The natural experiment forced on the world by the coronavirus demonstrates that the academics and tech visionaries who have been talking since the 1980s about the possibilities of remote work were not exaggerating. After months of working remotely, we have all learned that most tasks are accomplished and most meetings go just fine without the office. But that, the authors warn, doesn't mean companies should suddenly abandon their workplaces. Going to the office, they argue, has never been just about work. And technology won't make socializing less dependent on direct interpersonal contact anytime soon. In this article they describe the important social functions of an office: It's where people build trust through personal interaction, learn the nuances of their job, and build and maintain organizational culture. And it's through random in-person encounters between people from different functions and cultures that many of the most innovative business ideas are born. The authors conclude by showing how design, technology, and management practices can be used to make tomorrow's offices more effective as social, learning, and innovation spaces.
In 2018, the LEGO Group defined a new way of leading to enable the company to move more quickly, to make the right decisions, to deliver its mission and the commercial momentum that sustained it, and to shape the LEGO® culture in a positive way. This new way of leading would need to be modeled at the top of the organization. That was certain. But CEO, Niels Christiansen, and Chief People Officer, Loren Shuster, believed that the task of defining the new way of leading should not be done by the Executive Leadership Team or by HR. It should be developed bottom up. The LEGO Group was no longer the patriarchy it had once been under its founder, but Shuster saw that patriarchal assumptions about leadership lingered in its culture. If the LEGO Group was going to move towards a balanced system where leadership responsibility was more distributed and less hierarchical, it would be ironic to impose this top down. A better way to start would be to invite people from different levels and different functions of the organization to answer the question: What kind of leadership do we need in the LEGO Group and how can we embed the new way of leading into the fabric of the organization so that it can be self-generative? Case A describes the process that the LEGO Group used to create what they called The Leadership Playground and bring it to life in the company.
In 2018, the LEGO Group defined a new way of leading to enable the company to move more quickly, to make the right decisions, to deliver its mission and the commercial momentum that sustained it, and to shape the LEGO® culture in a positive way. This new way of leading would need to be modeled at the top of the organization. That was certain. But CEO, Niels Christiansen, and Chief People Officer, Loren Shuster, believed that the task of defining the new way of leading should not be done by the Executive Leadership Team or by HR. It should be developed bottom up. The LEGO Group was no longer the patriarchy it had once been under its founder, but Shuster saw that patriarchal assumptions about leadership lingered in its culture. If the LEGO Group was going to move towards a balanced system where leadership responsibility was more distributed and less hierarchical, it would be ironic to impose this top down. A better way to start would be to invite people from different levels and different functions of the organization to answer the question: What kind of leadership do we need in the LEGO Group and how can we embed the new way of leading into the fabric of the organization so that it can be self-generative? Case B describes how the LEGO Group brings the Leadership Playground to life in the company.
The case highlights the key features of the domestic Indian aviation industry in terms of its growth potential and contrasts this with the operational challenges. The exhibits hold significant information which students can analyse to get a deeper understanding. First, a discussion about the attractiveness (or not) of the Indian aviation market can be carried out. This will help to position Singapore Airlines as a new entrant and discuss its competitive advantages vis-a-vis local players. Some students might focus on the parallel entry of Air Asia, a leader in the low-cost aviation arena, with the same potential local partner - the Tata Group. This will allow for a richer discussion and enable decision making on the question posed in the case - to enter the highly competitive Indian aviation market or not? This abridged case has been designed for use in either MBA or executive classes where advanced readings are not possible. It can also be used as a standalone case to explore Porter's 5 Forces and STEEP frameworks in the context of the Indian Airline Industry without a detailed discussion of Singapore Airline's strategy specifically. As a short case, it can be read in-class in approximately 10 minutes.
The Indian aviation market, having experienced high growth rates that were expected to continue through 2016, was opened to foreign investment in 2012. Singapore Airlines is considering entering the market in a partnership with India's largest industrial group, the Tata Group. At the time of the case, there are five major players, none of which is dominant. Learning objectives: These include: 1) learning to gauge the attractiveness of an industry based on Porter's five forces analysis; 2) understanding how each of the five forces - supplier power, customer power, substitutes, new entrants and degree of competitive rivalry - affect industry profitability; 3) applying a STEEP analysis (social, technological, economic, environmental, political) to predict the future attractiveness of an industry.
