Most companies understand the benefits of standardizing critical processes: reduced variation, higher throughput and quality, and lower costs. Yet they tend to approach strategic decisions completely differently, thinking that each one is unique and requires its own bespoke process. As a result, they handle similar decisions in vastly different ways. That inconsistency slows them down and leads to suboptimal choices and poor results-a problem that .....more

Designers of consumer-facing digital products have tended to focus on novelty and speed (""move fast and break things""). They''ve spent more effort on innovating than on anticipating how customers-and bad actors-might engage with products. But as digital products become a primary way in which consumers connect with others, pay for things, and store private information, that view needs to change. The authors contend that .....more

Hurtigruten was deciding whether the next ship they built should be fully electric. But such a vessels''s battery, the size of electric cars, needed to be charged on the ship''s multi-day voyage along the Norwegian coast. Before making such a $250 million investment, the company needed to understand where en-route it needed charging infrastructure and how it could access sufficient power at ports. These considerations had to be balanced .....more

Intenseye used its $25 million series A funds to refine and expand its digital safety platform while refining its target markets and ideal customer profile. As the company implemented new approaches to create value for its clients, such as developing an AI-powered virtual assistant software, it continued to resist requests to allow facial recognition and to expand into productivity monitoring.

The case explores the principles and challenges of operational excellence through the experience of Magdi Batato, former EVP of Operations at Nestl . It examines how he implemented Mission-Directed Work Teams (MDWTs) to empower front-line workers, align goals and drive accountability within a collaborative culture. MDWTs, introduced in South Africa and later adapted in Malaysia, emphasized team autonomy, transparent goal alignment and continuous .....more

L Marks (an innovation consultancy firm) has been hired by client Karitus (a global conglomerate) to help Karitus structure and launch Project Elite, an internal innovation program. One objective of Project Elite is to spur cultural change within Karitus by motivating and incentivizing as many employees as possible across the globe to come up with new business ideas. The case describes the process by which L Marks assists Karitus in establishing Project .....more

In June 2024, Elliott Investment Management L.P. (EIM) purchased a $1.9 billion stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV), representing approximately 11.3% of LUV''s market capitalization, making EIM and Vanguard Group, Inc., the company''s largest shareholders. An open letter from EIM stated a desire for change and improved execution. Bob Jordan, LUV''s CEO, must present a compelling vision and plan. The case describes LUV''s .....more

Zara, one of the brands under global retail apparel company Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (Inditex), made its name in the 1990s as the leader in fast fashion by pioneering a new product-development process. But global and industry events had since changed the competitive landscape, and Zara had to adapt or risk getting left behind. While fast fashion may have originally been an innovative way to offer more accessible fashion to consumers, by 2024, .....more

Two expert woodworkers at Craft Wood Furniture, a mid-sized production house that employs approximately 50 people, work on the company''s furniture products in the finishing stages of the production cycles: sanding, primer polishing, and applying final coats of paint. Their expertise is critical to ensure that each furniture item meets the company''s high standards of durability and aesthetics. However, each furniture item differed .....more

Two expert woodworkers at Craft Wood Furniture, a mid-sized production house that employs approximately 50 people, work on the company''s furniture products in the finishing stages of the production cycles: sanding, primer polishing, and applying final coats of paint. Their expertise is critical to ensure that each furniture item meets the company''s high standards of durability and aesthetics. However, each furniture item differed .....more