Bøger udgivet af Harvard Business Review Press

From emerging technologies to changes in consumer tastes, tremendous opportunities and threats often begin as weak signals from the periphery How good is your organisation at sensing, interpreting, and acting on these signals? George S. Day and Paul J. H. Schoemaker call this capability peripheral vision-and their research shows that less than 20 percent of firms have developed it in sufficient capacity to remain competitive. In this book, they reveal a systematic process for developing peripheral vision and offer practical tools and strategies for building "vigilant organisations" that are constantly attuned to changes in the environment. Through detailed case studies ranging from LED lighting to low-carb foods to children's dolls, the authors show how vigilant organisations win by: scoping widely and asking the right questions; scanning actively in the right places; interpreting what signals mean; probing carefully for more information; and acting wisely on signals before competitors do. This book will help your organisation see farther to seize the opportunities and avoid the risks that come from the periphery.

The author of the bestselling "The First 90 Days" now zeroes in on the most critical skill leaders must master to secure new roles and accelerate their transitions: negotiation.

Over the last decade, the number of services that can be outsourced has grown exponentially. Yet, research suggests that 50% of outsourcing contracts signed during the last three years will fail to meet expectations. Gartner sourcing experts Linda Cohen and Allie Young argue that this is because most organizations are utilizing ad-hoc approaches to outsourcing that are both shortsighted and ineffective. Based on extensive, multiyear research, this book unveils a new operational model-multisourcing-that seamlessly blends internally and externally delivered services not just to cut costs or gain efficiencies, but to maximize growth, agility, and bottom-line results. Through practical frameworks and illustrative company examples, the authors guide managers in creating a customized plan for managed multisourcing, including how to: assess their current sourcing strategy, strike the right types of sourcing deals, set up effective governance systems, select and evaluate service providers, and measure progress. A new approach to a timely business issue from leading experts in the field, Multisourcing presents a roadmap managers can follow to position their firms as tomorrow's industry leaders.

Two converging factors--the ubiquitous presence of technology in organizations and the recent technology downturn--have brought chief information officers (CIOs) to a critical breaking point. They can seize the moment to leverage their expertise into a larger and more strategic role than ever before, or they can allow themselves to be relegated to the sideline function of "chief technology mechanic." Drawing from exclusive research conducted by Gartner, Inc., with thousands of companies and CIOs, Marianne Broadbent and Ellen Kitzis reveal exactly what CIOs must do now to solidify their credibility with the executive team and bridge the chasm that currently separates business and IT strategy. "The New CIO Leader" outlines the agenda CIOs need to integrate business and IT assets in a way that moves corporate strategy forward--whether a firm is floundering, successfully competing, or leading its industry. Mandatory reading for CIOs in every firm, "The New CIO Leader" spells out how information systems can deliver results that matter--and how CIOs can become the enterprise leaders they should be.

Explores the rise of retail's reigning disrupor: retailers who seek to dominate a distinct classification of merchandise and wipe out the competition. Based on decades of research and investigative reporting. Recounts how some retailers have profoundly altered cultural and economic factors.

Most executives believe that winning and keeping customers requires offering something unique. But as physical products are seen as increasingly hard to differentiate, companies resort to branding, gimmicks, and "thinking outside the box.” Meanwhile, customers are less satisfied than they were a decade ago.Patrick Barwise and Seán Meehan argue that most companies have taken differentiation so far that they've left their customers behind. Customers don't want bells and whistles and don't care about trivial differences between brands. What they really want are quality products, reliable services, and fair value for money. Yet most companies consistently fail to meet these basic customer needs.Simply Better is a no-nonsense, back-to-basics manifesto for today's businesses. Barwise and Meehan argue that successful differentiation lies not in unique selling propositions, but in generic category benefits, such as good service, on-time delivery, and quality products, that any company can provide. The key is to deliver these consistently better than competitors. Illustrating this customer-focused differentiation through vivid examples of companies, including Toyota, P&G, Hilti, Tesco, and Ryanair, Simply Better outlines an actionable framework managers can use to:. Understand what customers really value and why they buy the brands they do. Discover basic, unmet needs ripe for reliable solutions. Channel customer dissatisfaction into performance improvements. Balance in-the-box thinking in strategy and innovation with out-of-the-box thinking in advertising and communications. Create a learning culture that continuously responds to changing customer needsWhile being unique might be exciting and appealing, it doesn't drive business success. Simply Better shows how meeting and exceeding the most ordinary of customer expectations can lead to extraordinary-and lasting-rewards.

Whether one is attempting to change the mind of a spouse, a nation or a corporation, an eminent Harvard psychologist offers an original framework for understanding exactly how to do it.

In "A Bias for Action", Sumantra Ghoshal and Heike Bruch reveal that only 10 per cent of managers act purposefully to get truly important work done. "A Bias for Action" shows that great managers produce results not by motivating others, but by engaging their own willpower through a powerful combination of energy and focus. Bruch and Ghoshal provide simple strategies for bolstering individual willpower and action-taking abilities, and explore ways to marshal the willpower of others to encourage collective action.

