Management Practices

Performance reviews lose their luster

November 26, 2015
CEO of GE Jeff Immelt is considering axing annual performance reviews. Instead, it’s experimenting with more frequent performance discussions between managers and staff. The industrial giant is also launching an app for supervisors and employees to share feedback with each other.

Give away power to spur your team

November 20, 2015
Arthur T. Demoulas prefers to lead quietly. He’s the longtime CEO of Market Basket, a regional supermarket chain in New England.

‘Customer journey map’ boosts service

October 28, 2015
As a top executive at Dow Corning, Carol Pudnos wanted to improve the customer experience. So she studied how they interacted with Dow Corning every step of the way—and it changed everything.

CEO’s old-school approach pays off

September 28, 2015
Brennan Mulcahy takes an old approach to sell a new product: His sales force goes door-to-door to sign up customers.

Amex sets template for gender diversity

June 25, 2015
Tech companies could learn about gender diversity from American Express.

CEOs take paternity leave, too

June 18, 2015

Leaders who motivate with action, not words, tend to make a lasting impression. Just ask Chad Dickerson. As CEO of Etsy, the e-commerce website, Dickerson urges the company’s 600 employees to integrate their work with their personal life.

Develop a culture to survive and thrive

May 13, 2015
What do Toyota, IKEA and The Walt Disney Company have in common? In their strong organizational cultures, people instinctively react properly to change. Here’s how to reach that level.

Tap your oddballs for off-the-wall ideas

April 17, 2015

In the late 1960s, Royal Dutch Shell hit a speed bump. The global oil giant suddenly struggled to forecast cash flows—a key element in budgeting and strategic planning. After a series of consultants failed to provide solutions, Shell looked internally for help. An eccentric manager named Pierre Wack stepped up.

Assess rivals with rigorous research

April 8, 2015
Strategic planning starts by understanding how your product or service differs from what’s already available in the marketplace. To pinpoint true differentiators, study what competitors sell without letting your biases interfere.

Growing an empire by breaking the rules

March 30, 2015
Kishore Biyani leads by breaking the rules. He turns conventional wisdom on its head in directing his retail empire in India.