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.

Chinese appliance company Haier's 2016 acquisition of iconic GE Appliances ushered in strategic and structural changes to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship at the U.S. company, and to help it grow. Haier, which had a model designed to bring the company closer to users of its products, wanted GEA to adopt a version of the model that suited the U.S. market, U.S. consumers, and GEA's employees. This case describes GEA's efforts to do that as a member of the Haier Group. Teaching Note for HBS No. 319-044.

Chinese appliance company Haier's 2016 acquisition of iconic GE Appliances (GEA) ushered in strategic and structural changes to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship at the U.S. company and to help it grow. Haier, which had a model designed to bring the company closer to users of its products, wanted GEA to adopt a version of the model that suited the U.S. market, U.S. consumers, and GEA's employees. This case describes GEA's efforts to do that as a member of the Haier Group.

This teaching note assists in the classroom instruction of the HBS No. 318-089, “City Year at 30: Toward Long-Term Impact.” It offers to instructors a case summary and analysis, along with student preparation questions and a guide for classroom discussion of the case. The teaching note helps explain teaching objectives of the case, including lessons on how to manage the growth and evolution of not-for-profit social enterprises and how to pursue even bigger societal change.

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Akın Öngör's Journey

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