Purpose: The author contrasts 20th Century hierarchical management with Agile influenced 21st Century management, which is more suited to modern realities. Design/methodology/approach: Understanding how 20th Century and 21st Century management differ offers an evidenced-based theory why...

Purpose: To implement a customer-centric vision in the digital era requires leadership that champions principles, processes and practices that promote customer value and corporate agility. Design/methodology/approach: In the digital age organization the CEO’s job description, and those of all...

Purpose: What is required to deliver innovation that meets evolving customer needs is a process of learning from the future. Design/methodology/approach: The major financial gains in the digital economy usually flow from generating innovations that create entirely new markets by turning...

Purpose: The transition from shareholder value primacy to customer-centricity is a multi-dimensional challenge for leaders. Design/methodology/approach: Five books that provide guidance.by insiders are suggested. Findings: Nadella confronted culture on day one and announced that from then on,...

Purpose: Despite today’s profusion of customer-centric rhetoric, most business people still believe that the primary purpose of business is profits. But the most resilient and sustainably successful firms consistently select one primary purpose: enrich the lives of their customers. 10;...

Purpose: The article reports on anti-hierarchical approaches to managing work outside the U.S. and independent of software development as evidenced in presentations at the November Drucker Forum by the French group, Vinci and the Chinese group, Haier. Design/methodology/approach: The article...

Purpose: As senior executives increasingly explore Agile management in their operations they are discovering that their practices in managing people also require transformation. Design/methodology/approach: The article, with an attached case, explores how some leading companies are radically...

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show how companies that embraced the Agile management mindset succeeded at continuous innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The article describes the processes and mindsets of companies that successfully and unsuccessfully adopted post-bureaucratic...

Purpose: While the principles of Agile management are simple, the implementation of the actual “Laws of Agile” is daunting to managers trained in the traditions and culture of hierarchical management. This article offers a context for the three laws. Design/methodology/approach:...

Purpose: The article offers a clear and succinct account of the Amazon approach to Agile management (though it doesn’t call it that, and offers best practices to enable others to learn how to think–and act–like Amazon. Design/methodology/approach: The article draws on the insights and...