Startup Insights

D 1995 – 1999: The Dilbert Years In a period in the US of economic prosperity, a tight job market, and high worker mobility, the balance of power has shifted back to the employee. It appears that good managers are focusing on how to hire and retain good employees and how to maximize employees’ capabilities for the long-term benefit of …Read the Rest

C 1980 – 1995: The Slim Fast Years At the beginning of the 1980s, the great American machine finally collapsed. Companies needed to refocus their resources, and managers and workers needed to transform their skills to survive in a new world. Overall, this was an extremely traumatic period for both employees and companies. It was characterized by a number of …Read the Rest

B 1960-1980 – The Industrial Economy The 60s and the 70s marked the last years of the great American factory. Companies were getting larger and more bureaucratic, while machines were gradually replacing tasks. Companies in this period competed on the size of their physical assets. Both workers and managers, not knowing that they would soon be marginalized, were unprepared to …Read the Rest

A 1946-1960: Post-war Years In the years immediately following World War II, business culture and leadership appeared to follow a military model. This basically gave absolute power to the person on top of the hierarchy and people further down the chain followed orders without question. Loyalty during the late forties was not a real problem, despite the military style of …Read the Rest

B Research Methodology Magazine Research Our research covered articles from 1946-1998. Research was done via the Business Periodicals Index, pulling articles under the heading of Business Management or Employment Management relating to leadership or business management techniques. We decided to focus on post World War II magazine publications. The two flagship magazines covered were Fortune and Harvard Business Review. However, …Read the Rest

I Executive Summary A The Exercise Everyone has had his or her share of good and bad bosses throughout their work life. There are bosses who rule with iron fists, and others who believe in a free hand. Some frighten, others coach. Some are silent, others can’t stop talking. But who is the good boss? Who is to decide? Was …Read the Rest

The course was Leadership and Management of Organization fondly known as LAMO (the obligatory Organizational Behavior course in the MBA program), taught by our newly minted fresh OB Professor Sheena Iyengar. Sheena was young, hip and inspirational; a teacher who broke so many stereotypes on day one when she walked in with her white cane in our class room. There …Read the Rest