Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)

Gautam  Mukunda; Lisa  Mazzanti; Aldo  Sesia

Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2013 (Revised March 2015)

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)

by Gautam Mukunda, Lisa Mazzanti and Aldo Sesia

Abstract

In 2007, Cynthia Carroll, the newly-appointed chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, was considering shutting down mines in South Africa for safety reasons, namely worker fatalities. No company had ever done so before. Carroll felt that operating a company whose goal was anything less than "zero harm" (meaning no fatalities or serious injuries) was unacceptable. As the first woman and non-South African to lead the century-old company, many were watching her closely. Should she go so far as to make the unprecedented move of shutting down the mines? What message would that send to the company and to the mining industry? The lives of others, Carroll's reputation, and the company's performance were all on the line.

Keywords: leadership; culture; change management; Safety; Working Conditions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Organizational Culture; Gender; Management Teams; Mining; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Language: English

Format: Print

16 pages

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Citation:

Mukunda, Gautam, Lisa Mazzanti, and Aldo Sesia. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)." Harvard Business School Case 414-019, October 2013. (Revised March 2015.)

Related Work

Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2013 (Revised February 2016)

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (B)

Gautam Mukunda, Lisa Mazzanti and Aldo Sesia

In 2007, Cynthia Carroll, the newly-appointed chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, ordered the temporary shutdown of Anglo American Platinum's Rustenburg, South Africa mines in response to a spate of deaths at the operations. The case lays out Carroll's requirements of what had to be done before the Rustenburg mines could restart operations, including the implementation of a new safety program for tens of thousands of workers that called on the help of executives from other Anglo American businesses. The shutdown disrupted operations and incurred substantial costs.

Keywords: Safety; Ethics; Mining; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Citation:
Mukunda, Gautam, Lisa Mazzanti, and Aldo Sesia. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 414-020, October 2013. (Revised February 2016.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2013

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (C)

Gautam Mukunda, Lisa Mazzanti and Aldo Sesia

When Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Anglo American, ordered the shutdown of the company's Rustenburg, South Africa mines in the summer of 2007, it was just the first of many steps the company would take under her leadership to achieve zero harm. The case describes Carroll's approach to stakeholder relationships (i.e., relationships with the government and unions), how the shutdown was used as a platform to change the culture at Anglo American as a whole, the challenges of sustaining such an endeavor, and Carroll's reflections on her career and leadership. In 2013, Carroll stepped down as chief executive, but her tenure at Anglo American had reverberated through the company, South Africa, and the mining industry.

Keywords: Ethics; Organizational Culture; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Change; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Citation:
Mukunda, Gautam, Lisa Mazzanti, and Aldo Sesia. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 414-021, October 2013. View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2015

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A), (B), and (C)

Gautam Mukunda

This is a teaching note for the Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American case. It describes how to teach the case to demonstrate theories of leading change and Leader Filtration Theory. The case is a dramatic story of organizational transformation as Carroll attempts to transform the culture of Anglo American to cut its mining accident rate from its current average of more than 40 deaths a year.

Keywords: leadership; Leadership and Change Management; Leadership Style; Leadership, Personal strategy ＆ style; change management; Change; Safety; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Leadership Style; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Citation:
Mukunda, Gautam. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A), (B), and (C)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 415-061, March 2015. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2013 (Revised March 2015)

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)

Gautam Mukunda, Lisa Mazzanti and Aldo Sesia

In 2007, Cynthia Carroll, the newly-appointed chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, was considering shutting down mines in South Africa for safety reasons, namely worker fatalities. No company had ever done so before. Carroll felt that operating a company whose goal was anything less than "zero harm" (meaning no fatalities or serious injuries) was unacceptable. As the first woman and non-South African to lead the century-old company, many were watching her closely. Should she go so far as to make the unprecedented move of shutting down the mines? What message would that send to the company and to the mining industry? The lives of others, Carroll's reputation, and the company's performance were all on the line.

Keywords: leadership; culture; change management; Safety; Working Conditions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Organizational Culture; Gender; Management Teams; Mining; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Citation:
Mukunda, Gautam, Lisa Mazzanti, and Aldo Sesia. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)." Harvard Business School Case 414-019, October 2013. (Revised March 2015.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | April 2015

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American Video Supplement

Gautam Mukunda

This is a video supplement for the Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American case series. The video features Cynthia Carroll reflecting on her implementation of organizational transformation at Anglo American in regards to the mining company's safety culture.

Keywords: leadership; Leadership and Change Management; Leadership Style; Leadership, Personal strategy ＆ style; change management; Change; Safety; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Leadership Style; Mining Industry; South Africa;

Citation:
Mukunda, Gautam. "Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American Video Supplement." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 415-706, April 2015. View Details

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Technical Note | HBS Case Collection | December 2018 (Revised March 2020)

Note on Economic Inequality (2020)

Rebecca Henderson, Jessica A. Gover, Aldo Sesia and Mariana Oseguera Rodriguez

For over half a century, most of the world's economies have enjoyed steady growth and prosperity. While this economic growth has reduced the number of people living in poverty, it has come with an increase in economic inequality. The gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" in developed countries has widened, with a small proportion of the population reaping an increasingly larger share of a country's economic rewards. This growing economic inequality has been particularly pronounced in the United States, but the phenomenon has also occurred in many nations. This note provides background on aspects of economic inequality. It begins by describing both income inequality and wealth inequality, providing an explanation of two widely used metrics and data that show increasing inequalities over time. It then moves to the factors that might contribute to this inequality, as well to propositions of economic and social consequences that might result from the widening gap. Finally, it addresses the issue of "equality of opportunity" or social mobility. This is an update to the Note on Economic Inequality (2015). It provides additional information on economic inequality, including union membership and inequality and political polarization.

Keywords: Economic inequalty; wealth inequality; equality of opportunity; political polarization; Economic Growth; Economics; Income; Wealth; Equality and Inequality; Society; Problems and Challenges;

Citation:

Henderson, Rebecca, Jessica A. Gover, Aldo Sesia, and Mariana Oseguera Rodriguez. "Note on Economic Inequality (2020)." Harvard Business School Technical Note 319-071, December 2018. (Revised March 2020.) View Details

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LOLA is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business launched in 2015. What started as a company to provide women with organic and transparent material-labeled tampons via a subscription model, had, by 2019 evolved to include additional menstrual and sexual wellness products. LOLA’s leadership wanted women to come to the company for all of their reproductive health needs (including information and a place to engage in conversation) from menstruation through menopause and beyond. Heading into 2020, LOLA cofounders have determined that to grow the business they need to go beyond the company’s current DTC model and have products available in retail stores. The challenge, however, is finding the right retailers to partner with that will help to add value to the brand and not detract from it. The case provides background on the cofounders, the company’s start, and evolution, and the challenges of moving beyond DTC.

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Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A)

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