Consumers increasingly expect brands to have not just functional benefits but a social purpose. As a result, companies are taking social stands in very visible ways. Airbnb used a Super Bowl ad to publicly cement its commitment to diversity. Tecate, based in Mexico, is investing heavily in programs to reduce violence against women, and…
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What Makes Strategic Decisions Different
The past decade has seen a wealth of research on decision making, yet business executives seem impervious to its lessons. The problem is not that they lack the desire to make better decisions. It’s that the bulk of the research does not apply to the kind of decision that’s most challenging for them. Decisions vary…
When Teams Can’t Decide
When cross-functional teams have trouble making decisions, leaders blame psychological factors like mistrust or poor communication. But the problem isn’t the team’s people; it’s the decision-making process. Each member has constituencies in the organization. So each vies for resources for favored projects—virtually guaranteeing an impasse. To break the impasse, the team leader makes a unilateral…
Strategy: The Uniqueness Challenge
The clarion call to increase shareholder value—and the intense scrutiny of investors and analysts—has compelled many companies to focus on quarterly earnings to the point of obsession. Unfortunately, the temptation to downsize and cut costs can lull even the most astute managers into a profit trap that may generate respectable returns in the short run,…