Akın Öngör's Journey

Rosabeth Moss Kanter; Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | February 2016

Akın Öngör's Journey

by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Abstract

The case of Akın Öngör's Journey describes a highly successful former CEO with stellar leadership skills, who transformed a bank in Turkey into one of the world's best, steered it to contribute to his country's social agenda, influenced business practices of other companies, and became one of Turkey's most admired people. As part of his post-career activities, he has introduced new crops to a rural area where he also established a girls' industrial school (at his wife's urging). But Öngör has struggled with realizing a bigger dream: forming an international leadership institute for the Eastern Mediterranean that would help bring peace and prosperity to a conflict-ridden region. The institute idea seems a simple way to contribute to peace via educational workshops and relationship-building for a new generation of emerging leaders from many countries. But despite Öngör's impressive "social capital" (reputation and significant connections), he hits roadblocks and setbacks in the middle of the planning, for institutional as well as individual reasons. This case may be used for courses on leadership, social enterprise, and change management.

Keywords: Leadership; Change Management; Social Entrepreneurship; Business and Community Relations; Turkey;

Language: English

Format: Print

10 pages

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Citation:

Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone. "Akın Öngör's Journey." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 316-062, February 2016.

Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

This is a teaching note to the original case: Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

From 2008-2010 Anand Piramal ran a series of pilots for his digital healthcare startup, Piramal e-Swasthya (PeS) to “democratize healthcare” in rural areas of India. PeS ran into difficulties so Anand Piramal had to decide whether to continue the organization and if so how. In 2010, an unexpected opportunity emerged that could have significant implications for PeS’s organizational structure and future prospects. Anand Piramal now faced several options for PeS. He needed to weigh the pros and cons of each option to make the best decision to fulfill his vision of providing quality healthcare services to “bottom-of-the-pyramid” populations. This case exemplifies the strategic decisions an entrepreneur must make to ensure that a social impact venture can be sustainable and scalable.

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Akın Öngör's Journey

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