weibo.com/pdfmagsweibo.com/pdfmagsweibo.com/pdfmagsTowarda“ProperTheoryOfBusiness”TheveryfirstsentenceoftheveryfirstissueofHarvardBusinessReview,publishedinthefallof1922,signaledtoreadersthatHBRwouldofferintelligentobservationbutmightalsobehardwork:“Unlessweadmitthatrulesofthumb,thelimitedexperienceoftheexecutivesineachindividualbusiness,andthegeneralsentimentofthestreet,arethesolepossibleguidesforexecutivedecisionsofmajorimportance,itispertinenttoinquirehowtherepresentativepractisesofbusinessmengenerallymaybemadeavailableasabroaderfoundationforsuchdecisions,andhowapropertheoryofbusinessistobeobtained.”Theauthor,WallaceB.Donham,theseconddeanofHarvardBusinessSchool,wentontoelaborateHBR’smission:todevelop“businesstheory,”onthebasisofrigorousresearch,thatcouldhelpexecutivesmanagemoreeffectively.We’vecomealongwaysincethen,andwe’renow(Ihope)lessdauntingtoconsume.Butaswecelebrateour90thanniversary,wecontinuetohonorDonham’spremise:Bestpracticesinbusinessdon’tariseanecdotallybutaretheproductofcriticalresearch.We’llbeaddressingthisandmanyotherbigideasthathaveemergedoverthese90years—duringwhatwecalltheManage-mentCentury—inaspecialreportinourNovemberissue.We’llalsolookatwhatHBRhasgottenright,orwrong,inninedecadesofwritingabouthowtoleadcompanies.OurSpotlightonStrategyinthisissuecontinuestheefforttoapplymethodtomanagement.Theleadpieceasks,Whyisitthatstrategic-planningprocessesalwaysseemtoperpetuatethestatusquo?Aquartetofimpressiveauthors—A.G.Lafley,RogerMartin,JanRivkin,andNicolajSiggelkow—saythatthechallengeistobringsciencetotheartofstrategy,tomarryempiricalrigorwithcreativethinking.DeanDonhamwouldsurelyapprove.AdiIgnatius,EditorinChiefPhotograPhy:EliEhonEinhbr.org12harvardbusinessreviewSeptember2012FromtheEditorweibo.com/pdfmags“Communication”istoooftenunidirectional.Whatisneededtodayisdialoguebetweenequals—thesumoftheauthors’fouri’s.MiltonLeung,executivecoachandtrainer,SinoStarDevelopmentTheideapresentedheremaycauseunfore-seenproblems.Let’ssaythataco...
