Strategy & Leadership
The New Supercompetitors
Companies that realize the power of their capabilities can shape how industries evolve. And watch the related video.
Issue 76, Autumn 2014
In this issue
The Entrepreneurship Coach, Kill Your Performance Ratings, Lenovo Goes Global, and More
Cover story
Organizations & PeopleThe Entrepreneurship Coach
Working with startups showed Ernesto Sirolli how anyone can have more impact: Shut up and listen.
Global PerspectiveLenovo Goes Global
China’s most recognizable brand has plans to overtake Apple and Samsung.
Organizations & PeopleKill Your Performance Ratings
Neuroscience shows why numbers-based HR management is obsolete. And watch the video “How Your Brain Responds to Performance Rankings.”
Thought LeadersRobert Sutton’s Guide to Excellence
The Stanford professor’s latest research explores the practices that enable companies to scale what they do best. And watch the video “How to Scale Up Excellence in an Organization.”
Leading Ideas
Global PerspectiveDoing Business Where Governance Is Weak
Eight principles for succeeding in markets prone to ethical and legal risks.
Young ProfsThought LeadersKatherine Milkman on Why Fresh Starts Matter
The Wharton professor says moments when you wipe the slate clean can help you meet your goals. And watch the video “How the Fresh-Start Effect Creates a Clean Slate.”
Organizations & PeopleDoes Your Company Keep Its Promises?
Despite best intentions, many businesses struggle with “commitment drift.”
Operations & ManufacturingWarfare, Software, and Industrial Design
The benefits of an organic, more iterative approach to product development. See also “Lessons in Product Design from Modern Warfare — In Pictures.”
Consumer Productss+b Trend Watch: Supermarkets’ Misguided Strategy
Why are grocery stores building up while sales go down?
Essays
For Honda, Waigaya Is the Way
At the Japanese auto giant, unplanned, agenda-free meetings are ubiquitous and indispensable.
How Old Industries Become Young Again
Five indicators reveal when your sector is about to be transformed by dematurity.
Reimagine Your Enterprise
Make human-centered design the heart of your digital agenda.
Three Secrets of Organizational Effectiveness
How the practices of “pride builders” can help you develop a high-performance culture.
Books in Brief
Genius Is a Team Effort
Michael Schrage reviews two notable books by veteran Silicon Valley journalists that seek to explain collaborative charisma.
The Downside of Competition
In A Bigger Prize, former CEO Margaret Heffernan argues that the corporate world has an unhealthy obsession with winning.
Moore’s Law Is Still Changing Everything
In The Second Machine Age, two MIT professors show how the exponential growth of new technologies is remaking the world.
Recent Research
The Art and Science of Add-On Fees
Companies must find a balance between the luxuries customers will pay for and the necessities they expect.
