Organizational Performance

Leadership: Preparing for an Uncertain Future

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT

By investing in leadership development, ALJ Saudi Arabia automotive has been thriving amid the financial crisis. But its success isn’t the product of chance or serendipity. ALJ has been preparing for the worst as well as the best for several years, writes a top company executive.

How The Ritz-Carlton Manages the Mystique

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT

All companies do things like pay close attention to standard business measures and train their employees. But this luxury brand watches things that most companies ignore, then uses what it learns to create ongoing, top-to-bottom learning.

Help Wanted in India

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With net sales of $6 billion in 2007 and with enough might and fame to attract knowledge workers, Stryker is a prominent company worldwide. Yet even this highly successful global business faced major hurdles in hiring talented software developers and engineers in India.

Sharing Knowledge Improves Stryker’s Performance

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Measuring internal customer service is driving positive results in one of the world’s biggest medical equipment companies. This profile of a major division of Stryker -- with 1,800 employees in 21 countries who speak almost two dozen different languages -- reveals how.

Great Leadership Under Fire

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Following a drought and a disastrous harvest, farmer cooperative Auglaize Provico saw profits plummet. The losses were devastating and possibly fatal. But under the leadership of a persistent and visionary CEO, Larry Hammond, the co-op turned calamity into victory, and profits rebounded substantially. In fact, Hammond's small co-op, a remnant of 19th-century farming, achieved things that global mega-companies and trillion-dollar governments fail to do all the time. Here's how.

Probing the Dark Side of Employees' Strengths

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Managers who introduce a strengths-based approach to their teams invariably ask this question: Is there a "dark side" to employees' strengths? Can a person with strong command become too pushy, or a person with strong analytical talents drive colleagues crazy with endless questions and hypothetical scenarios? In this article, a strengths expert probes these vexing questions and, using real-life examples, offers surprising (and reassuring) answers.

An International Paper Mill Saves Itself

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Don't Mislabel Your Employees

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

If you manage someone whom you think is too "bossy" or "opinionated," read this article. You'll find that those seemingly negative traits, among others, may actually provide clues to that employee's talents and strengths.

How Ann Taylor Invests in Talent

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Does spending on workplace learning and development deliver measurable business results? Is employee education a "nice to have" for organizations, rather than an essential investment? The retailer Ann Taylor has been wrestling with these questions for some time. A leading executive there explains how the company has created a clear and measurable link between its investment in developing talent and its bottom-line business performance.

How The Ritz-Carlton Is Reinventing Itself

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Brand recognition alone doesn't keep hotel guests coming back, says Simon Cooper, chief operating officer and president of one of the world's most admired companies. In fact, that recognition is just the first step in a customer's journey toward engagement. In this candid interview, Cooper discusses how The Ritz-Carlton's fame can undermine its brand promise, how to train staff to be spontaneous, and why engagement is the company's key commodity.

To Form a More Perfect Customer Experience

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Business leaders, take note: You can learn a lot from the federal government. This profile delves into how a Department of Labor agency became a model purveyor of customer engagement.

Stryker Selects Top Talent

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

For more than two decades, this global company has delivered at least 20% organic growth annually. Stryker executives attribute this achievement largely to recruiting people who have the right innate talents to drive the business forward. Indeed, attracting and retaining a high-performing and self-motivated workforce is central to the company's corporate strategy.

How Marriott Vacation Club International Engages Talent

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT

When Marriott Vacation Club International launched two new initiatives in 2003 aimed at improving employee performance, some in the company doubted whether the investment would pay off. But one year later, the financial results convinced even the skeptics: "I'm finally seeing a people solution that really impacts the business," says a top MVCI executive.

Are You Selling Your People Short?

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 11:00:00 GMT

Corporate managers routinely subject employees to performance reviews that emphasize people's "areas for improvement," not their talents. The problem with this approach is that by focusing on weaknesses, organizations fail to capitalize on their employees' strengths. It's time to view your people differently.

Wachovia Takes Customer Engagement to the Bank

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Wachovia is doing great things for customers and shareholders, but this wasn't always the case. Just a few years ago, service hit a low point, and the company struggled to keep its customers. A crucial factor in Wachovia's turnaround, says CFO Bob Kelly, is "the bank's tremendous success in increasing the quality of service we provide our customers."

Caterpillar Constructs a Leadership Pipeline

Thu, 10 Jun 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Caterpillar Inc. is undertaking a major new construction project: building an even better organization -- one that excels at finding and developing its next generation of global leaders. And, using proven leadership assessment tools, the Fortune 100 giant has already unearthed top talent.

How Saks Welcomes New Customers

Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Three years ago, Saks Fifth Avenue faced a serious challenge in attracting and welcoming new customers. The difficulty would be to manage the “soft side” of the business -- what customers and employees felt. Here’s how Saks gets and keeps new customers -- that is, how it remains exclusive without excluding anyone.

Why Big Lots Customers Keep Coming Back

Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

The giant retailer keeps prices low -- but its stock value high -- by engaging employees, who in turn engage customers

Manager: Know Thyself

Thu, 10 Jul 2003 00:00:00 GMT

There is no such thing as a perfect manager and no ideal set of management talents, according to Gallup research. So then what separates the best managers from all the rest?

B&Q Boosts Employee Engagement -- and Profits

Thu, 08 May 2003 00:00:00 GMT

When corporate leaders say, "Our people are our most valuable asset," they're usually expressing an emotion, not citing evidence. But at B&Q, Europe's largest home improvement retailer, the importance of people is a matter of quantifiable fact. B&Q has amassed statistically valid proof that engaged employees are key to greater productivity and customer engagement, and, by extension, higher profits.

Fairmont's Talent Strategy Delivers Results

Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Fairmont can quantify how some job applicants will outperform others. For example: "Recommended" applicants for sales management positions produce 36% more revenue annually than their rivals who are "not recommended" for those jobs. Here's how this hotel company delivers service excellence -- and achieves measurable performance results -- by hiring for talent.

Marriott's Gamble Keeps Paying Off

Wed, 12 Feb 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Marriott's move into the timeshare/vacation ownership business took guts, given that market's once-dubious reputation. But its Vacation Ownership division's skyrocketing sales growth this past decade vindicates the decision. Here's how Marriott is succeeding, while strengthening -- not damaging -- its brand.

Building a Team With Talent

Mon, 17 Sep 2001 00:00:00 GMT

In sports it's often called chemistry: that blend of talent that makes a team able to accomplish the impossible. It's a balance that all managers want, whether they're coaching a baseball team, or leading a business initiative. Here are some strengths-based strategies for putting together a team that's more than the sum of its parts.

Pushing the Envelope

Sun, 17 Jun 2001 00:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Postal Service handles 200 billion pieces of mail a year -- and faces an awesome customer service challenge. The U.S.P.S. wanted to link data to specific postal centers and people to fix problems and increase customer satisfaction. Find out how a new Web-based reporting system provides those links.

Picture This: Your Customer

Thu, 15 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Many factors prevent suppliers from really "seeing" their customers or intimately understanding customer needs and requirements. These factors include managers who succumb to an "us versus them" mentality, organizational structures hostile to customer needs and short-term pressures that favor expediency over a long-term view. These invisible barriers are tall and sturdy. But seeing beyond or through them is possible when managers think like those athletes who nourish a mental picture of the finish line.