by Jim Heskett - Publications - Faculty & Research

08 Oct 2010
What Do You Think?

Will Transparency in CEO Compensation Have Unintended Consequences?

Summing Up The Dodd-Frank legislation provision requiring the publication of the ratio of CEO compensation to that of the average compensation level of all employees in public companies will have little or no impact on CEO compensation levels. That's the conclusion of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

02 Apr 2010
What Do You Think?

Why Are Fewer and Fewer U.S. Employees Satisfied With Their Jobs?

over their own needs)." Mark Isaac pointed out that "Succession plans, open communication, and knowing that the company cares, create a learning environment." Gerald Nanninga's reference to findings of the biennial Global Workforce Study View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

03 Jan 2008
What Do You Think?

Does Judgment Trump Experience?

Summing Up How is good judgment developed? Whether judgment trumps experience quickly gave way in this month's rich exchange of views to other questions about how (and the extent to which) judgment is developed. Most of those addressing the question agreed with the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

01 Oct 2009
What Do You Think?

Can the “Masks of Command” Coexist with Authentic Leadership?

leadership? Those arguing that the two can coexist cite situations, generally involving adversity, in which the "greater good" is served by masking a leader's feelings. Frances Pratt argued that " we must be careful (and... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

27 Nov 2006
What Do You Think?

What’s to Be Done About Performance Reviews?

worse." Dean Turner expressed the frustrations of many when he said, "What's the best system? After 40+ years in the work force, I am still searching for it." By way of contrast, Richard Tiedeman commented, "Almost any... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

03 Apr 2009
What Do You Think?

How Much Obsolescence Can Business and Society Absorb?

Summing Up To remain sane and relevant, must we smell the flowers as well as the ozone? This month's question of how much obsolescence business and society (and by implication, we as managers) can absorb brought out both the poets and the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Publishing; Journalism & News

05 Mar 2008
What Do You Think?

Where Will Management Innovation Take Us?

not clear. Many suggested that the kind of management innovation described by Gary Hamel in his new book, The Future of Management, will more likely occur as a result of forces outside the organization. Tony Gattis described the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

02 Oct 2008
What Do You Think?

Workout vs. Bailout: Should Government Take Advantage of the Buffett Effect?

Summing Up The depth of the global financial crisis is becoming clearer day by day. In the United States, it is being used as a reason to set aside ideology regarding government ownership of important financial institutions, possibly... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

07 Apr 2011
What Do You Think?

When Should the Public Sector Take Over in a Meltdown?

Summing Up The variety of responses stimulated by this month's column may help explain why our public institutions are so often perceived as responding slowly to natural or man-made "meltdowns." First, as Ravindra Edirisooriya... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Energy; Utilities

October 1996
Case

Jim Bender and Alert, Inc. (A)

Jim Bender has just been hired as CEO of Alert, Inc. Alert, founded in 1986 by a charismatic technologist, has accumulated an impressive portfolio of patents and leading edge technology projects in a variety of fields. The company has never, however, shown a profit and... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Entrepreneurship; Management Skills; Business Startups; Technology Industry

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04 Jan 2012
What Do You Think?

Income Inequality: What’s the Right Amount?

productivity flourishes where income disparity exists to a greater extent." Susan Rushworth offered "food for thought" in citing research that led her to conclude that "the faster the economy grew (as measured by GDP),... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

05 Feb 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?

leaders of our largest financial institutions worldwide struggling to justify decisions that have placed their organizations in jeopardy. I was reminded, too, of the CEO of a well-known retail organization who, I believe, would be regarded View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

06 Jun 2008
What Do You Think?

Why Don’t Managers Think Deeply?

possibility that " managers are not trained for it." Dianne Jacobs cited the possibility that persisting assumptions borne out of success serve as "roadblocks to act on needed change" (proposed by those who engage in... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

05 Aug 2010
What Do You Think?

What Is Customer Opinion Good For?

products arise from strong insight, gut feel and imagination. Bad ideas, lousy products or services can be avoided by serious market research." Andy Robin pointed out that in the semiconductor business "one still had to spend a lot of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Technology

02 Jul 2010
What Do You Think?

Is Profit as a “Direct Goal” Overrated?

decision-making and even to the future and viability of capitalism. One debate concerned the primacy of profit as a goal. Deaver Brown led this argument by saying, "Profit is the only legitimate goal of a corporation ," pointing... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

October 2012 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Jim Johnson's Re-election to the Goldman Sachs Board

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Kelly Baker

The case presents the opposition by a leading institutional investor in Goldman Sachs to the re-election of Jim Johnson to the board of directors of the company. The investor, Sequoia Fund, opposes the re-election citing Jim Johnson's prior track record as the CEO of... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Director Elections; Goldman Sachs; Reputation; Institutional Investing; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Accountability; Banking Industry; New York (city, NY)

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02 Feb 2007
What Do You Think?

Is There Too Little “Know Why” In Business?

become centered around maximizing profits rather than maximizing on the Purpose." Neil Olonoff argued that the concept of purpose put forth by Nikos Mourkogiannis in his book is too impersonal. He pointed out that "Michael... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

02 Dec 2009
What Do You Think?

Should Immigration Policies Be More Welcoming to Low-Skilled Workers?

Summing Up Low-skilled immigrants: burden or opportunity? Immigration is apparently a topic that stirs passions globally, judging from the responses to this month's column. As Nauman Lodhi pointed out, "Tough times give rise more than ever to tough thoughts... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

01 Dec 2006
What Do You Think?

How Important Is Quality of Labor? And How Is It Achieved?

is to assume that quality of labor is genetic ." Flavius Chircu said, "I would simplify the analysis by substituting 'quality of labor' with 'quality of output,' be that output a product, service, or mix thereof." In Sneh... View Details

Keywords: by by Jim Heskett

December 2007 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Leadership in Energy: Jim Rogers at Cinergy

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria, Colleen Kaftan and Geoff Eckman Marietta

Jim Rogers, CEO of the energy company Cinergy, has led the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier energy companies through selecting a focused strategy, aligning the organization to support it, and mobilizing all the employees to implementation. The... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Alignment; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry

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