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Frank Waterhouse, CEO of Argos Diesel, Europe, is exasperated. Bert Donaldson, who arrived in Zurich a year ago to create a European team--to facilitate communication among the parts suppliers that Argos has acquired over the past two years--just isn't working out. Although he has excellent credentials, both as a successful team builder at Argos International in Detroit and as a teacher in Cairo, his style seems abrasive here and he is behind schedule in implementing the team-building program. Moreover, Waterhouse is worried that Donaldson's failure will reflect badly on himself. But Waterhouse can't simply fire Donaldson. Donaldson is a smart man with a record of genuine successes in the States. If he gets fired, his career may be destroyed. Further, the CEO of Argos International thinks the world of him and is counting on Waterhouse to make this assignment work. Can Waterhouse teach Donaldson cultural awareness? Can he help him become effective in his job? Waterhouse has scheduled a conversation with Donaldson to discuss the situation. What should he say? In 95401 and 95401Z, Douglas A. Ready, Susan Schneider, Bjorn Johansson, Fons Trompenaars, and Roman Borboa offer advice on this fictional case study.

In the mid-twentieth century, global organizations began to promise employees economic security, personal fulfillment, and respect in return for performing clearly delineated activities. Employees were willing to make sacrifices, and employers were willing to invest in training in the mutual expectation of future reward. But now, intense competition and rapid change are destroying predictability. Virtual organizations and many current managerial practices, such as reengineering, continuous improvement, matrix management, and "rightsizing," ignore this human need. As a result, employees keep their resumes up to date and their commitments to a minimum. The best way to approach organizational change is with the realization that dire predictions are better than no predictions at all or positive predictions that no one believes. Managers must make few promises and keep those they do make. The more managers make clear to employees which courses of action will improve their lives, the more employees can focus on creating value.

This case describes an example of overworking in the non-U.S. culture of Iran. The CFO of a successful office machine supply company has overworked himself consistently for years. He finds himself at the hospital after a terrible accident caused by his falling asleep at the wheel on his way home. Company executives think they have solved the problem of Shahrasebi's obsessive work behavior in one afternoon.

In the postwar years, planning and control systems were the tools that enabled companies to grow and helped managers deal with sprawling enterprises. Yet many of the problems companies experience today are inherent in the strategy-structure-systems doctrine that produced those tools. The systems that allowed managers to control employees also inhibited creativity and initiative. Today the challenge for top-level managers is to engage the knowledge and skills of each person in the organization in order to create what the authors call an individualized corporation. In the individualized corporation, top-level managers don't direct and correct middle and frontline managers; they create an environment in which individuals monitor themselves. The authors have conducted research on 20 high-performing corporations. They have concluded that systems, no matter how sophisticated, can never replace the richness of close personal communication and contact between top-level and frontline managers.

Grant Newman, CEO of Regional Medical Center (RMC), expected the worst from the meeting that was scheduled to begin in less than an hour. The anesthesiologists were at the end of their rope, and the hospital's surgeons and obstetricians were pretty riled up too. Eighteen months earlier, Newman had made the decision to outsource RMC's anesthesia services, and he had signed a contract with Physicians Development Services (PDS), a contract management company. At the time, PDS seemed a good fit. It had a reputation for providing high-quality physicians both on a permanent basis and for temporary assignments. Unfortunately, however, PDS was undercapitalized and chronically mismanaged. PDS's paychecks to the anesthesiologists began arriving late and then bounced several times over a three-month period. In addition, the contract between the anesthesiologists and PDS had expired three months earlier, and the anesthesiologists were providing services without a contract. What can Newman do to resolve this conflict? In 95309 and 95309Z, Ken Alvares, Anthony R. Kovner, Joellin Comerford, Rudy Puryear, Vaughn Hovey, Tom Chapman, and Gary P. Pisano offer advice on this fictional case study.

Grant Newman, CEO of Regional Medical Center (RMC), expected the worst from the meeting that was scheduled to begin in less than an hour. The anesthesiologists were at the end of their rope, and the hospital's surgeons and obstetricians were pretty riled up too. Eighteen months earlier, Newman had made the decision to outsource RMC's anesthesia services, and he had signed a contract with Physicians Development Services (PDS), a contract management company. At the time, PDS seemed a good fit. It had a reputation for providing high-quality physicians both on a permanent basis and for temporary assignments. Unfortunately, however, PDS was undercapitalized and chronically mismanaged. PDS' paychecks to the anesthesiologists began arriving late and then bounced several times over a three-month period. In addition, the contract between the anesthesiologists and PDS had expired three months earlier, and the anesthesiologists were providing services without a contract. What can Newman do to resolve this conflict? In 95309 and 95309Z, Ken Alvares, Anthony R. Kovner, Joellin Comerford, Rudy Puryear, Vaughn Hovey, Tom Chapman, and Gary P. Pisano offer advice on this fictional case study.

