Harvard Business Review - 2006.11.pdf

AN HERMS WATCHHAS TIME ON ITS SIDECAPE COD 8 DAYS WATCH1-800-441-448872Innovation:The Classic TrapsRosabeth Moss Kanter 84Managing Multicultural TeamsJeanne Brett,Kristin Behfar,and Mary C.Kern 92Breaking the Trade-Off Between Efficiencyand ServiceFrances X.Frei 106Facing Ambiguous ThreatsMichael A.Roberto,Richard M.J.Bohmer,and Amy C.Edmondson 114Disaster Relief,Inc.Anisya Thomas and Lynn Fritz 22Forethought39HBR Case StudyThe Reign of Zero ToleranceBen Gerson 55Big PictureHow to Manage Urban School Districts Stacey Childress,Richard Elmore,and Allen Grossman 130Best Practice How Well-Run Boards Make Decisions Michael Useem 141Tool Kit Mastering the Three Worlds of InformationTechnology Andrew McAfee 154Executive Summaries 160Panel Discussion November 2006 www.hbr.orgCustomers as Wild Cardspage 92Fixing City Schoolspage 55page 72DONTGET72Innovation:The Classic TrapsRosabeth Moss KanterEvery few years,it seems,managers rediscover innova-tion as a revenue-generating,profit-making pursuit.Unfortunately,they often make the same mistakes astheir predecessors when executing their innovation ef-forts.Heres how to avoid the pitfalls and create break-through products and services for your organization.84Managing Multicultural TeamsJeanne Brett,Kristin Behfar,and Mary C.KernSimple,often subtle differences arising from culture cancause serious problems on multicultural teams.The goodnews is,they can be diagnosed earlyand the right strat-egy for dealing with them can actually strengthen ateams effectiveness.92Breaking the Trade-Off Between Efficiency and ServiceFrances X.FreiCustomers introduce tremendous variability to most ser-vice businesses.Learning to manage that variability iscentral to making a service offering profitableand itdoesnt have to come down to a choice between opera-tional efficiency and a superior customer experience.6harvard business review|hbr.orgCOVER ART:JUSTINE BECKETTF e a t u r e s106Facing Ambiguous ThreatsMichael A.Roberto,Richard M.J.Bohmer,and Amy C.EdmondsonWhen an events potential for causing a company harm is unclear,managers tend to ignore or discount the risk.Such an approach can be catastrophic.114Disaster Relief,Inc.Anisya Thomas and Lynn FritzIn the wake of a humanitarian crisis,many companies respond generously.Imagine how much further theircontributions would go,however,if they thought system-atically about how and to whom they should contributebefore the next disaster strikes.continued on page 10114November 2006721069284Remember when technology had the ability to amaze you?Believe again.Now you can believe in a new kind of IT management.Unified and simplified to make yourbusiness more productive,nimble,competitive and secure.We all know that companies are demanding more from IT expecting IT to be a strategicand competitive advantage.Yet todays complex IT environments require you to manageacross point solutions,siloed organizations and redundant technology.A better alternative?Choose an integrated approach to IT management.An approach inwhich software unifies your people,processes and technology to increase efficiency andoptimization.Only one global software company can do that.CA,formerly known asComputer Associates,has focused solely on IT management software for over 30 years.Our technology vision that makes this promise real is called Enterprise IT Management,or EITM.At its heart is the CA Integration Platform a common foundation of sharedservices that gives you real-time,dynamic control and flexibility.Its greatest benefit?CA software solutions come to you already integrated,and able to integrate with yourexisting technology to optimize your entire IT environment.Ultimately,a well-managed IT environment gives you the visibility and control you needto manage risk,manage costs,improve service and align IT investments.To learn moreabout how CA and our wide array of partners can help you unify and simplify your ITmanagement,visit 2006 CA.All rights reserved.10harvard business review|hbr.org12COMPANY INDEX14FROM THE EDITORThe Great Wheel of InnovationA paradox about innovation is thattheres nothing new about itabout theprocess,that is.Both the well-troddenways to do it wrong and the proven waysto get it right are worth revisiting.22FORETHOUGHTHedge risk in China systematicallyA vast new international marketCustomer communities pay offIs the assembly line really efficient?Get control of your discountsFocusknowledge-management investmentsmore on employees and less on systems.39HBR CASE STUDYThe Reign of Zero ToleranceBen GersonWhen Simon Pemberton is summarilyfired from Applied Devices for unautho-rized e-mailing and Internet use,col-leagues wonder if ADs policies havegrown too harsh.Top managementstands by those policies,arguing thatsafety and the companys reputation are at stake.Should AD modify its zero-tolerance program?With commentaryby Janet Parker,Eugene Volokh,JeanHalloran,and Michael G.Cherkasky.55BIG PICTUREHow to Manage Urban School DistrictsStacey Childress,Richard Elm