This case chronicles a successful digital transformation in Russia, where JSC Raiffeisenbank, the Russian branch of the Austrian parent company, reinvented its organizational and management system to build a new digital value network. The case discusses the transition to a less hierarchical Agile organizational structure, driven by IT-intensive cross-functional product teams. It illustrates the main challenges facing the leadership team in orchestrating the transformation: overcoming internal resistance, bridging the talent gap and handling the cultural upheaval. It highlights the key enablers that must be put in place to make a digital transformation work: leadership vision and skills, management team alignment, a strong foundation for transformation, detailed organizational rules and fast learning capabilities.

The majority of board chairs are former CEOs, who are used to calling the shots and being stars. So it's no surprise that many start behaving as if they are alternative chief executives of their firms. That sows conflict and confusion at the top. In addition, as research by INSEAD's Corporate Governance Centre shows, the two jobs are distinctly different--and so are the skills needed in them. The chair leads the board, not the company, and that means being a facilitator of effective group discussions, not a team commander. After surveying 200 board chairs and interviewing 140 chairs, directors, shareholders, and CEOs, INSEAD has distilled the requirements for the chair's role down to eight principles: (1) Be the guide on the side; show restraint and leave room for others. (2) Practice teaming--not team building. (3) Own the prep work; a big part of the job is preparing the board's agenda and briefings. (4) Take committees seriously; most of the board's work is done in them. (5) Remain impartial. (6) Measure the board's effectiveness by its inputs, not its outputs. (7) Don't be the CEO's boss. (8) Be a representative with shareholders, not a player. While many executives need to shift gears and mindsets to follow these, successful chairs say the effort pays off.

The case represents a role-play simulation in which a team of up to 7 participants acts as a board of directors of a privately-owned company. The board has to discuss and make decisions about its Chairman's resignation. The latter asked to step down after an internal crisis unfolded following the Chairman's media interview in which he criticized the country's President. The board comprise two company founders and 5 independent directors including the Chairman.

The case represents a role-play simulation in which a team of up to 7 participants acts as a board of directors of a privately-owned company. The board has to discuss and make decisions about its Chairman's resignation. The latter asked to step down after an internal crisis unfolded following the Chairman's media interview in which he criticized the country's President. The board comprise two company founders and 5 independent directors including the Chairman.

The case offers a role-play simulation in which a team of up to 13 participants acts as a board of directors of a privately-owned national energy company. The board has to make decisions about 1) a foreign-country acquisition proposed by management, 2) a change in executive compensation. It consists of 3 types of directors - affiliated directors representing the mother company, executive directors, and independent directors. Four sub-committees convene before the board meeting to discuss the issues on the agenda and make their recommendations.

The case offers a role-play simulation in which a team of up to 13 participants acts as a board of directors of a privately-owned national energy company. The board has to make decisions about 1) a foreign-country acquisition proposed by management, 2) a change in executive compensation. It consists of 3 types of directors - affiliated directors representing the mother company, executive directors, and independent directors. Four sub-committees convene before the board meeting to discuss the issues on the agenda and make their recommendations.

In Fall 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest man and the CEO of Yukos, the second-largest Russian oil producer with a market capitalization of US$26 billion, was arrested and thrown into jail on charges of fraud. Several days later he resigned as CEO of Yukos. This case study tells the story of the rise and fall of a young man whom some would call a brilliant entrepreneur, and others would call a scoundrel. The case includes an interview with Khodorkovsky when he was still CEO, and offers a rare opportunity to examine the leadership philosophy of one of Russia's top business leaders.

VimpelCom is a Russian cellular operator that grew in less than 10 years (1992-2002) from a hypothetical concept, to small family-like company, to $2 billion NYSE-quoted corporation with 5.5 million subscribers on its wireless networks. This case study describes the perfect partnership between the two founders. One was the professor,Dr. Dimitry Zimin, formerly a department head at the Applied Radio Research Institute, and a cog in the Soviet machine. The other was Augie Fabela II, a very young, yet experienced, American entrepreneur. The case looks at their complementary leadership styles. It also tells the story of how they managed to capture a majority share of the market in Moscow and bring their company to the New York Stock Exchange.