Opinion pieces by leaders and managers
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Agility, constant learning and customer obsession underpin world-class banking When you hear about a large, established business yearning for a start-up culture, what comes to mind? For most it is some version of more speed and efficiency, and fewer operational disconnects. As big organizations look to rediscover the vitality of … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Kate Cooper urges decision makers, ‘lead us not into something worse’ Mistakes provide critical experience. Many managers and leaders learn their craft by getting things wrong. They review, revise, redo. Much of the time, their second attempt is better than their first. Poor leadership is not always the consequence of … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Like any field, medicine needs great marketing. Giles Lury asks, how will it change after Covid-19? As with many debates, arguments about what will happen after the Covid-19 crisis often quickly descend into the binary: everything will change, or nothing will change. It’s black or it’s white. When it comes … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Growing your company in the 21st century requires you to look outward, not upward The growth of established companies has slowed. Like old oak trees reaching their maximum height, large organizations struggle to expand, losing ground to the competition as they grapple with changes in user behaviour and watch their … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION A history of migration opens eyes even if it doesn’t do what it says on the cover The Next Great Migration is a misleading title. Nowhere in more than 300 pages does Sonia Shah – an insightful and entertaining science writer who produced 2016’s Pandemic – draw a practical conclusion … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Perry Timms uncovers the Schneider Culture Model Time to reboot this column: from smartphone apps, to organizational ‘apps’ – the big ideas that help make sense of how we interoperate with each other and with systems of work. My first pick flows, inevitably, from thinking about the pandemic’s impact on … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Ben Walker reviews the remarkable collection of essays gets that right For a guy who has spent much of his working life on a newsdesk, I’ve had my fair share of workplace accidents. I’ve cut myself with a scalpel when mounting artwork. I’ve fallen over a sandwich board while entertaining … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Leaders need to simultaneously cooperate and compete In the emerging global economy, companies are realizing that a substantial part of their value proposition rests on their ability to forge relationships to add value to their customers.The environment for business is continually changing: technology has enabled new levels of international trade … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION The brain is able to cope with disorder and uncertainty – if you know how it works The coronavirus pandemic has materially changed the way we think, feel and live. Many leaders are in ‘survival’ mode. They are focused on the real challenges of defending their companies and employees from … Read more
READ THE FULL GRAPHIC VERSION Complex challenges demand a dynamic balancing act Japan has the most hospital beds per head in the world: nearly five times as many as the US. It has had a relatively low number of Covid-19 cases: a total around 25,000 at the time of writing, compared to 4 million and … Read more