Issue 63, Summer 2011

Cover story

Strategy & Leadership
CEO Succession 2010: The Four Types of CEOs

by Ken Favaro, Per-Ola Karlsson, and Gary L. Neilson

Booz & Company’s annual study of turnover among chief executives — now increasingly diverse, as the world’s largest companies migrate to emerging economies — suggests that the nature of the job varies with the role of the corporate core.

In this issue

Strategic Bets, The Future of Women Leaders in the Middle East, The Art of the Business Narrative, and More

Finance
The Next Winning Move in Private Equity

by Ken Favaro and J. Neely

To outperform their rivals, private equity firms will need to enhance their ability to spur organic growth in the companies they own. (And public companies will need to follow.)
Strategy & Leadership
Strategic Bets

by Ram Charan and Michael Sisk

Sooner or later, most global business leaders will have to put their entire enterprise at risk. Here’s how to do it successfully.
Global Perspective
The Future of Women Leaders in the Middle East

by DeAnne Aguirre, Melissa Master Cavanaugh, and Karim Sabbagh

A number of high-profile women are chipping at the “cement ceiling” in the Gulf countries and making it possible for others to do the same.

Comment

Energy
Will Your Next Electric Company Be a Global Oil Enterprise?

by Viren Doshi, Robert Oushoorn, and Robert Famulok

As the energy markets evolve, oil and gas majors should consider diversifying into power generation.
Thought Leaders
The Art of the Business Narrative

by Art Kleiner

Hollywood producer, executive, and entrepreneur Peter Guber makes the case that telling purposeful stories is an essential skill for leaders.
Finance
Banking on Social Media

by Johannes Bussmann, Paul Hyde, and Jörg Sandrock

Retail banks can use Facebook, YouTube, and other new platforms to better reach their “Generation C” customers.
Organizations & People
Retooling Labor Costs

by Harry Hawkes, Albert Kent, and Vikas Bhalla

Despite years of cutbacks, many companies’ pay structures are still unbalanced. Here’s a dispassionate, logical way to realign them.
Strategy & Leadership
Data Points: Corporate Incoherence

More than half of surveyed executives don’t buy their company’s strategy.
Operations & Manufacturing
Focus and Scale on the Internet

by Tim Laseter

The next wave of online business models must focus narrowly, rather than blindly pursuing scale.
Organizations & People
Eat Your Peas: A Recipe for Culture Change

by Rutger von Post

The methods used by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to promote health in a West Virginia city can also be used to raise organizational performance.
Strategy & Leadership
Crafting Best-in-Class Business Intelligence

by Jamie Campbell, Kenny Kurtzman, and Adam Michaels

Start by choosing the metrics that matter most for your company, and then ensure the support of your employees and partners.
Finance
The New Financial Matchmakers

by Bob Rice

The rise of private market networks is changing the capital markets and opening up new opportunities for business leaders and innovators.

Conversation

The Thought Leader Interview: Henry Chesbrough

by Rob Norton

To escape the commodity trap — and to compete effectively in a knowledge-based economy — business leaders of all kinds need to reinvent themselves as innovators in services.
New Views of Microeconomics

by David K. Hurst

A review of Identity Economics, by George A. Akerlof and Rachel E. Kranton.
New Views of Capitalism

by David K. Hurst

A review of The New Capitalist Manifesto, by Umair Haque.
New Views of Management

by David K. Hurst

A review of Practically Radical, by William C. Taylor.
New Views of Sustainable Commerce

by David K. Hurst

A review of Earth, Inc., by Gregory Unruh.
Is Creativity a Bad Trait for a Senior Leader?

by Matt Palmquist

Supporters of the status quo — not the creative types — are seen as more effective.

Trending articles

1.Closing the agile achievement gap
Despite the wide adoption of the agile method across industries and functions, most companies are barely scratching the surface of its vast potential. Business leaders can change the game by paying careful attention to seven mission-critical factors.
2.Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast?
This chestnut of the business world overlooks the importance of—and the challenge of creating—a clear strategy.
3.Inside Dell Computer Corporation: Managing Working Capital
The secret to excellence lies in doing many things well. It also requires staying focused on the goal even when tempted to do otherwise.
4.A better way to market sustainable products

Research by NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business and PwC highlights the differences between messages that connect with customers and those that miss.
5.The power of generosity in ecosystems
A well-orchestrated network of businesses that look out for one another creates greater value in difficult times.

Follow s+b on LinkedIn Follow s+b on X Follow s+b on Facebook Gets updates via RSS s+b on the Apple App store s+b on the Google Play store

©2025 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. Strategy+business is published by certain member firms of the PwC network. Articles published in strategy+business do not necessarily represent the views of the member firms of the PwC network. Reviews and mentions of publications, products, or services do not constitute endorsement or recommendation for purchase. Mentions of Strategy& refer to the global team of practical strategists that is integrated within the PwC network of firms. For more about Strategy&, see www.strategyand.pwc.com. No reproduction is permitted in whole or part without written permission of PwC. “Strategy+business” is a trademark of PwC.