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The case presents the points of contention and issues facing NCsoft Corporation (NCsoft) as of 2007. As the leader in online games, NCsoft has the greatest future growth potential inside and outside of Korea. The president has a number of issues to consider: What is NCsoft's most effective plan for maintaining its top position in Korea and its competitiveness in the world market? How should the company pursue diversification of its game offerings from a small number of major games to other online game genres, such as casual games? What are the important factors NCsoft needs to consider to achieve globalization as a basis for building a global online game development and publishing company? What should be NCsoft's response to the diversified connection channels and game platforms and the rise of a ubiquitous computing environment? How should the negative perceptions and side effects of playing online games be dealt with? In addition, how should NCsoft prepare to compete with other industries that are expected to become competitors with digital-content online games?

This case chronicles the role that Harvard Business School alumni play in the healthcare industry. Overall data on alumni is given, and the industry is broken into seven areas in which the careers of twenty-five alumni are highlighted.

In 2007, popular acceptance of the problem of global warming, and new recognition of its potential consequences, had brought carbon dioxide emissions to the front of Americans' minds. The continued turmoil in Iraq, as well as the United States' worsening relations with other oil rich nations such as Russia and Venezuela, highlighted a lack of energy security for Western countries importing vast quantities of petroleum. Moreover, rising gas prices were beginning to frustrate drivers at the pump while U.S. vehicles consumed 3.3 billion barrels of gasoline and 1.2 billion barrels of diesel fuel a year (as of 2006). These factors combined to create what some observers were calling a "perfect storm," drawing attention to the developed world's widespread addiction to oil. However, as concern about these issues was reaching an all-time high, transportation technology was undergoing a revolution. Advancements in alternative fuels, electric drive vehicles, and hybrid technologies were showing promise for reducing oil consumption. This paper examines some of these emerging innovations.

This two-part case study describes the initial merger and cultural transformation of Aviva's Norwich Union (NUI) operation in the UK. It examines the complexities of integration that arose following a series of mergers that created NUI from 1998 to 2000. Case A describes how, after CGU Plc and Norwich Union joined forces to become NUI, top management's priority was to restore profits. Behind the scenes, however, the need for a whole new corporate culture was becoming increasingly imperative. It shows the tension between the need for immediate gains in efficiencies vs. longer-term approaches to the business that required careful nurturing and attention. It ends as the executive team's announcement of the new corporate philosophy - "to be a service provider with insurance at our core and care at our heart" - is greeted with complete disbelief by employees. Case B describes the actions taken to overcome their skepticism and successfully implement the new philosophy - actions that required significant change to the organisational culture.

This two-part case study describes the initial merger and cultural transformation of Aviva's Norwich Union (NUI) operation in the UK. It examines the complexities of integration that arose following a series of mergers that created NUI from 1998 to 2000. Case A describes how, after CGU Plc and Norwich Union joined forces to become NUI, top management's priority was to restore profits. Behind the scenes, however, the need for a whole new corporate culture was becoming increasingly imperative. It shows the tension between the need for immediate gains in efficiencies vs. longer-term approaches to the business that required careful nurturing and attention. It ends as the executive team's announcement of the new corporate philosophy - "to be a service provider with insurance at our core and care at our heart" - is greeted with complete disbelief by employees. Case B describes the actions taken to overcome their skepticism and successfully implement the new philosophy - actions that required significant change to the organisational culture.

A recently hired U.S.-trained sales account manager at Medical Equipment Inc. (Medical Equipment) returned to his office after meeting with the head of the cardiology department at a specialist hospital and research center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He had worked very hard to secure his first sale of US$725,000 for healthcare equipment, but was disheartened when the head of cardiology told him that the hospital's purchasing director intended to give the order to Medical Equipment's main competitor. The competition's sales representative and the purchasing director had known each other for 10 years and the head cardiologist implied that there might be side payments involved. The sales account manager knew Medical Equipment's product was superior and wondered how he could secure the order without having a history with the purchasing director or without engaging in practices he found ethically questionable.

This case examines the relation between China's demand for resources and political risk.

