417 Posts found for Source: Ivey Business Journal

In stealth-like fashion, outsourcing can erode a manufacturer’s competitive advantage. Believing that profits will rise if it starts to outsource, a company can lose sight of the fact that it is gradually – and unwittingly – losing the capabilities that have differentiated it. But turning inward, specifically to employees, and enabling them to re-capture the company’s reputation for process innovation will help re-build a sound … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Chris Piper | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Innovation

It could be construed as “going back to the future,” but working in a more concrete world – not in the virtual world – can change the way we look at and think about many things. The value of such a profound change resides in its proven ability to spur innovation. These authors describe how individuals and organizations can effect such a change.

Content: Article | Authors: John E. Sawyer, Terri L. Griffith | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Innovation

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Many managers disdain “process” – organizations that put a premium on “the way things have always been done around here” over those that champion bold and rapid decision making. Ironically, as this author states, making the right decision is less important than focusing on how the decision is made – the process. In a compelling argument he makes the case that examining how decisions are … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Michael A. Roberto | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Personal Development

Performance-based goals are commonly used to evaluate an employee, but in certain situations, goals based on performance may not be appropriate. Those situations occur when an employee is faced with new or complex task, and in this case, says the author, it may be better to set goals that are based on an employee’s progress in learning a task, than on his or her actual … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Gerard H. Seijts | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Management

Many CEOs are naturally inclined – and responsible for – overseeing the day-to-day operations of their respective firms. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but in the years ahead, one of a company’s major competitive advantages will be its ability to attract, develop, excite and retain talent. Responsibility for managing that talent is already being assumed by some CEOs, who, these co-authors and … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Beth Axelrod, Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Human Resources, Leadership, Management

Evaluating country risks is a crucial exercise when deciding where to set up operations in a foreign country. While some risks can be managed with insurance or hedging strategies, others can be measured with a risk-analysis. Though uncertainty will remain in either case, it can be transformed into planned uncertainty, with no surprises in store and contingency plans in place. The author discusses the analytical … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: David Conklin | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: International, Risk Management

In a downturn, a company can sometimes be its own worst enemy. For example, consider marketing, where research suggests that companies that cut their marketing budgets during the last three recessions trailed the growth of their peers by more than 20 per cent once the economy started to improve. These co-authors, consultants with McKinsey & Company, maintain that a focus on improving the effectiveness of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Christopher Halsall, Kathleen L. McLaughlin | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Marketing / Sales

Self-image at work is a critical and often overlooked factor in the process of change. People change jobs and careers, but rarely do they think about changing their self-image. Perhaps that’s because self-image operates just below awareness, but still colors our perceptions, emotions and actions. Leaders who are not conscious of this fact tend to cling to their old self-image that keeps them from changing. … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Rick Lash | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Change Management, Organizational Behavior, Personal Development

Alliances will have a major impact on management in the 21st century. In an alliance, managers will have to make difficult decisions about when to partner and with whom, as well as how to structure and manage the partnership. Those managers who can leverage information and knowledge across each stage of the alliance process will find that a knowledge-based approach is critical to the success … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Lis Sasson, Salvatore Parise | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Knowledge Management

The quick, invisible shift from information overload to information assault has created, almost ironically, at least one, significant deficit: In every organization today, attention is a scarce resource. That scarcity has serious implications for leaders, managers and front-line staff. Reflecting on our own experience may be the best indication of how serious this problem is for any business. Do you know anyone who isn’t becoming … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: John C. Beck, Thomas H. Davenport | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy

Knowledge sharing allows teams and individuals to more quickly develop solutions to difficult problems, reduce costly duplication of effort, and create new, innovative solutions through collaboration. But, most knowledge sharing practices neglect the group or individual who will receive and hopes to leverage the knowledge. Written to help the reader empathize with and understand the particular needs of the knowledge sharer, this article suggests what … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Nancy M. Dixon | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Knowledge Management

Managers who have difficulty either believing or appreciating that knowledge management delivers tangible benefits would do well to read this article by a consultant and academic at the United Kingdom’s Cranfield School of Management. Mr. Murray’s four-step program for delivering intangible benefits include making knowledge management a demand-led activity keyed to business results; focusing on areas where investments in knowledge management will yield the best … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Peter Murray | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Knowledge Management

Never make a decision yourself that can be reasonably delegated to a lieutenant and never make a decision today that can be reasonably put off to tomorrow. If these observations fly in the face of conventional wisdom, it is because they are meant to. The author may be a conventional man, but his thoughts about what make a leader effective are original and offer sound … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Steven B. Sample | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Management, Personal Development

Developing global executives is an expensive proposition that can produce a significant return – provided that the corporation uses the knowledge and expertise it gained from earlier experiences effectively. These co-authors interviewed 101 individuals who succeeded in their international postings and concluded that poor management of three factors contribute to the failure of international executives: the individual, the cultural context, and organizational mistakes. Based on … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: George P. Hollenbeck, Morgan W. McCall, Jr. | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Human Resources, International

When it comes to communicating effectively, leaders must not only be mindful that less is more but that strategy trumps tactics. These co-authors, professors and communications consultants, argue that leaders are more than willing to communicate, but that they too often approach the task on a tactical rather than strategic level. Moreover, these same leaders may use every medium and format available, but they rarely … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Laurey Berk, M. Lee Williams, Phillip G. Clampitt | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Leadership

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

Content: Quotation | Author: Albert Einstein | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subjects: Innovation, Thought

Ultimately, it is the quality of the company’s dialogue that will determine how it receives the incoming flow of rapidly changing information. Whether the information confuses and overwhelms, or informs and inspires will have a direct impact on the decision-making process, and by extension, on the performance of the company.

Content: Quotation | Authors: Jan Birchfield, M. Carl Johnson III, Paul Wieand | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Communication

When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From that point on loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.

Content: Quotation | Author: Colin Powell | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Leadership

Bad news isn’t bad wine. It doesn’t improve with age.

Content: Quotation | Author: Colin Powell | Source: Ivey Business Journal | Subject: Communication