August, 1997 - Vol. 1, No. 11

Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

Wharton's Robert House is completing a comparative study of company leadership in more than 1,000 firms in 56 countries. His GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness) program is working with collaborators around the world to survey managers in food processing, telecommunication services, and financial services. Among the leading questions: Are leadership qualities such as personal integrity and professional competence universally endorsed? Are leadership qualities such as an emphasis on teamwork, empowerment, and continuous improvement key to effectiveness when companies are restructuring, even when these qualities are not stressed in a country's culture? Stay tuned.

Communicate What You Want Done

Julie Bick joined Microsoft after completing her Wharton MBA degree in 1990 and soon received an e-mail message mocking its hard-driving culture: "Never say no to anything. It shows weakness, and lowers the stock price. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do at midnight." As a product manager and then group manager, she offers insights into what makes for personal success in a hard-working firm -- and for Microsoft's success. Among her lessons on leadership:

Act like a leader: "Don't bash the competition. Stay humble. Avoid being cocky. You can still get your message across, but customers, press people, and even the competition will respect you more if you 'take the high road.'"

Act the way you want your team to act: "Your behavior as a leader has a direct effect on your group. They take cues from your attitudes and actions." Bill Gates usually flies coach.

Give your team a hill to climb: "Whether you're banded together to meet a deadline, to fight a competitor, or just to beat the team down the hall, a challenging rival can be great motivator." One developer of Word posted a sign: "It's about Wordperfect, Stupid."

Communicate the strategy: "You want your team to make the right decision. And ideally you want them to make it without having to ask you. Communicate the overall strategy or goals, and let your team take it from there." In creating Word 6.0, the development leader said the software had to (1) make everyday tasks automatic, (2) be consistent with Microsoft's spreadsheet and graphics packages, and (3) be the best upgrade for Wordperfect users. With the priorities clear, the team's more than 200 members seldom had to return to the team leader for directions

Source: Julie Bick, All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft: Insider Strategies to Help You Succeed (New York: Pocket Books, 1997).

Management Skills Development Program

The Graduate Institute of Business Administration (Sasin) of Thailand's Chulalongkorn University sponsors -- in collaboration with the Wharton School and Kellogg Graduate School of Management -- an annual three-week Senior Executive Program on August 16 - September 6, 1998. With faculty from Wharton, Kellogg, and the Bank of Thailand, the program is offered in English and draws participants from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand.

Newsletters: Corporate Governance

Several organizations and publications report on trends in corporate governance in addition to those identified in the June, 1997 issue of the digest:

American Society of Corporate Secretaries 521 Fifth Avenue, 32 Floor New York, NY 10175 212-681-2000 The Corporate Board: The Journal of Corporate Governance 4440 South Hagadorn Road Okemos, Michigan 48864-2414 800-757-0667; rward@voyager.net Corporate Governance: An International Review Journals Subscription Department, Marston Book Service PO Box 87, Oxford OX2 0DT U.K. Institutional Investment Report Global Corporate Governance Research Center Conference Board 845 Third Avenue New York, New York 10022-6679 212-759-0900 Institutional Investor 488 Madison Ave. New York, New York 10022 212-224-3300

Investor Relations Cross-Border Publications 17 Battery Place, 18th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-425-9649; ir@xborder.com Investor Relations Business 40 West 57th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10019 212-333-9201 Investor Relations Quarterly National Investor Relations Institute 8045 Leesburg Pike, Suite 600 Vienna, Va 22182 703-506-3578; missy3578@aol.com Pensions & Investments 220 E. 42nd Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10017 212-210-0114

"In climbing, having confidence in your partners is no small concern. One climber's actions can affect the welfare of the entire team. The consequence of a poorly tied knot, a stumble, a dislodged rock, or some careless deed are as likely to be felt by the perpetrator's colleagues as the perpetrator. Hence it's not surprising that climbers are typically wary of joining forces with those whose bona fides are unknown to them."

Source: Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (New York: Villard, 1997).