Grant Newman, CEO of Regional Medical Center (RMC), expected the worst from the meeting that was scheduled to begin in less than an hour. The anesthesiologists were at the end of their rope, and the hospital's surgeons and obstetricians were pretty riled up too. Eighteen months earlier, Newman had made the decision to outsource RMC's anesthesia services, and he had signed a contract with Physicians Development Services (PDS), a contract management company. At the time, PDS seemed a good fit. It had a reputation for providing high-quality physicians both on a permanent basis and for temporary assignments. Unfortunately, however, PDS was undercapitalized and chronically mismanaged. PDS's paychecks to the anesthesiologists began arriving late and then bounced several times over a three-month period. In addition, the contract between the anesthesiologists and PDS had expired three months earlier, and the anesthesiologists were providing services without a contract. What can Newman do to resolve this conflict? In 95309 and 95309Z, Ken Alvares, Anthony R. Kovner, Joellin Comerford, Rudy Puryear, Vaughn Hovey, Tom Chapman, and Gary P. Pisano offer advice on this fictional case study.

Provides an overview of the human resource policies and practices applied by Hewlett-Packard (HP). Discusses HP's reactions as an organization to changes in its business environment. As such, it is an opportunity to analyze HP's practices, and how they have been affected through the years in all four policy areas: stakeholder influence, flows, rewards, and work systems.

Designed as an in-class handout as a source of further discussion of the issues.

MG Corp., a U.S. subsidiary of Germany's international conglomerate, Metallgesellschaft, engaged in a disastrous hedging strategy that nearly dragged the entire enterprise into bankruptcy. This case explores issues of responsibility and accountability among the relevant boards. In doing so, it highlights the German two-tier board system of governance.

Supplements the (A) case.

Provides an overview of the company's history, industry, competitive position, strategy, and organization. Analyzes the culture and morale at Apple. Written at a time when the company faces a very compelling threat to their business, and when morale within the company is very low. The purpose is to identify the key organizational issues that the company must address.

Describes the building of Apple's new strategy. Explores how the human resource function at Apple Computer can best support that strategy.

Depicts a "team-building" intervention by an organizational consultant at a small computer company.

To be handed out in class as a follow-up to Datavision (A).

Describes the events to follow Datavision (A) and (B). Covers the aftermath of two previous team-building meetings and leaves off with the protagonist struggling with how to proceed.

The hierarchical organization based on the strategy-structure-systems doctrine of management no longer delivers competitive results. While a top-down structure of corporate divisions gives managers tight control and allows companies to grow, it also fragments resources and creates a vertical organization that prevents small units from sharing their strengths with one another. Structural fixes, such as skunk works, alliances, and acquisitions, have not solved the problem. Based on a study of 20 companies with vanguard management styles, the authors predict a managerial revolution that will focus on horizontal processes rather than vertical structures. The job of management will be to promote three core organizational processes: frontline entrepreneurship, competence building, and renewal.

If the 1980s were the decade when the movement to empower U.S. factory and office workers took root, the 1990s are the decade when empowerment is sweeping corporate boardrooms. Empowerment means that outside directors have the capability and independence to monitor the performance of top management and the company; to influence management to change the strategic direction of the company if its performance does not meet the board's expectations; and, in the most extreme cases, to change corporate leadership. Because the chief executive is also the board chair in more than 80% of the country's publicly held corporations, most CEOs view board empowerment with trepidation. But, Jay Lorsch argues, if CEOs resist the trend, they and their companies will be the losers because the empowered board is here to stay. What is required is a new form of teamwork in which directors and senior managers understand one another's roles and collaborate effectively to achieve corporate success.

George Marlow, a manufacturing vice president at SportsGear, had been looking forward to this month's companywide meeting. Martin Griffin, SportsGear's CEO, was going to announce a new era of empowerment at the company. And as Martin gave his speech, he seemed to fill the entire auditorium with his enthusiasm. But Harry Lewis, a SportsGear veteran of more than 20 years, was not so sure. "What in the world does empowerment mean?" he asked. And indeed, Harry's concerns proved well founded. George led the team from manufacturing that was to be the test case for implementing empowerment at SportsGear. The team began the project in high spirits, eager to accomplish its goals. But when the time came to present their reports, the members were shocked: Martin was called away from the meeting, and the department heads formed a wall of resistance. It appeared that the team's efforts had been a waste of time. Can empowerment work at SportsGear? In 95111 and 95111Z, J. Richard Hackman, Elios Pascual, Mary V. Gelinas, Roger G. James, and W. Alan Randolph offer advice on this fictional case study.

George Marlow, a manufacturing vice president at SportsGear, had been looking forward to this month's companywide meeting. Martin Griffin, SportsGear's CEO, was going to announce a new era of empowerment at the company. And as Martin gave his speech, he seemed to fill the entire auditorium with his enthusiasm. But Harry Lewis, a SportsGear veteran of more than 20 years, was not so sure. "What in the world does empowerment mean?" he asked. And indeed, Harry's concerns proved well founded. George led the team from manufacturing that was to be the test case for implementing empowerment at SportsGear. The team began the project in high spirits, eager to accomplish its goals. But when the time came to present their reports, the members were shocked: Martin was called away from the meeting, and the department heads formed a wall of resistance. It appeared that the team's efforts had been a waste of time. Can empowerment work at SportsGear? In 95111 and 95111Z, J. Richard Hackman, Elios Pascual, Mary V. Gelinas, Roger G. James, and W. Alan Randolph offer advice on this fictional case study.