Over the last decade, and even since the bursting of the technology bubble, pundits, consultants, and thought leaders have argued that information technology provides the edge necessary for business success. IT expert Nicholas G. Carr offers a radically different view in this eloquent and explosive book. As IT's power and presence have grown, he argues, its strategic relevance has actually decreased. IT has been transformed from a source of advantage into a commoditized "cost of doing business"--with huge implications for business management. Expanding on Carr's seminal Harvard Business Review article that generated a storm of controversy, Does IT Matter? provides a truly compelling--and unsettling--account of IT's changing business role and its leveling influence on competition. Through astute analysis of historical and contemporary examples, Carr shows that the evolution of IT closely parallels that of earlier technologies such as railroads and electric power. He goes on to lay out a new agenda for IT management, stressing cost control and risk management over innovation and investment. And he examines the broader implications for business strategy and organization as well as for the technology industry. A frame-changing statement on one of the most important business phenomena of our time, Does IT Matter? marks a crucial milepost in the debate about IT's future. An acclaimed business writer and thinker, Nicholas G. Carr is a former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review.

Exploring the skills managers will need in a workplace in which the power to decide belongs to everyone, this optimistic book shows how we can help create a world that is not just richer, but better.

Teams can be a driving force for organizational performance--and managers can play a key role in teams' ultimate success or failure. Highlighting the latest research on team development and dynamics--and including hands-on tools for improving communication, resolving conflicts, promoting interdependence, and more--this guide helps managers at all levels to motivate teams to achieve higher performance.

Harvard Business Essentials are comprehensive, solution-oriented paperbacks for business readers of all levels of experience. In today's ever-changing business environment, hiring an all-star work force and keeping it in place is a challenge for any organization. With an overview on topics such as recruiting the right people, cultivating the right culture, avoiding employee burnout, and calculating employee turnover, Hiring and Keeping the Best People offers managers a clear understanding of how to hire more effectively and increase retention. Packed with hands-on tips and tools, this helpful guide provides actionable and practical advice for managers and human resources professionals alike.

This radical view of how all successful organizations evolve and renew themselves--and what managers need to do to lead the revival--argues that there are times when managers must deliberately create crises in acts of "ethical anarchy" in order to break the constraints of success and renew their organizations.

Most businesses rely on talent to succeed, but none so much as professional service firms. Within this rapidly expanding, trillion-dollar industry, professionals--and how they're managed--are the primary source of competitive advantage. In fact, success in this sector is determined more by the people you pay than the people who pay you. This path-breaking book provides readers with a practical and integrated perspective on how to win in the unique and tumultuous world of professional services. From strategy to organization to culture, it offers customized insights for businesses in which professionals drive bottom-line results and long-term company success. Respected academic Jay W. Lorsch and accomplished practitioner Thomas J. Tierney apply their broad experience to the realities of "Monday morning" decision making. Their work reflects decades of personal experience, combined with a rigorous study of outstanding professional service firms in industries that include law, information technology, accounting, advertising, investment banking, executive search, and consulting. Aligning the Stars explains what differentiates the "best of the best" within professional services. By describing how to attract, retain, motivate, organize, and lead the stars that shape a company's destiny, this book provides valuable lessons for the current and future leaders of every talent-driven business.

"Breaking Through" profiles minority executives at three different firms who overcame barriers throughout their careers. It provides an unflinching look at the very real obstacles that await minorities in a workforce whose leadership is still predominantly white.

This book focuses on new and useful ways of thinking about strategy in the integrating world economy. What will it take to win in markets and industries that are fundamentally changing and evolving? The key to success, say the authors, lies in owning and leveraging superior intangible assets - talent, knowledge, brands, relationships, and reputation. Examples of early leaders in the global game, reveal how winning players mobilize their intangible assets in a coherent strategy for an integrated global economic arena. Race for the World shows managers and strategies that market leaders must approach the unfamiliarity and uncertainty of the new economy not as a problem to avoid, but as an opportunity to shape their company's future - and shows them how to do so.

According to the authors, we are on the threshold of the Experience Economy, a new economic era in which all businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers. "The Experience Economy" offers a creative, highly original, and yet eminently practical strategy for companies to script and stage the experiences that will transform the value of what they produce.

Finding the right successor to a well-loved founder or president is often the most difficult task an organization can face -- and the challenge can be even greater for family-run businesses. "Succeeding Generations" explores leadership transitions in family businesses, offering a clear-eyed assessment of the different options, from direct succession to building partnerships between siblings and cousins.Family-owned companies may dominate the worldwide business landscape, yet surprisingly few are successfully passed down from one generation to the next, and fewer still reach the third generation intact. Author Ivan Lansberg, an organizational psychologist who grew up in a family business, examines the reasons behind this high failure rate and reveals the factors that contribute to long-term success. He offers practical advice on how to mentor successors, how to set up a systematic selection process, and how to make the best use of the board of directors during times of transition.With a wealth of examples from companies in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, "Succeeding Generations" provides a thoughtful and comprehensive look at the sensitive dynamics of leadership succession in family businesses.

Record-breaking economic growth. Rapid global expansion. Dizzying technological innovation. As we head toward the new millennium, there are more opportunities than ever to create new value, satisfy customers, and make money. But given today's bewildering array of management methods, how do you determine which path to follow -- and how do you adapt your company for the journey? "Invented Here" shows that to succeed in a market where consumers increasingly demand customized goods and services, you must look within your own organization to invent, develop, and deliver the distinctive competencies that ensure growth and profitability.With examples from companies such as Taco Bell, Dell Computer, Xerox, and Merrill Lynch, "Invented Here" is a blueprint for building on the capabilities you already have in order to create more value today, for tomorrow. This is a pioneering guide to using the knowledge that resides within your company in the actual transformation of work: the nature of what you do, the value that you can create with your customers, and the organizational knowledge to be mined along the way.