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In this interview, international strategy guru Gary Hamel explains the thinking behind his new book, Leading the Revolution. He believes that the impetus for radical change in a business must come from the ideas and energies of the people within the company, not from consultants or external advisors. He also believes that innovation and radical change will be necessary for wealth creation in the coming years – change not only in products and processes, but change in entire business models as well. The interview includes Hamel’s guidelines for those at any level of an organization who may have ideas about new opportunities that can revolutionize the company or the industry.

Document Management and Workflow are technologies designed to support, either the productivity of an organisational process or, alternatively, the productivity of the people who comprise an organisation. This paper describes the motivations and anticipated benefits that could encourage an organisation to seek a technology solution to their existing paperlogged processes. In many areas these technologies are being used to good effect. There is increasing evidence that current systems designs which owe much to Taylor and Deining notions of scientific management and quality systems may not always be appropriate. A new generation of technology is emerging sometimes called ‘Workware’. This technology tries to be ‘Idea’ or ‘Work Object’ centric rather than process centric. Workware aims to establish boundaries within which empowered workers are free to achieve their objectives by any appropriate and valid means. These new technologies promise to support ‘real world’ work more effectively. They also present challenges to those who seek to find excellence through the detailed design and measurement of precise processes repetitively enacted. No conclusions are yet available. The best way to support and value ‘Knowledge Work’ within a business process without snuffing the creative spark on which a business depends for its future seems a worthy area for further exploration.

Attempts to establish a decision‐making model by which multinational enterprises (MNEs) front‐end financial target can be evaluated and determined. Explains and defines the financial range. Identifies their strategic concerns in order to do this. Continues by exploring the pattern of front‐end financial target variation and the process of its determination, constructing an international joint venture investment supply‐demand model. Elaborates upon how contingency factors in international operations exert direct impact on this matter and gives some considerations for future research.

The main aim of this research was to review which FTSE 350 companies were responding to social, ethical and environmental business‐critical global issues such as climate change, governance and technology. If they were, did this response result in innovation and transformation? The 14 issues were identified by a range of business practitioners and experts through a visioning exercise.

Independent data analysis of the companies, excluding around 50 investment trusts, by SERM Rating Agency provided a sector review of how companies were innovating or transforming their business as a response to the 14 issues. This review identified 40 companies as being most active in demonstrating their response. Of these 40, further analysis identified ten companies that showed signs of innovation or transformation.

The identified ten companies demonstrated evidence of pilot business transformation (or incremental innovation towards transformation) as a direct result of responding to the issues. For example, a mining company's HIV treatment program for its workers in South Africa. Most approaches were characterized by a wide‐ranging series of incremental changes, with no convincing examples yet existing of transformation implemented across the entirety of the company's operations. Hints of this radical direction, however, are evident from the vision statements of several organizations.

The research methodology is dependent on publicly available evidence. However, the implication of the research findings is that the 14 issues identified can be viewed as opportunities rather than obligations. Realizing the opportunity relies on integrating the issues in the core strategy of the organization.

This paper provides insight for business strategists and practitioners into potential new ways of working by companies. It illuminates an emerging source of innovation and ultimately business transformation driven by the growing significance of world issues to implementing corporate strategy and delivering sustainable profit.

The value of this paper is in the insight it provides on how companies are finding a source of innovation through responding to global issues.

“To understand that a technology — and the company whose future success depends on it — will eventually face the end of its lifecycle inspires urgency for, and commitment to, discontinuous innovation.”

How corporations can achieve growth, especially in these uncertain economic times, is a preoccupying concern for both academics and practitioners alike today. Many of the old models and templates have fallen by the wayside, as competition has intensified, and innovators – both new entrants and renewed enterprises – have changed the rules of the game, the market, and the industry. Here, by looking at some of the interesting players, the article shows an approach to growth. The view is that using “customer minded” principles and tools to drive strategy and resources creates value and wealth through services.

Gary Hamel, world renowned strategic thinker, has adopted the controversial position that “Management is the single largest constraint on business performance.” S&L wanted to find out what he means by this provocative statement and how firms benefit from his ideas. this paper aims to investigate this

Strategy & Leadership interviewed Hamel, who recently published the controversial book The Future of Management, to ask him why he believes a new management model is urgently needed.

The paper finds that Hamel says that, “Management as we practice it today is just another old technology that needs to be reinvented.”

Hamel offers suggestions for leading management innovation and recruiting innovative leaders.

Hamel challenges managers to see that most firms are limited by their management model, which is characterized by bureaucratic processes and top‐down decision‐making, concentration of power at the top and deafness to contrary ideas.

More of Professor Gary Hamel's thought‐provoking analysis appears in his long‐awaited book written with Professor C. K. Prahalad, Competing for the Future: Breakthrough Strategies for Seizing Control of Your Industry and Creating the Markets of Tomorrow (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1994). Our diligent conference reporter, Bernard C. Reimann, Professor of Management at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, is the author of Managing for Value: A Guide for Value Based Strategic Management, published by Basil Blackwell and The Planning Forum.