Strategy & Leadership
From the Outside In
Faced with volatility, more companies are looking beyond their own ranks to find new leadership. Multimedia: Take the quiz “Are You a Likely CEO?”
Issue 83, Summer 2016
In this issue
From the Outside In, A Strategist’s Guide to Industry 4.0, The Man Who Made The Computer Age Possible, and More.
Cover story
Strategy & LeadershipInteractiveAre You a Likely CEO?
Track your chances of becoming a chief executive at one of the world’s largest companies, based on a study of incoming leaders.
Operations & ManufacturingA strategist’s guide to Industry 4.0
Global businesses are about to integrate their operations into a seamless digital whole, and thereby change the world.
InnovationThe Man Who Made the Computer Age Possible
Intel’s Andy Grove pioneered high-stakes, high-speed, high-tech manufacturing — and breathed life into Moore’s Law.
TechnologyYour Employees’ User Experience Should Be a Strategic Priority
Companies everywhere pay too little attention to the implicit messages — about productivity, commitment, and capabilities — that are sent by their own software interfaces. See also "What Good User Experience Looks Like.”
Global PerspectiveGlobal Power Shift
Winners, losers, and strategies in the new world economic order.
TechnologySafety in the Cloud
The next generation of cybersecurity prevents attacks by monitoring online behavior — of intruders, customers, and everyone else. See also “How to Use Cybersecurity to Gain a Competitive Advantage.”
Thought LeadersSiemens CEO Joe Kaeser on the Next Industrial Revolution
The manufacturing chief describes how an industrial powerhouse founded in the 19th century is using software, sensors, and savvy to create a digital manufacturer that can thrive in the 21st century.
Strategy & LeadershipYour Next Board Member Should Be a Geek
Why companies need directors with technological expertise.
Leading Ideas
Global PerspectiveA new map for business in Africa
On the world’s most diverse continent, companies need a deep understanding of local context.
Thought LeadersSocial Network Effects in Hiring, with video
Stanford’s Adina Sterling on the pros and cons of relying on relationships. See also “Hiring through Your Employees’ Social Networks.”
Global PerspectiveCorporate first responders
Even in wealthy countries, companies can play a vital role in disaster relief.
Marketing, Media & SalesSmall Customer Today, Revenue Giant Tomorrow
A new segmentation strategy can help sales teams identify their growth hot spots.
Strategy & Leaderships+b Trend Watch: What Keeps CEOs Up at Night?
A new survey identifies the top threats faced by company leaders.
Essays
Global PerspectiveSocial Entrepreneurship by the Billions
An audacious effort to provide digital ID numbers throughout India illustrates the potential for large-scale change.
InnovationWill You Be Mine in the Digital World?
As they look to enhance digital capabilities through mergers and acquisitions, traditional companies have to heed a new set of dating rules.
Books in Brief
s+b BlogsFinanceBoardroom Brawlers
A new book describes how waves of shareholder activism have been altering the corporate landscape for nearly a century.
s+b BlogsOrganizations & PeopleThe Race Goes to the Grift
A new history of con artists finds that both scams and legitimate marketing appeal to the same set of human instincts.
s+b BlogsTechnologyRocking the Bus
In his new book, Douglas Rushkoff reacts to rising inequality and the threat of automation by proposing a new social operating system that distributes wealth more equitably.
Business LiteratureTwilight of the Central Bankers
Mohamed A. El-Erian argues that the world’s masters of monetary policy have reached the peak of their ability to influence the course of the global economy.
Recent Research
s+b BlogsOne Bad Apple Spoils the Company
Don’t let the performance of superstars distract you from the damage toxic employees inflict.
