Forward to normal
Entertainment and media companies are building business models that are resilient to the enduring changes in consumer behavior ushered in by COVID-19.
Issue 101, Winter 2020
Cover story
In this issue
GMOThe urgent need for sophisticated leadership
The pandemic has highlighted a series of paradoxes inherent to the work of leaders. What comes next will depend on how well they face up to them.The road to successful change is lined with trade-offs
Rather than trying to convince people your change initiative is the right one, invite them to talk openly about what it might take to implement it: the good, the bad, and the frustrating.- GMO
Creating the office of the future
In a remodeled world, it is vital for companies to reinvent ways of working.
Leading Ideas
- Consumer & retail
Consumer companies must take leaps, not steps
As shoppers show how quickly they can adapt to external shocks, retailers will need to radically reconfigure their business models. - Leadership
How company leaders can promote racial justice in the workplace
Embrace four principles to turn today’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives into sustained progress. - Tech & innovation
How companies can transform information into insight
Focus on six organizational elements to build a world-class data and insights capability in the post–COVID-19 world. - Workforce
Connecting the dots in an uncertain world
NYU’s Christian Busch makes the case that serendipity is a skill, resulting from a mindset that allows you to see and act on opportunities in seemingly unrelated facts or events. - Workforce
How businesses can fast-track innovation to help during a crisis
“Unrealistic” timelines can actually work. Here’s how.
Essays
- Workforce
Sustaining productivity in a virtual world
Maintaining productivity levels among remote employees is an enduring challenge. Here are five ways to help people and businesses thrive in the post-pandemic world of work. - Strategy
Enterprise agility and experience management efforts work best when they work together
Many companies achieve early wins with separate transformational efforts, then stall. But if combined and enhanced using “return on experience,” or ROX, measures, these two programs can unlock each other’s potential.
Best Business Books 2020, with slideshow
Best Business Books 2020: Talent & leadership
From the outside inBest Business Books 2020: Strategy
Strategy with a purposeBest Business Books 2020: Narratives
Gunning for historyBest Business Books 2020: Management
Managing in a pandemic yearBest Business Books 2020: Economics
A master class in conflictsBest Business Books 2020: Technology & innovation
Failure and the root of inventionBest Business Books 2020: Marketing
Paying attention to humansBest Business Books 2020: s+b’s Top Shelf
Our picks for the best business books of 2019 in seven categories. See also the slideshow “Top shelf picks: Best Business Books 2020."
The Thought Leader Interview
Empathy: The glue we need to fix a fractured world
Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki explains that whether we are dealing with business, politics, or personal matters, it’s possible — and advantageous — to train ourselves to be more empathic.
Endpage: Recent Research
- s+b Blogs
When the CEO gets divorced, who else pays the price?
More marriages are expected to end following COVID-19 lockdowns, and boards should be aware of what that means for CEOs.
Trending articles
- 1.The rise of the eco-friendly consumerDuring the pandemic, people have become more sensitive to the environmental impact of their shopping decisions—and companies are responding.
- 2.Mastering the connection between strategy and culture
Business leaders often are tempted to focus on strategy over culture. But the strongest companies take four key actions that deliver the best of both.
- 3.10 principles of organization designThese fundamental guidelines, drawn from experience, can help you reshape your organization to fit your business strategy. See also “A guide to organization design.”
- 4.10 principles of strategic leadershipHow to develop and retain leaders who can guide your organization through times of fundamental change. See also "Find Your Strategic Leaders.”
- 5.Rethinking total reward strategiesPay, incentives, and benefits haven’t significantly changed for decades, but people’s preferences have. Employee compensation needs a rethink if companies are to attract and retain talent.
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