個案總覽

Generation X employees will bring a new sensibility to the leadership of corporations, precisely because they are broadly dissatisfied with corporate life. Alternative thinkers with a strong streak of realism, they're ready to take charge-by leading differently. Gen Xers grew up during times of major restructuring, and many of them reject status-quo definitions of success, such as climbing the corporate ladder, in favor of work/life balance. This point of view equips them to engage in five context-creating leadership activities that are well suited for today: fostering collaborative capacity; asking compelling questions; embracing complexity and welcoming disruptive information; actively shaping corporate (collective) identity; and appreciating diversity. Xers may feel like underappreciated workhorses, squeezed between two much larger cohorts: Baby Boomers and the twenty-something members of Generation Y. And they worry that management jobs will skip a generation because Boomers and Gen Y share a natural kinship. But if we give them the chance to lead as their time arrives, their affinity for realism over idealism will serve modern corporations extremely well.

The makeup of the global workforce is about to undergo a seismic shift. In four years, Millennials-the people born between 1977 and 1997-will account for half the employees in the world. In some companies, they already constitute the majority. That shift may sound daunting to the managers charged with coaching these young workers, who have a reputation for being attention sponges. However, recent research into the varying expectations and needs of employees across four generations, involving 2,200 professionals, offers a more nuanced view of Millennials and reveals several resource-efficient ways to mentor them: reverse mentoring, group mentoring, anonymous feedback, and microfeedback. Using such innovative approaches, companies can give Millennials the guidance that they need-and that they want immediately-without having their experienced managers spend all their time coaching.

Six years ago, Google's IPO was the most hotly anticipated public offering of the year. But in classic Google style, the offering was neither typical nor uneventful. Here's the story of how the process began, what it involved, and the obstacles the company encountered along the way.

Some leaders drain all the intelligence and capability out of their teams. Because they need to be the most capable person in the room, these managers shut down the smarts of others, ultimately stifling the flow of ideas. At the other extreme are leaders who care less about flaunting their own IQs and more about fostering a culture of intelligence in their companies. Under these "multipliers," employees don't just feel smarter; they become smarter. This article explores the ways in which multipliers manage five areas-talent, culture, strategy, decision making, and execution-much differently than their less-enlightened colleagues (the diminishers).

One of America's most successful chef-entrepreneurs talks about leadership in the kitchen.

George Martin, managing partner at The Boston Consulting Group, is worried as some of his best performers have recently pulled him aside to discuss the challenges they face managing the demands of their work lives with their desire for more predictable time with their families. BCG had instituted multiple initiatives to help its consulting staff better achieve work-life balance, yet some of Martin's top consultants still struggled. The case considers the challenges professional service firm employees face in terms of work-life issues.

George Martin, managing partner at The Boston Consulting Group, is worried as some of his best performers have recently pulled him aside to discuss the challenges they face managing the demands of their work lives with their desire for more predictable time with their families. BCG had instituted multiple initiatives to help its consulting staff better achieve work-life balance, yet some of Martin's top consultants still struggled. The case considers the challenges professional service firm employees face in terms of work-life issues.

George Martin, managing partner at The Boston Consulting Group, is worried as some of his best performers have recently pulled him aside to discuss the challenges they face managing the demands of their work lives with their desire for more predictable time with their families. BCG had instituted multiple initiatives to help its consulting staff better achieve work-life balance, yet some of Martin's top consultants still struggled. The case considers the challenges professional service firm employees face in terms of work-life issues.

This case takes an inside look at CEO succession planning at Energy Corp. The case provides an overview of various models of succession planning, including external search, COO appointment, a horse race, and the inside-outside model. The case then outlines the process by which Energy Corp chooses to identify a successor. Readers of the case are expected to evaluate Energy Corp's effectiveness, and discuss the various risks of succession planning and how they can be mitigated.

At the end of 2009, The Dannon Company was considering pro actively communicating its CSR efforts to consumers. With the strong connection between Dannon's production of health foods and its commitment to health and nutrition-based CSR activities, communicating these activities to consumers could enhance the company's success, but risked tainting its deeply ingrained CSR as a marketing ploy. Dannon wanted to maintain its holistic approach to social responsibility and commitment to social values. Dannon's CSR focused on three areas: Nutrition and Health, People and Nature. The case follows the perspectives of various stakeholders within the organization, including members of the Marketing, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs departments. Some of the specific questions examined are: Should we communicate Dannon's CSR activities? What would be the best means to do so? Should it be a corporate or brand level campaign? How would the parent company, Danone, respond? Can CSR remain sincere when being leveraged for PR purposes?

As you enter your recently promoted colleague's office, you notice a photo of his beautiful family in their new vacation home. He casually adjusts his custom suit and mentions his upcoming speech in Davos. On one hand, you want to feel happy for him and celebrate his successes. On the other, you hope he falls into a crevasse in the Alps. Envy-the distress we feel when others get what we want-is universal. It affects people at all levels, and it can damage your organization's performance by disrupting teams and undermining knowledge sharing. Research demonstrates that people would much rather learn about ideas that come from other companies than from their internal rivals-and that leads to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. But envy harms the person who feels it most of all. When you're obsessed with someone else's success, your self-respect suffers, and you may neglect or even sabotage your own performance and even your career. Though it isn't easy to manage this emotion, it is possible to prevent yourself from being consumed by it and even harness it to your advantage. A few tested techniques can help you recognize destructive thoughts and behaviors and refocus them into more generous, productive ones. With the right managerial approach, you can also tamp down envy on your team.

