What do people value in your organization? Do they appreciate having a professional group where they can work together, sharing information and ideas openly without worrying they will be criticized behind their backs? Or do they enjoy talking behind each other’s backs like a bunch of teenagers? If it’s the latter, you have a problem. […]

Every firm requires capital, and there are a number of different kinds. The most obvious is what we think of as financial capital and physical capital, consisting of the monetary and physical investment needed to get a firm going and keep it operating. Then there is human capital, a term that has gained popularity in recent years, referring to […]

Nobody knows for sure if management expert Peter Drucker ever really said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” but he certainly believed in the idea. Why? Because it’s very, very, very much true; no matter what strategy you think you are following, if the culture that emerges is contrary to it, then culture will win every […]

When leaders in Asian companies are comparing their working environment to Western firms, they often say, “We are different.” That is, the culture is different, the structures are different, the expectations are different…you get the idea. While there are certainly cultural differences between Asia and the West (and you really need to look at individual […]

The team’s visit to Japan last week yielded a number of interesting conversations in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. In addition to speaking with local business leaders and academics, we also had a chance to speak with some western MNC “top talent” professionals who were in Japan to visit their local office. Asking about the point […]