The Unique Psychology of Being a Middle Manager

Idea posted: July 2021

Institutions: University of Southern California Marshall School of Business    University of Toronto Rotman School of Management   

Research on power in organizations often treats power as unidirectional—how subordinates deal with superiors or how superiors deal with subordinates. Two researchers challenge this static, unidirectional perspective with a new…

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Succession Planning Reduces Turmoil and Economic Impact of Departing CEO

Idea posted: December 2016

Institutions: University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School   

The departure of a CEO inevitably leads to disruption and uncertainty — from a nervous workforce unsure of what the future will look like to the markets monitoring carefully the…

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Ten Steps for New Executives: Understand the Culture before Implementing Change

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: IESE Business School   

Implementing change is never easy, but for a newly hired executive working with new people in a new culture, the challenge is even greater. Understanding the current culture of the…

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A Lesson from China: Growth Is Not Eternal So Be Prepared

Idea posted: March 2015

Institutions: ESMT European School of Management and Technology    Tongji University   

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a company that specialized in the large-scale cranes used to load containers onto ships, burst on the heavy machinery landscape in 1992. At that time,…

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Seven Key Steps to Effective Succession Planning

Idea posted: October 2014

Institutions: Stanford Graduate School of Business    The Institute of Executive Development (IED)   

No one would deny the importance of strong, capable leaders at the helm of a company. Successfully managing the transition from a departing leader to a new CEO or C-suite…

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Generalist CEOs Not Specialists Spur Innovation

Idea posted: April 2014

Institutions: Arizona State University    Nova School of Business and Economics    University of Virginia Darden Business School   

Generalist CEOs are CEOs who have worked in different organizational areas, for a number of different firms, in different industries, or even in a conglomerate firm. Former IBM CEO and…

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When Successful Managers Go off the Rails

Idea posted: May 2013

Institutions: Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®)   

Derailment is the term assigned to the phenomenon of once-successful managers whose careers have ‘gone off the track.’ They are no longer effective in their functions or as leaders. They…

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