Because they are victims of short-term economic pressures and "parochial politics", most American companies critically lack the one factor proven effective in winning competitive advantage: leadership. Thus argues John P. Kotter in this, his third large-scale work on leadership, which continues and complements the work begun in his influential "The General Managers" and "Power and Influence". With compelling evidence, Kotter demonstrates why most American firms do not have the leadership capacity they currently need and explains what they must do to correct this damaging problem. Using comprehensive data from 900 senior executives in 100 American corporations, as well as in-depth interviews with 150 top managers in fifteen successful companies, including General Electric, Citicorp, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Coca-Cola, Kotter singles out the practices that develop superior leadership. He identifies both the specific personal attributes and general leadership qualities needed in today's corporations. And, with the spotlight on such individuals as Lee Iacocca at Chrysler and teams like the top management at Johnson & Johnson, he vividly illustrates the four factors that create outstanding leadership in both private and public sector senior and middle level managers. Professor Kotter underscores his argument with glaring examples of managerial failures in firms like ITT, providing eye-opening evidence of damage-- inability to control sagging productivity and poor records in customer service, quality control, and the development of new products-- caused primarily not be poor R&D or labor problems, but by a weak leadership capacity. Filled with dozens of case histories, "The Leadership Factor" reveals an all-too-common picture of companies which, unable to recognize or develop leadership talent and utilize it, create a pervasive gap in corporate planning and personal management. Progress has been made in improving quality management, but is has been limited. Kotter is hard-hitting in his assessment that even American companies which achieve a superior level of success in the leadership area-- IBM, DuPont, Dow Jones, Hewlett-Packard, and Anheuser-Busch, for example, must do even better to match efforts of foreign competitors. In showing how leaders are made, not born, he provides a realistic program structured to help attract, retain, and motivate dynamic, capable leaders in executive and middle management positions. Following Kotter's advice, companies can build strong managerial teams necessary not only for growth-- but also for survival itself.

The Leadership Factor

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the servitization knowledge base from an organizational change perspective, identifying developed, developing and undeveloped topics to provide a platform that directs future research. Design/methodology/approach: This paper addresses three objectives: it comprehensively examines organizational change management literature for selection of a theoretical framework; it classifies extant studies within the framework through a systemic literature review; and it analyses 232 selected papers and proposes a research agenda. Findings: Analysis suggests increasing global awareness of the importance of services to manufacturers. However, some topics, especially related to servitization transformation, remain undeveloped. Research limitations/implications: Although the authors tried to include all publications relevant to servitization, some might not have been captured. Evaluation and interpretation relied on the research team and subsequent research workshops. Practical implications: One of the most significant challenges for practitioners of servitization is how to transform a manufacturing organization to exploit the opportunity. This paper consolidates literature regarding servitization, identifying progress concerning key research topics and contributing a platform for future research. The goal is to inform research to result eventually in a roadmap for practitioners seeking to servitize. Originality/value: Although extant reviews of servitization identify themes that are examined well, they struggle to identify unanswered questions. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on servitization as a process of organizational change.

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Servitization: revisiting the state-of-the-art and research priorities

This paper aims to present a comprehensive framework that integrates the emerging trends of servitization and digitalization in manufacturing. The influence between digitalization and servitization is defined and quantified. Their contribution to firm performance is analyzed.,This paper presents a theoretical model that captures the relationships between the analyzed variables. Drawing on the Spanish Business Strategy Survey, hypothesis testing is conducted using data on 828 Spanish industrial firms. Linear regression models are built to capture the effect of each variable on firm performance and the type of interaction between the variables.,Servitization and digitalization are positively related to firm performance. Digitalization positively mediates the relationship between servitization and firm performance. The mediating effect of digitalization contributes to differentiating between the direct and indirect effects of servitization on firm performance.,The paper provides a useful analysis framework for firms to evaluate servitization and digitalization as success strategies. It is proposed that firms must simultaneously commit to digital transformation and the incorporation of services to create value, especially in business-to-business settings. Servitization and digitalization interact to exert a greater influence on performance.,The paper contributes to the theory on service strategy by providing an analysis model that includes digitalization as a mediator of the relationship between servitization and firm performance. Digitalization may provide a mechanism to unlock the benefits of servitization and thereby enhance firm performance.

