Showing papers in "MIT Sloan Management Review in 2017"

The best response to digital disruption

Abstract: Companies that adopt bold offensive strategies in the face of industry digitization will come out the winners.

Five Rules for Managing Large, Complex Projects

Abstract: Large-scale, long-term projects are notoriously difficult to manage. But recent research on megaprojects — defined as projects costing more than $1 billion — reveals five lessons that can help executives manage any big, complex project more effectively.

Is your company ready for HR analytics

Abstract: Although many companies have been investing heavily in big data and analytics, there haven’t yet been many success stories in applying analytics to human resources. But that may be about to change.

Using scenario planning to reshape strategy

Abstract: In recent years, organizations have been caught off guard by economic volatility, unexpected political events, natural disasters, and disruptive innovations. In response, we are seeing increased interest in scenario planning. Rather than tying their company’s future to a strategy geared to a single set of events, many senior executives are coming to the view that smart management benefits from a richer understanding of the present possibilities afforded from multiple views about possible futures.

Creating Better Innovation Measurement Practices

Abstract: For most companies, innovation is a top managerial priority. Business executives look at successful innovators such as Apple and Google with envy, wishing their companies could be half as innovative. To boost and benchmark innovation, managers often use quantitative performance indicators, but they struggle with identifying the right metric. Yet, our research suggests that the key managerial challenge is not identifying metrics — there is no shortage of measures to choose from. Nor should the goal be to find the perfect metric, since that quest is often futile. Rather, the crux of effective innovation measurement is to understand the problem that measurement should solve for the organization and, based on that insight, to design and implement a useful and usable innovation measurement framework appropriate to the organization’s needs. The aim of this article is to help managers ask the right questions about how to measure innovation and translate their insights into effective innovation measurement practices. We have developed a practical, step-by-step framework that helps managers identify whether their current innovation measurement practices need to change and, if so, how to go about measuring innovation more effectively.

Competing through joint innovation

Abstract: Expectations are rising fast that business should help tackle societal challenges and do it profitably. Technology will clearly shake up how organizations operate in every way; no part of management will go untouched in a world of big data, ubiquitous sensors, and powerful analytics providing new levels of insight. But perhaps the most powerful transformation will change how companies manage their relationships with the larger world. Business, using technology wisely, will help build a thriving, resilient world. Of course, technology comes with its own environmental and social costs. Better AI and robots could mean fewer jobs. But the case for techno-optimism is strong. The Internet of Things, paired with smarter analytics, will help managers understand a companys impacts on the world in much greater detail. In the largest sectors of the economy, progress is coming quickly. More powerful computers and cheaper data will also make transportation systems smarter.