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This case series allows students to examine the dynamics of an organization-wide operating system change that was implemented over a decade from 2007 to 2017. The change was initially introduced at Fortis Healthcare Limited in a single hospital and later successfully scaled up to multiple locations. The system worked well for some years before it fell victim to gradual degeneration and defocus. At some stage in the journey of change, this degeneration and defocus was noticed, and a fresh effort was made to revive the change at different locations. Thus, the case series gives students the opportunity to examine the different stages of a change journey—the introduction of change; transferring it to multiple locations; sustaining change; possible .degeneration or defocus, leading to ritualization and loss of spirit; and the rejuvenation of change.<br><br>In Implementing Fortis Operating System (A), the president of strategy and organizational development at Fortis Healthcare Limited had to decide on a plan scale up change quickly and effectively.

This case series allows students to examine the dynamics of an organization-wide operating system change that was implemented over a decade from 2007 to 2017. The change was initially introduced at Fortis Healthcare Limited in a single hospital and later successfully scaled up to multiple locations. The system worked well for some years before it fell victim to gradual degeneration and defocus. At some stage in the journey of change, this degeneration and defocus was noticed, and a fresh effort was made to revive the change at different locations. Thus, the case series gives students the opportunity to examine the different stages of a change journey—the introduction of change; transferring it to multiple locations; sustaining change; possible .degeneration or defocus, leading to ritualization and loss of spirit; and the rejuvenation of change.<br><br>In Implementing Fortis Operating System (B), the chief executive officer at Fortis Healthcare Limited had to create a strategy to ensure that standard operating procedures continued to evolve over time.

In March 2017, a training manager at IndCo, a large Indian manufacturing conglomerate, faced a pressing problem. She had been asked by one of IndCo’s general managers to design and implement a customized training program on strategic thinking for his departmental team. Because she had prior commitments and had never conducted a training module on this topic before, the training manager sought to outsource the program to an external expert–a professor from a reputable business school. Although this arrangement seemed promising, the professor’s training proposal presented certain challenges, including cost and availability. The training manager needed to assess whether the proposal met IndCo’s requirements, and whether she had made the right decision in outsourcing this task. She had to choose her next steps very carefully to avoid displeasing any of the involved parties, while also satisfying IndCo’s budget constraints and ensuring the ultimate delivery of a high-quality training program.

In 2015, nine black Americans were killed in a racially motivated shooting spree. The incident fuelled ongoing racial tensions in the United States and launched a conflict over the presence of Confederate memorials in public spaces. When the push to remove Confederate memorials began, the task for Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans, was to deal with the city's notable Confederate monuments and the conflict they engendered in a city divided along racial lines demographically, economically, and historically. On May 19, 2017, Landrieu addressed the public. Students have the opportunity to evaluate the speech, consider why Landrieu chose this occasion to address the public, and determine what the speech reveals about his leadership character.

Ganzeb Microfinance Institution (Ganzeb) was formed as an extension of an indigenous non-governmental organization, and provides loans to rural Ethiopians to fund their business ventures. The microfinance industry is heavily regulated by the Ethiopian government, and the political landscape is not very stable. Since its inception in 2000, Ganzeb has been run by the same chief executive officer. The company flourished until 2006, when its financial performance declined as a result of an increasing number of defaulting loans from clients. Many other organizational problems have also emerged, which are quickly degrading the institution’s work. Now, in late 2008, the chair of the board of directors is faced with threats from the National Bank of Ethiopia: he must fix the problems or lose Ganzeb’s licence to operate. The board chair is being asked to meet with the bank to talk about the situation and the proposed solutions. He must figure out how to fix the problems of high turnover among staff, poor financial performance, and a lack of communication between the different levels of the organization.

AWARD-WINNING CASE - Women in Business Category, 2019 European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition. In August 2017, a memo written by an engineer at Google LLC (Google) was leaked to the public, revealing fractured communication and leadership at Google. Labelled an “anti-diversity manifesto” by its detractors, the memo set off a public controversy over the causes of gender disparities in tech and the limits of free speech within organizations. With ideological divisions across the company, open disdain expressed between colleagues, and the credibility of leaders at a low, the new vice-president of diversity needed to establish trust and candour among the employees and move the company forward.

