Research Highlight

Companies have four ways of building businesses from within their organizations. Each approach provides certain benefits — and raises specific challenges.

The expectations aren’t being met.

Consumer dissatisfaction can be far more potent than satisfaction.

Organizations can teach themselves to grow.

Consumer preference is determined by how their options are presented.

Most companies segment their markets by customer demographics or product characteristics and differentiate their offerings by adding features and functions. But the consumer has a different view of the marketplace. He simply has a job to be done and is seeking to “hire” the best product or service to do it. Marketers must adopt that perspective.

Societal consequences give power to formal sanctions.

Personal investment puts management at risk.

A company’s policies provide insight into its culture.

Using outside technologies to develop products and licensing intellectual property to external parties will carry a company only so far. The next frontier is to open the business model itself.

It can be good or bad, depending upon what kind it is and in what cultural context it occurs.

Coaching increases performance, productivity and job satisfaction at all levels.

Multicultural experience tends to facilitate creative thinking and problem solving.

Which jobs are good candidates for global disaggregation?

You must tell your strategy story to reach four different audiences.

Checks and balances, competitive elections and term limits could improve corporate oversight.

A framework called the “innovation radar” can help companies identify opportunities for innovation.

To find out how well you are serving your customers, ask your employees.