One oft-cited reason why more female executives don''t advance to top management jobs is their lack of access to informal organizational and industry networks. Some blame unconscious bias; others cite obligations such as office housekeeping and child-rearing that disproportionately fall to women. But some female leaders do establish strong networks, winning greater influence and more-senior positions as a result. A new study sheds light on .....more

Unlike rankings that are based on subjective evaluations or short-term metrics, HBR''s annual list of the best-performing CEOs in the world relies on objective performance measures over a chief executive''s entire tenure--and these "career numbers" tend to hold steady. It''s no surprise, then, that 65 of last year''s CEOs reappear this year. They do so despite a change in our methodology: This year we weighted .....more

When most organizations strive to increase collaboration, they approach it too narrowly: as a value to cultivate--not a skill to teach. So they create open offices, talk up collaboration as a corporate goal, and try to influence employees through other superficial means that don''t yield progress. Companies that excel at collaboration, in contrast, realize it involves instilling the right mindset: widespread respect for colleagues'' .....more

To spur innovation, businesses have spent billions on internal venture capital, incubators, and accelerators. Yet survey after survey indicates these efforts aren''t producing results. Why? Because firms fail to address one major obstacle: the day-to-day habits and routines that regularly stifle innovation. These include such things as poorly run meetings, no slack capacity, few opportunities to speak up, and the notion that doing things differently .....more

In the face of rapid, disruptive change, companies are realizing that managers can''t be expected to have all the answers and that command-and-control leadership is no longer viable. As a result, many firms are moving toward a coaching model in which managers facilitate problem solving and encourage employees'' development by asking questions and offering support and guidance rather than issuing directives and making judgments. The .....more

Digital media consumes a large and growing share of our waking lives, but these goods and services go largely uncounted in GDP. That''s because the measure is based on what people pay for goods and services. If something has a price of zero, then it typically contributes zero to GDP. Policy makers use GDP data to make decisions about how to invest in everything from infrastructure and R&D to education and cyberdefense, and regulators use .....more

Australia''s former prime minister talks about discipline, resilience, and misogyny.

In 2015, Homesake entered the home d cor sector in India by designing, producing, and selling home d cor products, including lighting, tableware, and wall hangings. By 2018, after three years in operation, Homesake had generated sufficient sales that its founder was ready to grow the business internationally; increase its traditional (offline) retail sales; and expand to hotels, bars, pubs, and restaurants. However, challenges related to a possible .....more

Spreadsheet supplement to case 820707.

Ellen J. Kullman, the retired Chairman and CEO of DuPont, describes how she guided the storied science and technology company through a contentious proxy battle with activist investor Trian Partners, which acquired DuPont shares in 2013 and sought to break up the company. Trian''s pursuit of board seats led to a 2015 shareholder vote, which DuPont won under Kullman''s leadership. In a sweeping interview with Professor Lynn S. Paine, .....more