Year: 2018

Nailing Corporate Reformation to the Door
by Henry Mintzberg

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CO-AUTHORED WITH FREDERICK BIRD In the sixteenth century, there were calls for reforms of the Christian Church, which was then the largest, wealthiest, and most global institution in the world. Some critics engaged in protests, others offered advice or called for a gathering of leaders. But what eventually sparked action was a poster nailed to the door of the All Saints Church, Wittenberg, in the fall of 1517, by Martin Luther, a monk and professor. He posted 95 theses about fundamental issues to be addressed. Thus began the Reformation. Photo credit: Martin Luther [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons At a meeting last November at the Drucker Forum in Vienna, Charles Handy called for a reformation of […]

To Summon the Demon or Not To
By Roger Jihao Yang

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Are you familiar with the ‘Hosts’? A recent science fiction TV series ‘Westworld’ from HBO explores a futuristic story in a fictional and a technologically advanced wild-west-themed park called ‘Westworld’ populated by humanoid robots called ‘Hosts’. Interacting like real humans, the hosts are programmed to fulfill the guests’ desire. The high-paying human ‘guests’ may indulge in their wildest fantasies within the park without fear of reprisal from the hosts, who are programmed in a way that they cannot hurt humans. The world gets topsy-turvy when the robots start remembering their past ‘lives’ and get revengeful on those who took advantage of them. This leads to a discussion on the ethics of human-robot interactions. Will the […]

Emotional Intelligence in the era of Artificial Intelligence
by Sundaresan Lalgudi Natesan

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“I do have a lot of emotions, but my default emotion is to be happy” are the words of Sophia, the social and genius Humanoid Robot. As empathetic AI machines and anthropomorphic robots step into the world and strive to understand human emotions, it is time to put the term ‘Robotic’ to redundancy. We are fast approaching the day when Human and Robot compatibility skills would be listed as one of the sought-after job requirement (assuming one manages to find a job which needs human intervention in the loop). This puts forth a valid question: In the ever-evolving world of machines learning constantly, where does the new learning curve for us as humans commence? With […]

To Maximize Performance, set them Free
Rajeev Peshwaria

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According to Gallup and other employee engagement polls, only 13% of the global workforce is truly engaged and happy at work. Why? Because I believe most traditional management practice is based on two false assumptions: All employees must be given tough stretch goals and managed closely so to achieve them If left to their own devices, employees will do no more than the minimum and productivity will nosedive. The problem with these assumptions is that they ignore a universal law of nature – the 80:20 rule, or the Pareto Principle. In 1906, Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist and sociologist, observed that 80% of land and 80% of wealth in Italy was owned by 20% of […]

The Key to Career Growth: Surround Yourself with People Who Will Push You
by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz

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When thinking about how to develop in our careers, most of us tend to focus on promotions, projects, courses, certifications. We seek out expanded roles, more senior titles, extra money. We overlook one very key piece of the learning puzzle:  proactively surrounding ourselves with people who will push us to succeed in unexpected ways and, in so doing, build genuinely rich, purposeful lives of growth, excellence, and impact. Back in the 1990s, when I was working full-time as a partner in our executive search firm, I pursued one such friend—a leading researcher and writer—and cultivated the relationship for several years. And then, in 1998, during a walk along the Charles River in Cambridge, he surprised […]

Lessons I Learned from Peter Drucker
by Marshall Goldsmith

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At one meeting of the Board of the Peter Drucker Foundation, I asked Peter, “You have written so much about mission—what is your mission?” Peter replied, “To help other people achieve their goals—assuming that they are not immoral or unethical!” Along with his brilliance, Peter was a simple and humble man who wanted to help others achieve their goals. He not only taught me about management, he also taught me about life. By his example, he showed me the importance of loving what you do—and communicating this enthusiasm to others. Peter loved his wife, family, friends, work, and life. His zest for living was always there—even at the end. I visited with Peter shortly before his […]

Trans-managerialism breaks down fences that confine innovation
by Piero Formica

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There is a painting by the German painter Peter von Cornelius (1784-1867) in which one sees Gunther, King of Burgundy, ordering Hagen, a Burgundian warrior, to sink the treasure of the Nibelung. Siegfried, the visionary innovator, will win the Nibelung treasure. Akin to the mythological lineage of the Nibelung, managers hold the vast treasure that consists of customers and consumers. As with Siegfried, visionary innovators will win it. But the past is hard to kill, for the visionaries first appear with products and services that initially look like ugly ducklings. In addition to technological failures, the first steamboats were clumsy and even dangerous, while evolutionary technologies made sailing boats increasingly beautiful and more performing. The […]

The New Imperative: Creating Value for Society, not just Shareholders
Anne Bahr Thompson

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Today, it’s a given that that the playing field for business has changed. Technology and communications are continuously advancing. Dramatic sociopolitical events continue to occur at an accelerating pace. Global leaders have acknowledged that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be met without private sector involvement. And people’s definitions of value are shifting alongside mounting evidence that social and environmental practices impact corporate performance over the long-term. There is no going back. The mantra that has defined our economy and our notions of capitalism for decades – the primary purpose of a corporation is to maximize profits and shareholder value – no longer speaks to the needs and practical realities of our modern society. […]