As the global economy vacillates between signs of recovery and omens of collapse, businesses and governments are clamping down. But the world doesn't need austerity; it needs audacity--bold, inventive ideas that take on big problems. So HBR asked experts from a range of disciplines to propose them. Robert J. Shiller believes an innovative form of national financing can solve the global debt crisis. Enric Sala has a radical but simple idea for saving the oceans. Bruce Gibney and Ken Howery want venture capitalists to bet on breakthrough start-ups. Bruno S. Frey and Margit Osterloh argue that corporations have been hurt by pay-for-performance schemes and should toss them. Ellen Gustafson says we can end obesity and famine by changing the way we produce food. Gregg Easterbrook thinks NASA must find an affordable way to reach Mars. Doc Searls argues that companies should ditch their data and let consumers direct transactions. Ellen Goodman believes we can change the way we die. Wayne Porter has a new vision for Afghanistan. Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback say crowdsourced reviews will make executives better managers. Parag Khanna and Karan Khemka think for-profit universities will jump-start the global economy. Arun Majumdar is looking for a battery to serve the bottom of the pyramid. And Eric Schmidt thinks social-impact bonds could transform the prison system.

HBR asked top management thinkers to share what they were resolved to accomplish in 2011. Here are their answers: Joseph E. Stiglitz will be crafting a new postcrisis paradigm for macroeconomics whereby rational individuals interact with imperfect and asymmetric information. Herminia Ibarra will be looking for hard evidence of how "soft" leadership creates value. Eric Schmidt will be planning to scale mobile technology by developing fast networks and providing low-cost smartphones in the poorest parts of the world. Michael Porter will be using modern cost accounting to uncover-and lower-the real costs of health care. Vijay Govindarajan will be trying to prototype a $300 house to replace the world's poorest slums, provide healthy living, and foster education. Dan Ariely will be investigating consumers' distaste for genetically modified salmon, synthetic pharmaceuticals, and other products that aren't "natural." Laura D. Tyson will be promoting the establishment of a national infrastructure investment bank. Esther Duflo will be striving to increase full immunization in poor areas of India. Clay Shirky will be studying how to design internet platforms that foster civility. Klaus Schwab will be undertaking to create a Risk Response Network through which decision makers around the world can pool knowledge about the risks they face. Jack Ma will be working to instill a strong set of values in his 19,000 young employees and to help clean up China's environment. Thomas H. Davenport will be researching big judgment calls that turned out well and how organizations arrived at them. A.G. Lafley will be proselytizing to make company boards take leadership succession seriously. Eleven additional contributors to the Agenda, along with special audio and video features, can be found at hbr.org/2011-agenda.

Six years ago, Google's IPO was the most hotly anticipated public offering of the year. But in classic Google style, the offering was neither typical nor uneventful. Here's the story of how the process began, what it involved, and the obstacles the company encountered along the way.

As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.

As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.

As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.

Few large companies have soared as high, sunk as low, and struggled as long as the 18-year-old networking software maker Novell. For years, the company dominated the market for local area networks, but by 1997, it had faltered due to misguided acquisitions, product missteps, and large unsold inventories. That's when Eric Schmidt arrived from Sun Microsystems to take over as Novell's third CEO. He turned the company around with a deft combination of cost reductions, divestitures, and new product rollouts, and by 1998, it was back in the black. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last, and like most technology companies, Novell is once again struggling with a slowdown in demand. But Schmidt is optimistic about returning Novell to good health, and his strategies suggest ways for other organizations to handle themselves during downturns. He counsels against being overly cautious during such times. His advice: keep new products coming out to sustain the interest of customers and the press, pay attention to your cash position, stay focused on your desired outcomes, and take heart from other industry leaders.