This book examines how organizations can, and should, transform their practices to compete in a world economy. Research results from a multi-disciplinary team of MIT researchers, along with the experiences and insights of a select group of industry practitioners, are integrated into a model that stresses the need for systemic and transformative rather than piecemeal or incremental changes in organization practices and public policy. This integration of research and experience results in an argument for a new organizational learning model--one capable of gaining advantage...

A behind-the-scenes look at today's kingmakers: institutional investors. Out of the public eye, a small group of professionals--investment experts who handle other people's monies--are exerting ever-greater control over corporate managers, firing CEOs and pushing through 'restructurings' that cost thousands of jobs. Michael Useem's "Investor Capitalism" portrays the quiet, veiled nature of this dance of elephants, and portrays the enormous implications of its results. --John Rekenthaler, Publisher, Morningstar, Inc.

Are you ready for the leadership moment?
Merck's Roy Vagelos commits millions of dollars to develop a drug needed only by people who can't afford it . Eugene Kranz struggles to bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home after an explosion rips through their spacecraft . Arlene Blum organizes the first women's ascent of one of the world's most dangerous mountains . Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain leads his tattered troops into a pivotal Civil War battle at Little Round Top . John Gutfreund loses Salomon Brothers when his inattention to a trading scandal almost topples the Wall Street giant . Clifton...

What do you do when it's time to get off the fence?
One of the world's most noted leadership experts, Michael Useem uses dramatic story-telling to show how to master the art and science of being decisive. He places you smack in the middle of people who faced their go point, when actions-or lack of them-determined the fates of individuals, companies, and countries.
- Why on earth did Robert E. Lee send General George Pickett on an almost suicidal charge against the Union lines at Gettysburg?
- How does the leader of a firefighting crew make life-or-death decisions when one...

On February 27, 2010, Chile was rocked by a violent earthquake five hundred times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti just six weeks prior. The Chilean earthquake devastated schools, hospitals, roads, and homes, paralyzing the country for weeks and causing economic damage that was equal to 18 percent of Chile's GDP. This calamity hit just as an incumbent political regime was packing its bags and a new administration was preparing to take office. For most countries, it would have taken years, if not decades, to recover from such an event. Yet, only one year later, Chile's economy had...

When Peter Drucker wrote Concept of the Corporation in 1946, he revealed what made the large American corporation tick. Similarly, The Art of Japanese Management by Richard Pascale in 1981 explained the unique practices developed by the Japanese to bring that country's economy out of the ashes. The emerging Chinese juggernauts--the Alibabas, Lenovos, and Haiers--need similar revelation since they are a different breed in their own right. Little is understood about them, how they work, and what makes them such potentially imposing competitors.
Now, based on unprecedented access to...

A profound and insightful look at how companies prepare for and respond to crises that threaten catastrophic disruption to their operations and even their existence.