When companies face financial shortfalls and market pressures-as virtually all of them have over the past two years-they typically slash innovation cycles, cut personnel, and raise performance goals. They often succeed brilliantly at doing more with less-for a time. But when employees are pushed to work at a fevered pitch every day, month after month, their energy fails. Error rates rise, exhaustion and resignation blanket the company, the best employees defect, and the company's performance suffers. To escape from this acceleration trap, declare an end to the current high-energy phase and have employees abandon less important tasks. And to avoid the trap in the future, institute stop-the-action initiatives, limit the company's goals, and require that project-management systems put the kibosh on mediocre ideas. Equally important is to change the company's accelerated culture: Focus on just one thing for a specified period of time, institute time-outs to give employees time for rejuvenation, and mandate periods of calm between crises.

The conventional wisdom holds that the best way to develop global leaders is to circulate talent through positions overseas. Expose promising managers to new cultures, the thinking goes, and they'll grow and thrive. Unfortunately, that approach isn't enough. Plenty of smart, talented executives fail spectacularly in expatriate assignments. So what does prepare people to thrive in leadership roles abroad? Years of research by the Thunderbird School of Global Management, involving more than 5,000 managers around the world, reveals that success abroad hinges on something called a global mind-set. This mind-set allows executives to cope with the challenges of working in unfamiliar cultures and helps them influence stakeholders who are unlike them. It has three main components: intellectual capital (global savvy, cognitive complexity, and a cosmopolitan outlook); psychological capital (passion for diversity, thirst for adventure, self-assurance); and social capital (intercultural empathy, interpersonal impact, and diplomacy.) It can be measured-with a diagnostic developed at Thunderbird. And it can also be measurably improved-through a development plan that focuses on building each kind of capital.

Liana, a product developer-turned-entrepreneur, is invited back to her old company to take over her former boss's job. She's excited about the prospect of trying out some new ideas there, and the CEO says he's eager to see what she can do, but Liana wonders how receptive to change he and the rest of the executive committee will really be when projects are on the line-and whether her reputation as someone who'd previously quit will harm her ability to lead her old team. Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1004M and R1004Z. Claudio Fernandez-Araoz, a senior adviser at Egon Zehnder International, thinks Liana should conduct a thoughtful, proactive job search rather than jump at this opportunity. Rosario Vaina, a vice president in the financial services practice at AlixPartners, argues that Liana's familiarity with the company, combined with the start-up experience and fresh perspective she's acquired since she left, will give her the tools she needs to succeed in the role.

The renowned primatologist talks about her early, unconventional interest in science and the importance of stories in changing people's minds.

Liana, a product developer-turned-entrepreneur, is invited back to her old company to take over her former boss's job. She's excited about the prospect of trying out some new ideas there, and the CEO says he's eager to see what she can do, but Liana wonders how receptive to change he and the rest of the executive committee will really be when projects are on the line-and whether her reputation as someone who'd previously quit will harm her ability to lead her old team. Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1004M and R1004Z. Claudio Fernandez-Araoz, a senior adviser at Egon Zehnder International, thinks Liana should conduct a thoughtful, proactive job search rather than jump at this opportunity. Rosario Vaina, a vice president in the financial services practice at AlixPartners, argues that Liana's familiarity with the company, combined with the start-up experience and fresh perspective she's acquired since she left, will give her the tools she needs to succeed in the role.

Liana, a product developer-turned-entrepreneur, is invited back to her old company to take over her former boss's job. She's excited about the prospect of trying out some new ideas there, and the CEO says he's eager to see what she can do, but Liana wonders how receptive to change he and the rest of the executive committee will really be when projects are on the line-and whether her reputation as someone who'd previously quit will harm her ability to lead her old team. Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1004M and R1004Z. Claudio Fernandez-Araoz, a senior adviser at Egon Zehnder International, thinks Liana should conduct a thoughtful, proactive job search rather than jump at this opportunity. Rosario Vaina, a vice president in the financial services practice at AlixPartners, argues that Liana's familiarity with the company, combined with the start-up experience and fresh perspective she's acquired since she left, will give her the tools she needs to succeed in the role.

This updated version of the popular "FMC Aberdeen" case describes the unique history and management of a startup plant, now owned by BAE Systems, that manufactures guided-missile canisters for the U.S. Navy. Management is minimized; most of the work is done by self-directed work teams. Suitable for courses or modules on organizational behavior, self-directed work-teams, manufacturing, organization design, high-performance workplaces, management, and leadership, the case reviews the plant's history, philosophy, recruiting methods, evaluation procedure, reward mechanism, career development, and information systems.

The Brooklyn, NY, neighborhood Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO) has seen a revitalization since the late 1970s. The neighborhood's business improvement district (BID) is charged with supplementing New York City's efforts in several areas, including safety, sanitation, marketing, promotional programs, capital improvements, and beautification. Since 2007, the DUMBO BID has done "small things that are collectively big" to improve the area and are in line with New York City's "plaNYC," a blueprint to become a "sustainable city" by increasing water quality, energy efficiency, and open space while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. This year, the DUMBO BID must decide if it should continue its small actions or pursue a neighborhood-wide Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating while constrained by its budget, staff size, and the recession.

CEO Aaron Feuerstein of Malden Mills decided to pay idled workers after a massive fire at his mill in 1995. Focuses on the decisions made post-fire and the rebuilding process and eventual bankruptcy of the company. Also outlines creditors' struggle to decide whether to lend Feuerstein additional funds to enable him to regain control of the company after emerging from bankruptcy.