Innovation is central to a firm’s survival. In a world of demanding customers, myriad choices, and constant change, a company must build its competitive advantage on its ability to innovate. However, while espousing the importance of innovation to their employees and managers, companies are finding that they are failing to create a passion for innovation […]
Read More… from Three Sets of Values that Can Inspire a Culture for Innovation
Organizational values can exemplify the old saying that “words are cheap.” Inspiring words about ethics, diversity or sustainability etched on a lobby wall mean nothing if they are not reflected in the performance of actual practices within the organization. While such practices might seem to be developed and formulated at the top management level and […]
Read More… from Corporate Values: Translating Platitudes into Sustainable Practices
If you could eavesdrop on your employees’ conversations, what do you think they would be saying about you? Or if you look back over your own career, considering the good and the bad bosses, how would you describe them? ‘Inspirational’, ‘empathic’, ‘open to new ideas’, or ‘controlling’, ‘autocratic’, and ‘micromanaging’? Whatever the answers, there is […]
Read More… from How Seeing Things Employees-Way Builds Performance
While the commonly accepted wisdom is that new CEOs from the outside will be in a better position to bring change to an organization, the record indicates otherwise. They often fail. Ayse Karaevli of the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, and Edward Zajac of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management challenge the conventional wisdom and […]
Perhaps at one time, ‘corporate burnout’ was attributed to few, mostly C-suite executives. Now, it is much more commonly experienced by employees at all levels of an organization. Increased competition and market pressures means organizations frequently take on more in terms of activities, goals, technologies, etc. than they can handle for a sustained period of […]
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 […]
Traditionally, more men than women have emerged in leadership positions. But over the past few decades, this has steadily been changing. An increasing number of women are taking top leadership roles; as of January 2013, 21 of the 500 Fortune 500 CEOs were female — a milestone for corporate America. But look at the situation […]
Read More… from Women Leaders Are Held Back in Some Cultures More than Others
Diversity management has become a key instrument for employers in recent years. University graduates around the world are no longer predominantly white males, and most companies now have a diversity policy document, with the larger ones also instating Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Officers. However, companies nevertheless face a triple hurdle in implementing diversity management policies, […]
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
Most companies now understand the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and recognize it as a tool to strengthen their businesses while contributing to society at the same time. The challenge they now face is how to deliver CSR strategies and create real value. This Idea offers suggestions to help executives move towards policies that […]
