December
2006
Bain & Company's Frederick Reichheld has argued that there's a single, magic question that business leaders should ask their customers in order to grow. His viewpoint has won many converts, but John H. Fleming, a Gallup principal, definitely isn't one of them. In this probing article, Fleming argues that executives should be very wary of using one-item indicators for any important business metric, regardless of how simple it might appear. He makes a case for a compelling, and more meaningful, alternative.
Most companies face barriers that prevent them from fully engaging customers and employees. This article explores the root causes of these barriers. It shows how to permanently remove them to clear a path to greater engagement.
When the nearly 900 workers at a Texarkana mill faced a weakening market and, worse, multiple rounds of downsizing, they could've given up and waited to lose their jobs. But instead of choosing to be victims of the global economy, they consciously -- and conscientiously -- set about saving their mill, and themselves. Here is their success story.
The long-awaited follow-up to the management bestseller First, Break All the Rules is out this month. In this interview, Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter, Ph.D., authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing, reveal how human nature affects business performance, why legislating processes dooms outcomes, and why praising employees yields such high profits.
The precepts of the Positive Psychology movement have profound implications for both huge multinational corporations and the micro-enterprises that represent the seeds of a better future in developing nations. Business leaders and leading social scientists explain why.