The industrial age bought with it bureaucratic principles of work organization. Things we now consider commonplace were considered major innovations, such as employing staff in an official capacity, building hierarchies of authority and task-specialized division of labour. This model served well during that time, but now we are on the midst of an information ‘revolution’; […]
Read More… from Organizational Capabilities Fit for the Future
For big corporations, regardless of industry, making disruptive changes is not a question of money: many have substantial budgets. It is a question of mind set and how you position the innovative disruption on the balance sheet – and that can be the downfall of many innovations. Giles Hilary in his paper ‘Does accounting Conservatism […]
Read More… from Don’t Let CFOs and Accountants Slow Innovation
Research shows that 50 to 75 per cent of all change initiatives fail. And yet, some companies are consistently better at successfully implementing change, and some leaders successfully lead a variety of important change initiatives throughout their careers. What is the key ingredient to this success? According to Greg Shea, Adjunct Professor of Management and […]
Flattening (or delayering) of hierarchies within an organization has been called for by much recent literature. In theory, flattening is supposed to help push decisions downwards to enhance customer and market responsiveness and improve accountability and morale. In this Idea, however, Harvard Business School’s Professor Julie Wulf suggests that many companies that flatten their hierarchies […]
Read More… from Flattened Organizations: When Cons Outweigh Pros
In 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it attempted to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The disaster was found to have been caused by a piece of foam insulation that had broken away and struck the left wing during launch. Further investigations revealed that some of the NASA engineers had suspected the damage when the […]
Read More… from Leadership Dyads: Beauty, Disaster, and the Big Five
It is a rare company that is able to anticipate a new set of requirements, mobilize resources to meet them, radically change their ways and reclaim leading positions in their industries. Examining these rare examples can help us understand how their successes can be replicated. In order to look at how these companies achieve successful […]
Read More… from Jump Before You’re Pushed: The Companies That Change Without Pressure
Change is frequently experienced as a risky transition in today’s organizations. The impact of the failure of a change initiative can be high; as such, managers and leaders have to get to grips with what change is about, and learn how to manage it successfully. Recognizing this and drawing on research by members of Cranfield […]
Read More… from Establishing Sustainable Change in Organizations
