How to Tame a Belligerent Colleague

April 5, 2021

How to Tame a Belligerent Colleague

By Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries   Antagonistic behaviour is usually rooted in low self-esteem. Serge faced a conundrum. One of his business partners was in a legal dispute with Serge’s father, Charlie, and asked for his help. Serge knew that his father was prone to suing everyone who crossed his path – including […]

Who Wins the Market: The Swift or the Smart?

March 29, 2021

Who Wins the Market: The Swift or the Smart?

By Bart Zhou Yueshen   Both speed technology and information are vital trading inputs. The stock market, as we have recently seen with the GameStop furore, can be a bit of a rollercoaster. Investors are at work trying to use both better information and ever faster trading algorithms to profit from the market. Speed and […]

Regulating the ‘Wild West’ of Token-Based Business

March 29, 2021

Regulating the ‘Wild West’ of Token-Based Business

By Aly Madhavji   Evolving standards of crypto regulation may actually result in sharper oversight than is common in the non-token world. The rise of initial coin offerings (ICOs), initial exchange offerings (IEOs) and token business models have been subject to intense scrutiny over the past few years. A majority of them have been identified […]

Reverse Mergers Went Bust. Will SPACs Follow?

March 22, 2021

Reverse Mergers Went Bust. Will SPACs Follow?

By Ivana Naumovska   Despite current exuberance, the signs don’t augur well for “blank cheque” companies. “Be fearful when others are greedy,” wrote Warren Buffett in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders. “And greedy only when others are fearful.” Buffett’s advice was meant for investors who try to time the market – a strategy […]

What Ails Corporate Executive Committees?

March 22, 2021

What Ails Corporate Executive Committees?

By José Luis Álvarez   Fragmentation among top leadership teams is widespread. CEOs should pay heed – and sharpen their most important strategy execution tool. Alexander Hamilton, one of the United States’ founding fathers, famously called energy the most important characteristic of the executive branch of government. “A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of […]

The Five Essential Roles of Corporate Ecosystems

March 15, 2021

The Five Essential Roles of Corporate Ecosystems

By Andrew Shipilov   Most firms that try to build an ecosystem would be better off joining an existing one. The first step is for them to know where they would fit. Many companies want to build ecosystems as part of their strategy. They want to become “like Google” or “like Apple” in their attempts […]

What’s Style Got to Do With Strategy?

March 15, 2021

What’s Style Got to Do With Strategy?

By Phanish Puranam   Careful calibration of aesthetics and style can elevate companies and individuals above the competition. There are watches, and there are watches. Even in the rarefied world of luxury watchmaking, the offerings range from merely excellent to heirloom-worthy. Each timepiece is an intricate marriage of two domains, aesthetics and technology, and seeks […]

What It Means to Embark on a Journey of Change

March 8, 2021

What It Means to Embark on a Journey of Change

By Isabelle Laporte   Many executives have a nagging sense that something is amiss in their lives. But not all of them find the courage – or the tools – to tackle what needs fixing. There is no clear demarcation between anyone’s public and private worlds. What goes on in our personal life affects our […]

Prospects and Pitfalls for the Post-Pandemic Organisation

March 8, 2021

Prospects and Pitfalls for the Post-Pandemic Organisation

By Phanish Puranam   Big changes are coming for organisations and organisation designs. Whether they will be for good or ill depends on how leaders confront three key possibilities uncovered by the pandemic. As a researcher who studies organisations and their designs, I am often asked to make predictions about the future of organisations after […]