Discusses the potential of the "cooperative agency management system," a new management system based on the budgeting process that has been adopted at both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. (Author/JG)

Argues that managers need to be skilled at acquiring and using power to do their jobs, and discusses four different types of power they can use to influence others. (JG)

Many companies have accepted their responsibility to do no harm to the environment. In industrialized nations, more companies are realizing that they can reduce pollution and increase profits at the same time. Corporations should lead the way to ensuring a sustainable world. (JOW)

Changes in societies, markets, customers, competition, and technology are forcing organizations to clarify their values, develop new strategies, and learn new ways of operating. The adaptive demands of contemporary life require leaders who take responsibility without waiting for revelation or request. (Author/JOW)

Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Company reorganized, automated, and reengineered all systems related to service delivery. They created a model for the development of associates called Service Delivery University and committed each associate to 80 hours of development per year. (JOW)

Ten executives of color discuss the state of equal opportunities in the workplace and the existence of institutional racism. They conclude that there have been few successes and too little change for the length of time the struggle has gone on. (SK)

British Petroleum's chief executive officer explains how the organization was redesigned to foster learning. Key topics include clear purpose, shared knowledge, distinctive relationships, breakthrough thinking, and peer team structure. (SK)

Reveals what potential backers are looking for in a business plan from would-be entrepreneurs and answers questions addressing the four factors critical to the success of every new venture: (1) people; (2) opportunity; (3) context; and (4) possibilities for risk and reward. (JOW)

Managers who foster innovation succeed in getting different approaches to grate against one another in a productive process called creative abrasion. They nurture and know how to use a cognitively diverse environment. (JOW)

Manufacturers' attempts to boost operating productivity rarely pay off and some do more harm than good. A study of a Belgian manufacturer illustrates characteristics that enhance productivity improvement: (1) production of process knowledge that is well understood and relevant and (2) transfer by combining conceptual and operational knowledge.…

Often, a traumatic event that forces a profound redefinition of the self forges leadership. The stories of a diverse group of business leaders and the "crucible experiences" that shaped them reveal four essential skills: ability to engage others in shared meanings, compelling voice, integrity, and adaptive capacity (applied creativity). (SK)

Although many employers think that people are most creative when under time pressure, research indicates that the opposite is true. Data from 177 employees' diaries showed that creative thinking under extreme time pressure is unlikely when people feel on a treadmill or on autopilot; more likely when they feel they are on an expedition or a…

An effective midlife career change is challenging to bring about successfully. Identity and its relationship to work are key factors. A three-point plan to a successful career change includes the following: know thyself, consult trusted advisors, and think big. (JOW)

Conversational style often overrides what is said, affecting who gets heard and what gets done. Women's linguistic styles often make them seem less competent and self-assured than they are. Better understanding of speech styles will make managers better listeners and communicators. (SK)

Six experts in global sourcing and labor give their opinions on a fictional case study centering on the ethics of child labor used by a multinational company in a developing nation. (SK)