In June 2003, Harvard University and MIT announced an unprecedented partnership to create a biomedical institute, The Broad Institute. The culture of the Broad centered on science, and those involved considered it to be at the edge of the scientific frontier. In just four years the Broad had made many important scientific contributions to the bio-medical field. These included understanding genetic alterations in cancer; building an RNAi Consortium to better understand the role of every gene in the human body; creating an integrated database that mapped the connections among drugs, genes, and diseases; and cataloging inherited genetic variations of Type 2 Diabetes. Opportunities for additional important scientific advances beckoned but would require both funding and physical space. The Broad Institute's leaders, including Altshuler, Director of the Program in Medical and Population Genetics, and Golub, Director of the Cancer Program, needed to decide how big was too big. How many projects could the Broad productively support? What happened when the Broad outgrew its physical space? Altshuler and Golub knew that the Broad had made tremendous strides in the past year. It had minimized barriers and attracted many young scientists who viewed the Broad as an exciting place to do research. That success made the question of how to balance the priorities of growth and the preservation of the culture that had made everything possible all the more important.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 1 explores the connection between collaboration and creativity and examines how the two can be effectively harnessed for organizational gain. The author, using a technique called "interaction analysis," also identifies seven key characteristics of creative teams.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 2 discusses improvised innovation, explaining that many innovative ideas emerge spontaneously, from the bottom up. The author analyzes examples of highly effective innovation and determines it to be the product of a balance of planning, structure, and improvisation.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 3 explores the concept of "group flow" - a peak experience where a group is performing at its top level of ability. The author examines the reasons why group flow occurs naturally and identifies the ten conditions necessary to generate group flow.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 4 uses the sharply differing concepts of "group genius" and "groupthink" (originally coined by psychologist Irving Janis) to explain why some teams produce negative outcomes - and to illuminate why other teams can produce valuable creative results. The author explores the possible reasons why common practices such as brainstorming inhibit group genius and considers how to design groups to avoid such pitfalls.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 5 discusses the role that groups play in the emergence of individual insight and creativity. The author maps the collaborative process that can generate creative sparks in the individual and considers which factors spur and which hinder the process.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 6 further explores the everyday cognitive process comprising creativity. The author draws on documents about historic innovators like Samuel Morse and Charles Darwin, as well as records of modern creators, including businesses, to illuminate the complex network of factors that can generate innovative ideas. Among the chapter's themes: Evidence shows that great innovators build their ideas from assemblages of previous ideas. Mental processes that facilitate innovation in this way include conceptual transfer, conceptual combination, and conceptual elaboration. The author examines additional scientific research, including recent findings, to enrich his discussion.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 7 highlights the vital role that conversation - the author calls it "the engine that drives collaboration"-- plays in fostering creativity. He examines the work of numerous researchers who have investigate possible links between group interaction and innovation. Over the years,businesses have tried to create unique conversational formats to enhance the power of collaboration, and the author gives us a glimpse of some of those techniques, as William J. Gordon's synectics, a group creativity technique designed to foster collaborative analogies.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 8 introduces the roles that collaboration, improvisation, and bottom-up management can play at the organizational level. The author considers how managers can foster group genius in an organization. He identifies ten traits of collaborative organizations and analyzes them against a background of pertinent examples. He also considers methods that can be used measure an organization's innovation potential.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 9 discusses how an organization can enhance its creative innovation through collaborative webs - outside channels that include customers, suppliers, and other businesses. The author discusses methods for utilizing collaborative webs and techniques for measuring and managing these webs.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 10 further explores the innovative potential an organization can foster in the collaborative webs of its customers. The author explains how organizations can incorporate these customer-driven collaborative webs into their business models.

Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 11, the book's final chapter, discusses the broad-scale implementation of group genius in the global economy. The author explains the importance in the shift of the modern workforce from traditional manufacturing to a creativity-based core. He also examines issues surrounding intellectual property rights and argues for certain modifications in the current U.S. legal system in order to spur creativity and collaboration.

Companies often treat new-product development as a monolithic process, but it can be more rationally divided into two parts: an early stage that focuses on evaluating prospects and eliminating bad bets, and a late stage that maximizes the remaining candidates' market potential. Recognizing the value of this approach, Eli Lilly designed and piloted Chorus, an autonomous unit dedicated solely to the early stage. This article demonstrates how segmenting development in this way can speed it up and make it more cost-effective. Two classes of decision-making errors can impede NPD, the authors say. First, managers often ignore evidence challenging their assumptions that projects will succeed. As a result, many projects go forward despite multiple red flags; some even reach the market, only to fail dramatically after their introduction. Second, companies sometimes terminate projects prematurely because people fail to conduct the right experiments to reveal products' potential. Most companies promote both kinds of errors by focusing disproportionately on late-stage development; they lack the early, truth-seeking functions that would head such errors off. In segmented NPD, however, the early-stage organization maintains loyalty to the experiment rather than the product, whereas the late-stage organization pursues commercial success. Chorus has significantly improved NPD efficiency and productivity at Lilly. Although the unit absorbs just one-tenth of Lilly's investment in early-stage development, it delivers a substantially greater fraction of the molecules slated for late Phase II trials--at almost twice the speed and less than a third of the cost of the standard process, sometimes shaving as much as two years off the usual development time.