In March 2018, a report on workplace harassment issues was brought to the chief executive officer of Nike, Inc. (Nike), Mark Parker. The report was a result of a covert survey conducted by the female employees at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, after the company’s human resources (HR) department failed to respond to the women's repeated complaints. Soon, several senior executives left Nike. Although Parker took several steps to strengthen HR, some employees wondered whether the women’s complaints had been handled appropriately. Nevertheless, according to experts, the behaviour the women described did not amount to harassment in legal terms. Was Parker’s response to the survey a matter of reputation management or of genuine ethical concern? Why did the HR department not respond to the female employees’ complaints earlier? If a case of harassment in legal terms could not be made against the executives, should they have been let go? If senior executives like Edwards committed or condoned harassment, should Parker allow those executives to receive severance packages?

The founder of Cisca Engineering Limited (CEL), a Canadian engineering consulting firm, announced in 2017 that she would be retiring in the following year. The company's president was considering how to leverage his soon-to-be-expanded authority to ensure that the company's vision and core values would effectively drive the organization's culture. He wanted to avoid vision and mission statements that were simply posted on the company's website and had little resulting impact on employee behaviour. How could he lead the organization beyond defining core values and vision to infuse these principles throughout the organization and to mindfully build a strong organizational culture?

In October 2016, the chief executive officer of Bidcorp Baltics, a food services company operating in the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, faced a dilemma. He needed to decide whether to expand the warehouse depot in Lithuania or in another location, and whether the company should diversify into products other than fresh fish and seafood. Because the company was part of the larger Bid Corporation Limited group, headquartered in South Africa, he had scheduled a teleconference with the head office. His challenge was to present a persuasive case for the parent company’s capital investment in Bidcorp Baltics. What contextually relevant factors did the chief executive officer need to consider?

Presentation to accompany product 8B18C013.

CRISIL Limited (CRISIL) was a pioneer in the ratings business in India and a market leader in the industry. However, the company was facing a high level of competition in attracting and retaining talent not only from ratings companies but also from other sectors such as start-ups, banks, and financial institutions. Against this backdrop, one of the major strategic tasks for the president and head of Human Resources was to identify the main dimensions of an employee value proposition that could be used to position CRISIL as a strong employer brand in the minds of current and potential employees.

In the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the coach of the Canadian men’s volleyball team needed to make a final decision about the team’s composition. Although the core eight players had already been selected, the difficult decisions involved choosing the supporting cast of four players from a list of seven players being considered. His decision would directly impact the team's performance at the Olympics but would also leave an imprint on the men’s volleyball program, and would change the lives of the athletes. How could the coach ensure he made the most appropriate selection decision?

Calgary’s city manager sought to build stronger relationships with the community to attract development and retain investment in the city. He knew that implementing the Proximity Initiative guidelines, a collaborative effort between the Railway Association of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, while intended to limit potential safety risks in the case of a derailment or volume release, would simultaneously limit urban development opportunities, particularly within the downtown. The guidelines did not consider the balance of public safety with economic diversification so specific to Calgary's context. The manager had to consider an appropriate solution for his city.

On February 1, 2013, the managing director of software development firm SYIT, sat in his office and gathered his thoughts on his new organization. Based in Islamabad, Pakistan, SYIT was a new entrant in the offshore software development industry. Its managing director had expended months of effort to move the entire project team from his previous employer to his newly formed company, but the real challenge lay ahead. SYIT needed to reduce the cultural gap between its team and its primary client, one of Denmark’s largest publishing houses. The managing director’s ultimate goal was to create an organization that was flexible and innovative—like the European clients that he wanted to continue to attract. How could he implement a strong company culture to ensure that all employees projected one consistent and effective working style across SYIT’s different projects and clients?

In the summer of 2015, one of Nestlé SA (Nestlé)’s top-selling products in the Indian market, its two-minute Maggi noodles, was embroiled in a food and safety issue when lead was discovered during a test. Media pundits called for the arrest of Nestlé officials. Others took to the street to set ablaze the famous yellow-coloured Maggi packets. Nestlé treated the matter largely as a regulatory issue, managing the crisis with scientific data at hand. The narrative was quickly set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority and its various provincial partners, which led to statewide bans and expanded tests of Maggi noodles across India and beyond. Nestlé executives wondered how a simple test had landed the organization and its prized brand in hot water. How can Nestlé take control and win back consumer confidence?

