability that allows firms to extract value from large volumes of data. When combining two dimensions — business objective and data type — the use of big data can be organized into four main strategies. 1) Performance management involves understanding the meaning of big data in company databases using pre-determined queries and multidimensional analysis. The data used for this analysis are transactional. 2) Data exploration makes heavy use of statistics to experiment and get answers to questions that managers might not have considered. It leverages predictive modeling techniques to predict user behaviour based on past business transactions and preferences. 3) Social analytics examines the vast amount of non-transactional data, often on social media platforms. 4) Decision science involves experiments and analysis of non-transactional data, such as consumer-generated product ideas and product reviews. In addition to explaining these strategies, this article provides a list of popular big data techniques and vendors and identifies three emergent big data practices: a) integrating multiple big data streams; b) building a big data capability; and c) being proactive and creating a big data policy.

Despite its crucial role in corporate success, human capital has not received the rigorous study it deserves and workforce analytics has been underutilized. Workforce analytics is not about simple measurement — “counting heads,” reporting turnover, cataloguing employee knowledge and skills, reporting engagement scores, or buying analytics software. Instead, it is a systematic approach used to define workforce problems, test successful solutions, and make better decisions. This article provides six steps for maximizing the value of strategic workforce analytics: 1) Frame the central problem. 2) Apply a conceptual model to guide the analysis. 3) Capture relevant data. 4) Apply analytical methods. 5) Present statistical findings to stakeholders. 6) Define action steps to implement the solution. The authors leverage their experience at IBM and elsewhere to explain how embedding workforce analytics into companies requires the integration of timely, accurate, and multi-purpose data; a flexible and responsibe set of processes and technical infrastructure; individuals who possess the functional, statistical, and business-oriented skills needed; and adequate governance structures.

In today’s complex world, having a disruptive innovation capability is mandatory, both for growing a business and protecting existing markets. Though disruptive innovation transforms and creates markets, many of today’s executives rise through the ranks of management, where predictability is valued, and therefore lack the ability to lead disruptive innovation. This article highlights the key dynamics involved in leading disruptive innovation and proposes a five-phase model (with the acronym LEAPS) that provides the structure for understanding the ways that leaders create clarity during times of uncertainty. L – Listen: Start with yourself, not the market; be instinctual. E – Explore: Go outside to stretch the middle; appreciate ambiguity and push personal boundaries. A – Act: Take small, simple steps repeatedly; embrace continuous adaptation. P – Persist: Take the surprise out of failure; accept setbacks as a normal part of leading disruptive innovation. S – Seize: Make the journey part of the destination; the firm’s focus may change over time and luck may play a role.

Many companies want to enter emerging markets, but this requires changing their approach to innovation. Rather than innovating for Western consumers who want advanced product features, here they must innovate for the bottom of the pyramid. The first key factor in frugal innovation is affordability, and many firms have turned profits even when selling products at a fraction of normal prices. A second major success factor is understanding target customers’ circumstances, such as Nokia did in designing phones for the Indian market that withstood exposure to dust and high variations in ambient temperatures, or when the telecom firm Safaricom realized that many Africans, though using mobile phones, were not using traditional banking services and so introduced fund transfers through text messaging. A third key factor is flexible value chains, meaning firms are often required to tweak their value chains at both ends — suppliers/vendors and distributors/channels. GE showed a strong distribution model when it partnered with the State Bank of India to provide no-interest loans to rural Indian doctors in order to sell its ECG device. This article provides an analysis of and framework for these three key factors in frugal innovation.

Despite China’s rapid economic and technological development, its intellectual property rights (IPR) protection environment is inadequate. Foreign companies and Chinese technology firms like Lenovo, Huawei, and Haier are pressuring the Chinese government for stronger protection. The government, in turn, wants to enhance innovative capacity in science and technology to boost economic progress, climb the value chain, and reduce dependence on foreign technologies. Patent applications in China have dramatically increased, particularly technology patents for strategic or defense purposes. The quality of the de facto IPR system and enforcement varies across regions, being more robust in the coastal provinces and major cities. Previous studies on IPR have mostly focused on the United States and Europe, not China, yet it is crucial for firms operating in China to understand its IPR environment. This article proposes four strategies for patenting in the country.<br><br>1) Incremental patenting is a strategy for complex technological products (i.e. semiconductors, communications, computers) in regions with weak IPR protection. It focuses on the lesser known utility-model patents, which are cheaper, granted faster, and shorter in duration than invention patents. 2) Effectual patenting is for complex technological products in regions with good IPR protection. It is suited to firms with technological products of higher strategic value. 3) Augmented patenting is for discrete technological products (i.e. chemicals, biotech, pharmaceuticals, life sciences) in regions with weak IPR protection. It is ideal for products with higher economic value. 4) Foundational patenting is for discrete technological products in regions with strong IPR protection. This strategy provides the strongest IPR protection possible.

Firms with higher information technology (IT) spending and expertise often achieve greater margins, yet many business leaders still lack IT savvy. Recent decades have witnessed the migration of information systems from specialized divisions to all parts of firms, but a lack of IT-savvy employees has led to underperforming IT investments. IT savvy is not a technical skill, but rather a basic understanding of technology, a knowledge of technology’s evolution, and an ability to scan the environment for new and innovative technological trends. Firms must gain familiarity with cloud technology, mobile platforms, digital strategies, social media, and big data. IT-savvy executives should include IT use in job descriptions, implement rewards and incentives that promote information and systems sharing, measure the performance of IT investments, create technical support functions, and create information systems and resources that are accurate, relevant, and shareable.

