Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Dawn Metcalfe, author of Managing the Matrix . Design/methodology/approach – Interview. Findings – Discusses the inspiration behind her book, and covers a number of the key themes. Practical implications – Provides...

Findings In every office, every day, there are innumerable acts of sexism. The male manager opening a door for a female employee; the female director giving more encouragement to a female worker ahead of a male equivalent. Technically, these acts are discriminatory on the grounds of gender, and...

Purpose – Describes the policies and practices that have helped W. L. Gore & Associates to win a string of accolades in the Great Places to Work awards. Design/methodology/approach – Examines the founding principles of the company and shows how they work out in practice. Findings –...

Purpose – This paper aims to advance the view that complex organizations rely too much on teamwork, resulting in lower productivity. Design/methodology/approach – It observes that many organizations are moving away from the hierarchical, command‐and‐control style of working, in favor of...

Siemens, once noted for its bureaucratic and hierarchical approach to business, has adopted a grass‐roots and “bottom up” approach to knowledge management, which has transformed the company over the last three years. Without any suggestion or provocation from above, middle‐level...

Despite recording more than $1 billion in annual sales world‐wide, LL Bean faces the pressures of all major retailers – competition, fluctuating sales, overcapacity in the sector and potential squeezes on margins. The business is one of the world’s best‐known brands in outdoor sports and...

A new form of organizational structure is helping the giant Philips electronics company to gain more improvements and innovations from workers on the shopfloor at one of its components plants. Philips Components has adopted the mini‐company concept at its Roermond factory in The Netherlands....

How often have individuals vowed to change their ways, stop, reflect and start over? Large corporations too often face the starker situation of evolve or die – few can do so. Boeing has proved itself one of the global leaders in knowledge management. Given the pressures and increasing strains...

Team‐working is now regarded as essential to operational efficiency. Teams enable fast responses to internal and external change and provide individuals with an environment for effective contribution. However, while there is a large body of research into how teams form and function, less...