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• Course Overview Note | July 2014 (Revised August 2018)

  FIELD Foundations

  Anthony J. Mayo, Alan MacCormack, Teresa Amabile and Michael Norton

  Citation:

  Mayo, Anthony J., Alan MacCormack, Teresa Amabile, and Michael Norton. "FIELD Foundations." Harvard Business School Course Overview Note 415-011, July 2014. (Revised August 2018.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | November 1993 (Revised July 2018)

  Rudi Gassner and the Executive Committee of BMG International (A)

  Linda Hill and Katherine Seger Weber

  Explores the roles of CEO Rudi Gassner and the 9-person executive committee in leading BMG International. BMG International is the international music subsidiary of Bertlesmann, a German company that is the second-largest media conglomerate in the world. Describes a 1993 decision that Gassner and the executive committee must make about whether or not to change managers' business plans and bonus targets as a result of a newly negotiate reduced manufacturing cost. Allows for discussion of a number of timely and important issues: 1) the complexities of managing and growing a large global business; 2) the tensions between centralized corporate control and decentralized local management in a global organization; 3) the impact of leadership style on corporate culture and performance; 4) the challenges of leading a senior mangement team; and 5) the final decision by CEO Rudi Gassner and the subsequent actions taken by the members of the executive committee.

  Keywords: Managerial Roles; Management Teams; Decision Making; Business Plan; Growth and Development Strategy; Global Strategy; Leadership Style; Organizational Culture; Business Subsidiaries; Business Conglomerates; Cost Management; Change Management; Music Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Germany;

  Citation:

  Hill, Linda, and Katherine Seger Weber. "Rudi Gassner and the Executive Committee of BMG International (A)." Harvard Business School Case 494-055, November 1993. (Revised July 2018.)  View Details

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• Article | Harvard Business Review

  Beating the Odds: Leadership Lessons from Senior African-American Women

  Laura Morgan Roberts, Anthony Mayo, Robin Ely and David Thomas

  Any list of top CEOs reveals a stunning lack of diversity. Among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, for example, just 32 are women, three are African-American, and not one is an African-American woman. What’s going on? The authors studied the careers of the roughly 2,300 alumni of African descent who have graduated from Harvard Business School since its founding, focusing on the 67 African-American women who have attained top positions in corporations or professional services firms. These women thrived, they found, because of three characteristics that are key to resilience: emotional intelligence, authenticity, and agility. The women were adept at reading interpersonal dynamics and managing their own reactions; crafting their identities; and transforming obstacles into opportunities. Beyond personal strengths, the authors say, another factor was critical: nurturing relationships with mentors who recognized the women’s talent and made it their business to support them. The insights gleaned are important not just for African-Americans and women; they’re essential for any manager who recognizes that an organization’s diversity is its strength.

  Keywords: Leadership; Diversity; Race; Gender; Personal Characteristics; Relationships; Success;

  Citation:

  Roberts, Laura Morgan, Anthony Mayo, Robin Ely, and David Thomas. "Beating the Odds: Leadership Lessons from Senior African-American Women." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 2 (March–April 2018): 126–131.  View Details

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