In May 2013, iGATE Corporation ended its employment contract with Phaneesh Murthy, then chief executive officer, amid allegations of sexual harassment. iGATE maintained that Murthy had violated company policy; thus, it dismissed Murthy “with cause,” effectively ending all of the company’s severance obligations under the agreement. Murthy responded by suing iGATE, claiming breach of contract and defamation. In March 2014, iGATE countersued Murthy for damages the company suffered due to Murthy’s behaviour. Could iGATE justify its termination of Murthy’s contract? What were the implications of ending a senior executive’s agreement for cause?

In 2017, Gemini Edibles and Fats India Private Limited (GEF India), a Hyderabad-based company, was in the business of trading, manufacturing, and marketing edible oils and fats. In the eight years since it was founded, GEF India had become the top-selling edible oil company across South India with a 40 per cent market share. The company wanted to double its current revenues by 2021, which would place it in competition with national producers. Consumption of edible oil in India was increasing, and domestic production was not meeting demand. GEF India wanted to capitalize on the opportunity, but the revenue targets indicated no ordinary increase. What should its growth strategy be? Was there a need to revisit its marketing communication strategy in order to strengthen its brand amid increasing competition? From an organizational perspective, did the growth challenge require a shift in the company’s culture or internal communication strategy?

This case discusses the question of the inheritance of power and entrepreneurial spirit in the family run Xinjiang Yier High Technique Agriculture Company and its wine brand and subsidiary Xinjiang Xiangdu Winery Co. Ltd. (Xiangdu). In 1998, the company’s founder took her family to break new ground for growing grapes in the vast expanse of the Gobi Desert. In 2002, she founded Xiangdu, and the company’s focus gradually shifted from grape growing to wine making and upgrading the grape processing infrastructure. In June 2016, having reached age 65, the founder called a senior management meeting to discuss a number of challenges that Xiangdu was facing. After her departure, could Xiangdu continue to achieve great success? Should the founder fulfill her husband’s last wish to make Xiangdu a public company? How should Xiangdu move forward?

In June 2016, the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) appointed Rahul Bhardwaj—an accomplished executive and director with a long, successful track record in the business, community, and non-profit sectors—to lead the national association for board directors. The self-proclaimed “governance geek” sat down with Ivey Business School Professor Gerard Seijts to discuss what boards must do to help firms navigate turbulent waters. With improvements in boards following the Enron, Volkswagen, and Wells Fargo scandals, Bhardwaj sees more of a board focus on corporate culture than ever before: “The need to be more careful about what you reward has been brought to the forefront of governance thinking.” He says the biggest public misconception about a board’s governance role is that it is a cushy job. Given the increased complexity of the director role, the speed with which a crisis can develop, and the challenges created by technological and political disruption, the level of engagement required for directors has increased dramatically. It used to be fairly common for a director to serve on four or five boards, but today that seems hard to justify. Finally, Bhardwaj sees Canadian companies as the most trusted in the world, because trust in firms from other nations has fallen.

Appointed president and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada in 2014, McKay is leading Canada’s biggest bank as the Digital Age and fintech revolution force the industry’s old business models into extinction. As a champion of Canada’s innovation ecosystem, McKay spearheads RBC’s support for and partnerships with universities, start-ups, and accelerators, particularly in technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. McKay sat down with Ivey Business School Professor Gerard Seijts to discuss how his organization is harnessing disruptive forces to reimagine banking. McKay sees two major macro drivers of disruption in our time. First, we’ve entered the platforms era in which people’s lives are interconnected via social media, e-commerce, online entertainment, workplace networks, etc. The second is climate change, which impacts how societies organize and feed themselves. Creating transformational change in response to a crisis, McKay claims, is relatively easy, and yet creating a sense of urgency when business is thriving is difficult. Some of RBC’s most successful products over the past 10 years have come out of employee surveys. RBC’s old way of working was a matrix, with everyone focused on their roles, but it has flattened the organization and created agile teams that are cross-functional and own the entire process, and where everybody has input across a project’s journey. Ultimately, McKay does not see machines and automation as a threat, but cautions that continuous learning must be entrenched in formal education programs.