Despite leaders’ best intentions, the execution of strategy is often fraught with obstacles. This is frequently due to hidden, unobvious commitments lying beyond leaders’ awareness that counteract their espoused commitments. There are four key areas that contribute to leaders’ ability to perform: 1. Are they smart enough to manage complexity? 2. Do they possess the knowledge and skills required? 3. Do they care enough about their work? 4. Are they mature enough to manage relationships? <br><br> This article distinguishes between technical challenges (complex and critically important work with known solutions) and adaptive challenges (such as creating a corporate culture more oriented to innovation). Adaptive challenges can only be addressed through changes in employees’ priorities, beliefs, and habits. Overcoming these challenges depends greatly on how much a leader cares about his or her organization. This article suggests that leaders focus too much on running a business and meeting technical challenges, and not enough on changing a business and addressing adaptive challenges. In order to meet adaptive challenges, leaders should know their main priorities, understand their hidden commitments and faulty assumptions, and apply this learning to their teams.

According to the author, a former CEO of IKEA, a company needs four building blocks to ensure success: 1) A vision that incorporates a social ambition and a strong value base. IKEA’s founder wanted to enable those with limited financial means to have access to home furnishings of good design and quality. 2) Product range and differentiation achieved by control of the entire value chain. Differentiation of products and prices gives a company the opportunity to meet basic customer needs and build a competitive advantage that is difficult to copy. Indeed, many retailers now develop their own product ranges. 3) Market leadership and a balanced portfolio of outlets in emerging and mature markets. IKEA has established a balance of retail markets with growth potential and profitability. It adapts to different markets, offers competitive prices (especially in emerging markets), has a strong value base to fit different cultures, and has a solid, profitable home base to finance its activity. 4) A company that is controlled by a committed owner. The author argues in favour of an owner with majority control who takes a long-term perspective and takes risks. Institutional owners or employed CEOs (non-owners), he suggests, will not stay long enough to meet a firm’s needs.

A robust infrastructure is needed for a community — and a country — to thrive. Too much of Canada’s infrastructure is crumbling and neglected, this long-time elected official writes. He exposes the consequences of such neglect and explains how Canadians can locate the political will and financial resources to repair the problem. Attention is also given to infrastructure investments in Asia and the shifting economic clout of some of the world’s top cities.

This management thinker and author writes that the central challenge in the Western world now is not to make existing organizations more efficient and allocate resources; that struggle has moved to the East. The main challenge in the West is for it to reinvent its economies, innovate, and create wealth. Leaders will learn which tactics and tools they can use to achieve these extremely important goals. The author discusses the tools of power, management, leadership, and culture.

Many people who attended a meeting with Steve Jobs said that being there was like going on a magical mystery tour. The brilliant Apple leader was indeed ingenious, with his ability to entrance, enthrall, and bring others around to his way of thinking. Jobs was also difficult to decipher and many employees and competitors wondered where his amazing ideas came from. This author, a former employee at Apple, says that Jobs’ magic and mystery was informed by what he calls “re-framing” — or mental model innovation — a talent that only a very few leaders have.

Hiring a “proven winner” in major-league sports is usually seen as the solution for jump-starting a moribund team. But this is not necessarily true, at least in the National Hockey league, where hiring a winning coach or general manager from another team can make a team that is already skating uphill struggle even more. This Ivey professor has lots of compelling data to support this argument. As it turns out, a “proven winner” in one organization develops a skill set that won’t always translate into success in another.

The lack of female leaders may not be due to boards’ unwillingness to promote women to the position of CEO. Rather, it may be the result of women not being promoted while at lower and middle levels of an organization. As the author describes it, the challenge is not a glass ceiling, but rather a sticky floor. The author surveys compensation disparities, rewards for good management, and the relatively sudden interest in the compensation gap.

When a product that has been in development for one year can be copied and brought to market in days, first-mover advantage has lost its advantage. Imitation, once stigmatized, is now acceptable. In fact, this author says that to stay competitive and not fall behind, firms must imitate. In this article, he describes why imitation is as valuable as innovation, and argues that imitation can and should be strategically conceived and systematically executed. Consideration is given to the three main types of imitators, the correspondence problem (converting an imitation target into a copy that preserves the favourable outcome of the original), the value proposition of imitation, and overcoming imitation defenses.

New research by the author indicates that Canadian executives perform well on strategic intent, but have difficulty converting intent into results. Through a better understanding of the gaps that exist in the foundational pillars important to achieving a high-performance culture, executives and managers can focus on closing these gaps to support strategic execution, improve employee morale and engagement, and drive marketplace success. This article includes the findings of a survey based on the Corporate Organizational Vitality Index, which provides insights into how Canadian executives perceive their corporate culture.

Introspection and reflection have never been appreciated for their ability to steady a leader. However, practitioners and consultants have come to appreciate the importance of looking within. This article seeks to guide the reader to an understanding of reflection’s power, potential, and value as a key to maximizing their journey and being better prepared to thrive in an ever-complex world. Wisdom from the ancient Greeks is used here to inform the leadership “odysseys” of modern leaders.