Corporate communications

A decision-making framework that helps foster a sense of control during uncertain times.

Today, The Washington Post debuts a new Web-based discussion series called “On Leadership,” and I am pleased to be part of a panel of thinkers who will weigh in every Tuesday on a timely question or challenge. This morning’s question: What should Detroit’s CEOs have done differently to make their case in Washington about a […]

When a crisis forces outside directors to navigate major changes, investors and directors must adopt new roles. The largest such case to date provides some useful lessons. The Royal Dutch/Shell Group was a 60/40 joint venture between Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading. It was run by a five-person committee of managing directors […]

Edward Bernays, the “father of public relations,” once defined PR as “a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.” If that is the case today, the CEOs of the Big 3 automakers remain challenged on both aspects. Having taken private jets to their first round of testimony, they came off as both unprepared […]

As commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Lee P. Brown faces two enormous challenges. The first is crime. In 1989 in New York City, 712,419 crimes were reported, including 1,905 murders, 93,377 robberies, and 3,254 rapes. As Brown is quick to point out, the situation has grown so severe that people in cities […]

Investors should provide money, information, and discipline. They often fall short.

Don't just go back to the old command-and-control approach.

A national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael...

CEO activism has entered the mainstream.

They’ll look to you for stability.

Multicultural teams offer a number of advantages to international firms, including deep knowledge of different product markets, culturally sensitive customer...

The Idea: After losing a proxy fight to the activist investor Carl Icahn, Blockbuster’s then CEO faced a new obstacle: executing strategy in the face of boardroom opposition. He looks back on what he might have done differently.

If you were a military general on the march, you'd want your troops to have plenty of maps--detailed information about the mission they were on, the roads...

Advice for navigating a contentious climate.

When a mobile-payment company is hacked, business slips. The board believes that having someone publicly take the fall will stabilize the situation, but...

Recovering from the most devastating hack in corporate history

It’s harder to create a strong identity for an entire company than for a product. This tool kit can help you get there.

Researchers have established that trust is critical to organizational effectiveness. Being trustworthy yourself, however, does not guarantee that you...

Whatever you think of Carly Fiorina’s management style, she is a shrewd tactician. In the acrimonious proxy battle surrounding the 2002 Hewlett-Packard–Compaq merger, the promerger group, headed by the former HP CEO, squeaked by the antimerger dissidents with less than a 1% margin. But before Fiorina’s side could claim victory, the dissidents brought suit, accusing […]

Many times, often with the best of intentions, people at work decide it's more productive to remain silent about their differences than to air them. But...