Editor’s Choices for Week Ending Aug 10, 2012
Article of the Week
Managing Effectively in a Matrix (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: The skills needed for a leader to thrive in a matrix operating environment — empathy, conflict management, influence and self-awareness — can be identified, developed and honed. Organizations and individual leaders need to take the initiative to broaden their traditional notions of what it takes to succeed as a leader and start taking a closer look at measuring, cultivating and rewarding these crucial matrix-related leadership capabilities.
Article of the Week
Management Innovation
Managing Effectively in a Matrix
Big Idea: The skills needed for a leader to thrive in a matrix operating environment — empathy, conflict management, influence and self-awareness — can be identified, developed and honed. Organizations and individual leaders need to take the initiative to broaden their traditional notions of what it takes to succeed as a leader and start taking a closer look at measuring, cultivating and rewarding these crucial matrix-related leadership capabilities..
HBR Blog Network
August 10, 2012
Editor’s Choice Articles
The Problem With Performance Reviews (NYTimes)
Big Idea: At TerraCycle, a culture has been built where feedback is given often and evenly to all 110 employees. They do this through a weekly reporting that requires every department to submit a detailed biweekly report to the whole company (every employee). In other words, everyone in the company sees the same reports that top management does.
Corporate Success vs. Failure – 30 Points of Distinction (Forbes)
Big Idea: Businesses don’t fail – leaders do. So in an attempt to help leaders understand what it takes to make the shift from the old paradigm to the new Mike Myatt created an image to help leaders connect the dots – an image to conduct an assessment of your organization, and then use it as a leadership road map for change.
Blank Checks: Unleashing the Potential of People and Businesses (Strategy+Business)
Big Idea: In 2007, the leadership team of Kraft’s developing markets identified Tang as one of their top 10 focus brands, and came up with an unusual strategy for boosting the brand’s sales back into the stratosphere: Tang leaders in key countries such as Brazil were given a “blank check,” essentially urging them to dream big and not worry about resources. The results have been astounding.
Autonomy or Compliance? Navigating the Balance (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: How do you enable people to take the initiative to make needed creative decisions in their work with the equally important discipline needed to follow standard procedures? The answer isn’t obvious.