At one time or another, every successful executive has observed or been part of a group that was dedicated to solving an impossible problem or defeating an unbeatable foe. Such groups are usually vital, absorbing, full of debate and laughter ‐ and very hard work. They are almost never...

US business will spend more than $30 billion on training this year. But will organizations get value for money? Argues that the criteria against which training effectiveness is measured should be changed to reflect the changing demands made on the training function.

Many companies are restructuring key business processes to break down barriers between departments. Underlying these efforts is the belief that value is created through horizontal work flows ‐ flows which cut across traditional vertically organized functions and end at some point of contact...

Concurrent engineering is all the rage in new‐product development. It is helping such US high‐technology firms as Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. to improve their designs and get new products on to the market faster. But it throws up a number of important human‐resource problems....

Once upon a time, companies were like ocean liners. Anyone fortunate enough to secure a berth cruised through a career and disembarked at retirement age. Those days have gone, probably for ever. Argues that it is no good believing things can be the same, only a bit different. A fundamental...

When Eastman Kodak decided to change from a traditional organization aligned by function to a focus on customers and corporate success, it recognized the fact that teams outperform individuals. At a recent Management Summit conference held in London, Henri‐Dominique Petit, vice‐president and...

GE Plastics, a division of the General Electric Co., came up with a simple yet powerful idea for teambuilding ‐ by putting its employees to work helping the community. Describes the scheme in detail.

Participation, teamwork, innovation, risk‐taking and empowerment. We all know the buzz words. But how do we bring the concepts successfully to fruition? Provides some important clues.

Many managers pay their star performers too little and their inefficient employees too much. Pay plans often send employees the wrong message or no message at all. Outlines a few simple rules which can iron out many of the problems, and need not cost a lot of money.

Managers have always placed a higher value on action than reflection. Most of them work at an unrelenting pace, focussing on a specific issue for a short period of time, then moving instantly on to the next. But more companies are coming round to the view that managers should be able to call a...