Hierarchies are everywhere, and the business world is no exception; the distribution of power and status has become a defining feature of today’s organizations. What role, if any, do such ranks play in communication between members of these organizations? This was the thought underlying a recent study led by Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Alison Fragale. Alongside […]
Read More… from Peer-to-Peer Deference in Email Communication
Strategic embeddedness is a priority for companies; a strategy is much more likely to succeed if a critical mass of employees understands and accepts it. Despite this, articles on strategic alignment have tended to focus more on organizational structures, systems and processes than on employees. Why do some people understand and accept their company’s business […]
Read More… from Embed the Strategy (Do Not Rely on Cascading)
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
"What makes a good leader?" is one of the most asked and researched questions of the past few decades. Finding a convincing answer is both more important now than ever and more difficult because we live in a world where an increasing amount of information is being produced and communicated. According to Professor Patrick Bolton, […]
Read More… from Resolute Leadership, Coordination and Corporate Culture
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
What do we know about the structure of a typical C-Suite? Most corporations are run by one, but the formation of them and the roles that comprise the C-Suite have changed considerably and are continuing to do so. Notably, top management teams have been doubling in size since the mid-1980s. The composition of an organization’s […]
Read More… from How Evolving C-Suite Structures Affect Performance
Stepping away from the traditional, overwhelming lists of ideal characteristics for leaders, let’s examine how leadership actually happens. The ‘whole system’ perspective in this Idea, show us that leadership happens in the interactions and exchanges among people with shared work. Specifically, we can highlight three outcomes those interactions should yield: making direction, alignment, and commitment […]
Read More… from Aligning the Organization to Let Leadership Happen
