Business Horizons articles from November 1994

Business Horizons archives from November 1994

Back to the future: timeless lessons for organizational success. (Editorial)
November 1, 1994... One of the greatest challenges any manager can face is "keeping up"--that is, trying to stay abreast of the latest management wisdom being touted and spouted by various experts. The problem is that there is just too much to absorb. Surely...

Matrix redux. (matrix management)
November 1, 1994... When I worked in General Electric's major appliance business in the mid-1970s, the entire operation converted overnight--blitzkrieg style--to a "two-boss" matrix management organization structure. In a lightning strike, our secure, top-down,...

Why management fads fizzle.
November 1, 1994... By now we have learned to recognize the pattern and predict its outcome. The first stirrings begin in the media. Soon, wherever you look, you find reports about the new management trend and how American business will finally be able to...

Choosing an innovation strategy: theory and practice.
November 1, 1994... Innovations come as both inventions and adoptions. They come in many types and vary greatly in complexity and scope. Companies attempting to make a profit cannot continue for long periods without innovating. If they try, their customers will...

So you want to be a superior service provider? Start by answering your mail.
November 1, 1994... As the president of an auto dealership, you receive a letter addressed personally to you that states in part: [W]e entered your showroom ready to purchase a van. We... bought our van elsewhere, where the salespeople were ...

The case against quality.
November 1, 1994... How's this for sage investment advice? "Invest in companies that produce world class products; over the long term, they're certain to be winners." Sounds as simple as Will Rogers' advice: "Don't gamble; take all your savings and buy some good...

Managerial trials of privatization: retooling Russian managers.
November 1, 1994... "The pace of change is beyond description and the only constant in our enterprise is continuous change.... Everyone is groping to solve problems and to acquire the skills necessary to compete as we move to privatize our industry.... Russians...

Cultural awareness: an essential element of doing business abroad.
November 1, 1994... When traveling to other countries to transact business, Americans usually attempt to make a favorable impression and do their professional best. Unfortunately, behaviors, comments, time orientation, social practices, and etiquette that are...

Product rejuvenation: a less risky alternative to product innovation.
November 1, 1994... In today's competitive environment, companies that fail to develop new products are exposing themselves to great risk. Existing products are vulnerable to changing consumer needs and tastes, new technologies, shortening life cycles, and...

Managing beliefs, managing silence: silence is not always the best method of dealing with volatile issues. (in the workplace)
November 1, 1994... Boston did not have a parade on Saint Patrick's day this year. The Allied War Veterans Council, sponsors of the parade since 1947, decided to cancel the event rather than abide by a court order directing that the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian,...

Thirty years in the hole: management and antidiscrimination legislation. (includes related article on pending legislation related to employment discrimination)
November 1, 1994... In his 1993 Academy of Management presidential address, Donald Hambrick said, "The current major debates regarding business and management are framed almost entirely by lawyers and economists." His statement very accurately underlies the state...

Worksite health programs: a significant cost-cutting approach.
November 1, 1994... Over the past few years, major corporations have been sharing significant amounts of environmental information that include manufacturing techniques. Neither the corporations themselves nor the government seem to object to sharing information...

Telecommuting: who really benefits?
November 1, 1994... The term "telecommuting" generally describes a work arrangement in which employees work in their homes and "commute" to their offices through the use of such technologies as computers, modems, fax machines, and electronic mail. The boundaries...

Can you give good, inexpensive rewards? Some real-life answers. (performance rewards)
November 1, 1994... One of the most common questions managers ask is, "How can we give our people more and better rewards and spend less money?" Forty experienced operations managers and executives from the American division of a major Japanese computer company...