Servitization and digitalization in manufacturing: the influence on firm performance

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to theoretically articulate and empirically test an integrated model of capability antecedents and performance outcomes of servitization strategies. The authors characterize servitization strategies based on the offering of two types of services: basic services (BAS) and advanced services (ADS).




Design/methodology/approach




Hypotheses are tested based on statistical analyses of a large survey of manufacturers from different countries and sectors.




Findings




The authors find that manufacturing capabilities associate with the provision of BAS, while service capabilities associate with both BAS and ADS; BAS do not impact financial performance, but support the offering of ADS; there seem to be naturally occurring servitization trajectories involving the gradual development of balanced levels of BAS and ADS and adequate levels of manufacturing and service capabilities.




Research limitations/implications




The findings on servitization trajectories are based on the observation of manufacturing business units at different stages of servitization (cross-sectional data).




Practical implications




Manufacturers wishing to servitize should distinguish between BAS and ADS and deploy a balanced adoption of BAS and ADS, using BAS as a platform. This should be accompanied with the building of appropriate capabilities.




Originality/value




This is one of the first studies to show an explicit link between different servitization strategies, capabilities, and servitization maturity. It provides new insights into the servitization paradox and servitization trajectories.

Capability antecedents and performance outcomes of servitization

This article presents a reframing of workforce diversity as a social tragedy. We draw on Hardin’s concept of ‘tragedy of the commons’, which explored the conflicts between individual and collective good. We identify two dilemmas that underscore the social tragedy of diversity and explain why they prevent workforce diversity from progressing: (1) voluntarism and (2) individualism. We critique the simplistic models of managing diversity and suggest an alternative conceptualization as a way forward. We advocate an approach that captures the potential contradictions between individual and social good and accounts for the role of multiple actors in tackling the tragedy of the uncommons. A reframing of organizational self-interest and collective interests in the context of diversity is presented and solutions to social tragedy of diversity are proposed.

The tragedy of the uncommons: Reframing workforce diversity

In teaching and learning about leadership, instructors and students are faced with an extensive and, at times, very confusing body of literature that illustrates the complexity of the study, practice, and understanding of leadership. No single theory has been able to capture the essence of leadership and / or leadership dynamics. Students often become frustrated at the array and range of somewhat disparate and contradictory theories they encounter. Described within is an assignment that has been very successful in teaching students about leadership, situational analysis, and model and theory building. Moreover, this assignment has been one that students have found enjoyable and enlightening relative to enhancing their understanding of leadership dynamics in both their professional and personal lives.

Profiles in Leadership: Enhancing Learning Through Model and Theory Building —:

Employment-at-will vs. wrongful discharge

Editor’s Introduction – Special Issue on Sexual Orientation/Identity Issues in the Workplace

Introduction: The Evolving Nature of the Employment Relationship: Reconsidering Employee Responsibilities and Rights

The Americans With Disabilites Act (ADA) of 1990 provides broad protection to an estimated 43 million Americans against discrimination in many facets of their lives. Title I of the Act prohibits discrimination in employment. Title III of the Act, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodation, has also impacted the employment relationship. Eight years after the passage of the Act, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its first ruling under the ADA. Two subsequent decisions have been rendered that further interpret the statute and the Court has repeatedly denied to review cases that deal with another key interpretation of the ADA. This paper analyzes these cases and decisions and their implications for management practices.

The Rights of Employees with Disabilities: Supreme Court Interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Their Implications for Human Resource Management

Jeffrey A. Mello

Papers

Profiles in Leadership: Enhancing Learning Through Model and Theory Building —:

Employment-at-will vs. wrongful discharge

Editor’s Introduction – Special Issue on Sexual Orientation/Identity Issues in the Workplace

Introduction: The Evolving Nature of the Employment Relationship: Reconsidering Employee Responsibilities and Rights

The Rights of Employees with Disabilities: Supreme Court Interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Their Implications for Human Resource Management