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A biographical information sheet about Craig Weatherup, president and CEO of Pepsi Cola, North America.

Designed to serve as background reading for the "Managing Your Career" module of the second-year MBA elective Power and Influence. Describes the way in which managers learn and develop through on-the-job experience. Outlines a model for launching a "success syndrome" by building power and influence over the course of one's career. Also identifies some of the special challenges of: 1) managing one's early career, 2) developing power as a minority in the organization and the "glass ceiling" phenomenon, and 3) developing ethical judgment. Focusing special attention on the importance of self-assessment and introspection in building a successful career, the note concludes with a list of questions individuals should ask themselves periodically to take stock of their career and personal development.

Lisa Benton is in her fourth month as an assistant product manager at Houseworld, a leading consumer products company. She has been on the job since graduating from the Harvard Business School, and she has been frustrated from the start by a lack of responsibility, by her poor relationship with her boss and a colleague, and recently, by the negative performance review she received. Concerned about her future at Houseworld, Benton is considering calling her former boss from her summer job to inquire about a position. An updated version of an earlier case.

Provides a follow-up to Lisa Benton (A).

Designed as an overview note for the Managing Your Team module of the MBA second year elective course Power and Influence. Identifies some criteria for evaluating team effectiveness and outlines in detail the key areas of responsibility of team managers: managing the team's boundary, and managing the team itself (including designing the team and facilitating the team's process). Also contains a brief appendix on managing transnational teams as well as substantial bibliographic references for further reading.

Written from the point of view of Richard Jenkins, the president of CelluComm. Presents his reflections on the series of events leading to the firing of one of CelluComm's general managers, Erik Peterson. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Presents a study of two oil rigs and their team relationships within a context of dissension in lower management ranks and a president who is trying to expand the business in a changing economy.

Follow-up to the (A) case.

Provides a framework for understanding the exercise of interpersonal influence in organizations. Describes some of the "myths and realities" of management that new managers discover--specifically, that managers are dependent on a complex network of relationships to get work done, and that they must influence others by relying on sources of power other than their formal positional authority. Describes influence as exchange within these networks of mutually beneficial relationships. Also discusses tactics for avoiding the abuse of power and influence.

Managers report that action planning to resolve interpersonal and organizational challenges is far more demanding than diagnosing them. Although there are many frameworks for evaluating their diagnoses, there are few for evaluating their action plans. Reviews the major criteria for assessing an action plan. Includes a short list of "Key Elements of Action Planning," and a longer list of "Criteria for Evaluating an Action Plan." The list of criteria is written as a series of questions to ask yourself when assessing an action plan.

In the midst of dramatic changes in the information systems industry and declining profits at the ABC Co., the vice president in charge of the sales and service division, Jeff, and his managers attempt to transform their division. The transformation gets off to a good start but soon runs into problems as the managers are forced to lay off employees and to cancel a conference intended to move the transformation forward. Jeff wonders what he should do next as some members of his management team resign and morale is low.

This case traces the evolution of Bacardi Limited's Mexican operation from its inception in the 1930s to its current team-management structure. The case provides an opportunity to examine the growth and maturation of an entrepreneurial organization. It also portrays a variety of managerial styles and structures, affording a discussion of their appropriateness for the competitive environment in each era of the company's life. By extension, students and executives find this case a particularly useful vehicle for exploring and questioning their own managerial styles.

Designed to introduce the concepts of power and power dynamics to students in the MBA second-year elective course Power and Influence. Defines "power" and "influence," and explores the role of power dynamics in managerial work and in the life of organizations. Combats popular notions that "power is evil" and that "power corrupts" by illustrating how power is necessary to bring about productive and creative resolutions to organizational conflict. Describes the positional and personal sources of individual power, and concludes with implications for assessing power dynamics in organizations as an important element of one's career management.

In the 1980s, U.S. business experienced an explosion of new managerial concepts unparalleled in previous decades. Many American managers felt that the emergence of new managerial ideas signaled a rejuvenation of U.S. business. But their thinking doesn't jibe with the facts. American managers did not take charge in the 1980s. Instead, they abdicated their responsibility to a burgeoning industry of management professionals. If business leaders want to reverse this trend, they must reclaim management responsibility--and pragmatism is the place to start. Pragmatic managers are sensitive to their company's context and open to uncertainty. They focus on outcomes and are willing to make do. Pragmatic managers also avoid three common pitfalls, the "let's do it better this time" syndrome and the "flavor of the month" and "let's go for it all" approaches.

In 1990, Lars Kolind decides to abandon his plan to move Oticon A/S headquarters, but insists on the pursuit of his vision for what he now calls the spaghetti organization--so named because of its relative lack of structure. Shortly after implementation, the company suffers further financial losses. A new managing director, brought in by Kolind, begins to address the financial dynamics of Oticon A/S. Within six months, profitability is restored, and by 1993, the company enjoys its greatest profit since its founding in 1904. Has Kolind achieved the competitive advantage he sought with this new organization? Can the spectacular financial success be attributed to the spaghetti organization? How can the new organization be sustained in the years to come? A 1994 EFMD award winner.

In the mid-1985s, Oticon A/S, a Danish manufacturer of high-quality hearing aids, begins to experience significant losses. Lars Kolind, newly named CEO, introduces a vision for company headquarters that would entail a fundamental restructuring and transformation of the organization. Management and employees revolt and refuse a planned move of company headquarters. Should the CEO proceed with the proposed radical change, or has a recent turnaround been sufficient to restore Oticon to its No. 1 market position? In 1990, Kolind decides to abandon his plan to move Oticon headquarters, but insists on the pursuit of his vision for what he now calls the spaghetti organization--so named because of its relative lack of structure. Shortly after implementation, the company suffers further financial losses. A new managing director, brought in by Kolind, begins to address the financial dynamics of Oticon A/S, and within six months, profitability is restored. By 1993, the company enjoys its greatest profit since it was founded in 1904. Has Kolind achieved the competitive advantage he sought? How can it be sustained in the years to come? A 1994 EFMD award winner.

Describes the final decision by CEO Rudi Gassner and the subsequent actions taken by the members of the executive committee.

Explores the roles of CEO Rudi Gassner and the 9-person executive committee in leading BMG International. BMG International is the international music subsidiary of Bertlesmann, a German company that is the second-largest media conglomerate in the world. Describes a 1993 decision that Gassner and the executive committee must make about whether or not to change managers' business plans and bonus targets as a result of a newly negotiate reduced manufacturing cost. Allows for discussion of a number of timely and important issues: 1) the complexities of managing and growing a large global business; 2) the tensions between centralized corporate control and decentralized local management in a global organization; 3) the impact of leadership style on corporate culture and performance; 4) the challenges of leading a senior mangement team; and 5) the final decision by CEO Rudi Gassner and the subsequent actions taken by the members of the executive committee.

Presents the problem facing a newly appointed high-school principal. Raises issues about interpersonal and group behavior including lack of open conflict resolution and the need to intervene in an interpersonal conflict. Also raises the issue of intergroup conflict between headmasters and department chairmen, as well as value questions concerning the need for discipline and innovation. Discusses several structural questions concerning the existing "house system" organization. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a mobile cellular company owned by a parent corporation. Raises issues of corporate divisional relationships and the difficulties facing an inexperienced manager who seems to be receiving little support. A redisguised version of an earlier case.