Supplement to case IMD724. The C case takes a broader geographical view, while focusing on Singapore Airlines' strategic differentiation. The airline, while being widely considered as the standard bearer in terms of quality and customer service, has been able to achieve some of the lowest cost structures in the industry, surpassing even some LCCs. To meet this seeming paradox while minimizing trade-offs, Singapore Airlines draws the line between things that are valued by the customer, where procedural and cultural ingenuity are promoted, and things that have no effect on the traveler, where cost efficiency is sought. Learning objectives: To investigate how, why and where SIA manages its cost/service trade-offs. To identify the key internal characteristics that allow Singapore Airlines to consistently beat its rivals in terms of customer service and profitability.
Supplement to case IMD724. Singapore Airlines creates a partnership with India's Tata Group to create a full-service airline to serve the Indian market. The market is served by five existing airlines in both the low-cost and full-service categories. In parallel to the company it is creating with Singapore Airlines, the Tata Group is also launching a low-cost carrier with Malaysia's AirAsia, the overall Asian LCC leader. The case looks at how the different carriers compete in the Indian market, drawing differences between the approaches of low-cost carriers and full-service providers. Learning objectives: To identify and understand the different ways in which a company can compete in a market - low cost vs. differentiation. To understand the close link between strategic positioning and internal competencies.
Managers once discouraged casual interaction among employees, viewing it as a distraction from "real work." Today we know that chance encounters on the job promote cooperation and innovation, and companies craft their floor plans and cultures with this in mind. So why do their careful, well-intentioned efforts often go awry? Common sense, it turns out, is a poor guide when it comes to designing for interaction. Work spaces inspire informal encounters only if they properly balance three factors that have both physical and social aspects: (1) Proximity: Spaces should naturally bring people together; (2) Privacy: People must be able to control access to their conversations and themselves; (3) Permission: The social purpose of the space needs to be evident, and the organizational culture should signal that nonwork interactions are not just sanctioned but encouraged. Creating the right conditions is challenging enough in the physical world; doing it in a virtual environment is even harder. But asking employees to set Skype, IM, and other applications to indicate their availability can replicate a sense of proximity online. Setting clear policies governing access to electronic communications helps convey reassurance that privacy is protected. And leaving video links and virtual offices open promotes the feeling that geographically disparate groups are welcome to engage with one another casually, just as they might in a real-world common space. There's no simple formula for balancing proximity, privacy, and permission in either the physical or virtual spheres. Managers who grasp the fundamentals and design spaces with balance in mind, however, will be better equipped to understand and predict the effects of different spaces on interactions, and to learn from their successes and inevitable mistakes.
By 2005, AXA had become one of the world's largest and most successful insurance companies, but Claude Brunet, Member of the Management Board, in charge of Transversal Operations, Communication, Marketing and Human Resources, believed that to achieve its ambitions the company was going to have to become much more customer focused. AXA Way, a culture change program that included many elements of Six Sigma philosophy and methodology, was the spearhead of this change. The case describes the AXA Way program, the challenges of its implementation, and how AXA overcame those challenges. Learning objectives: Understand how to manage the culture change necessary to improve customer service using Six Sigma. Six Sigma is sometimes seen as a technical change, as just a methodology, but change in attitude and mindset--in culture--are required for Six Sigma to succeed. Understand how Six Sigma can be successfully adopted in a service industry.
Well aware of your experience and keen intuition, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of XYZ Airlines, James Sanchez, is asking for your help. The airline is loss-making, has a record of poor customer service, and is the result of an undigested merger several years ago. Sanchez took over as chief executive of XYZ Airlines a month ago. Well-known for his almost single-minded focus on customer service, he wants to create a service culture in the airline while continuing to cut costs. He is asking for your help to decide what he should do to create this culture change and to estimate how long it will take to succeed. Learning objectives: Participants are challenged to think about the critical success factors for changing the culture of an organization.
Case B: An update bringing the reader current with developments in Booz Allen Hamilton¿s knowledge management strategy since Case A. Reinforces and deepens the point that knowledge management is a convergence of at least three factors: an appreciation of knowledge issues, the availability of sophisticated IT technology, and the managerial competence to suitably craft jobs and culture. This case takes the reader through the experiences of Booz-Allen & Hamilton in crafting their knowledge system and dealing with these factors.
If they know the unwritten rules about how people in their companies whine, to whom, and about what, managers can determine where not to put their problem-solving energies.
The new CEO of DEI airlines is faced with the challenge of creating a customer service oriented culture in a company that is losing money, needs to shed staff, has a terrible reputation among passengers, and is still driven by the subcultural differences resulting from its merger ten years ago.
Case A: The authors believe that knowledge management is a convergence of at least three factors: an appreciation of knowledge issues, the availability of sophisticated IT technology, and the managerial competence to suitably craft jobs and culture. This case takes the reader through the experiences of Booz-Allen & Hamilton in crafting their knowledge system and dealing with these factors.