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 Stanford Executive Briefings "Organizational culture" is an elusive, yet powerful management tool. Professor Chatman defines organizational culture in terms of observable behaviors and shows examples of firms that use strong, strategically-aligned cultures to enhance organizational performance. She outlines how to establish and maintain a healthy and thriving culture by focusing on the power of effective selection and socialization processes. Through examples and anecdotes, she highlights the importance of developing cultures that emphasize innovation, teamwork, and adaptability to achieve sustained competitive advantage. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Fairness when interviewing is an essential part of hiring; it’s even more important when you have disabled applicants. In these situations, where you want to do everything right, you’re probably just as nervous as the job candidate. But following the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act can help you set those fears aside. Focus the interview on the applicant’s abilities—not the disability—and you’ll ensure that every candidate gets the same chance to prove that he or she is the right person for the job. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Organizations are built for stability, not for change. But in today's highly competitive business environment, organizations must be ready to change—and change frequently. They need to replace long-term planning with a succession of short-term advantages. They must increase their "surface area" with the outside world; drive leadership to lower levels in the company; and reward decision makers for change management as well as results. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Even though everyone negotiates in daily life as well as in business, it is clear that resources are often left "on the table." Contracts and outcomes are not always in the best interests of the negotiator, and there is no real systematic assessment of the quality of the negotiating behavior. Professor Neale identifies systematic ways to increase the quality of negotiated agreements, including methods of preparation and use of rational assumption, bidding, and decision criteria. $129.99 [Add to Cart] Duration: 62 Minutes (2008) Most companies that attempt fundamental transformation fail. From a ten-year study of over 500 firms, Professor Tabrizi found the successful ones share common practices: from creating an initial sense of urgency and top-down alignment, to building cross-functional teams with the stamina to “reassemble a flying plane,” to committing to ruthless operational execution and dramatic cultural change. Hewlett-Packard and Oracle had unique transformation goals yet shared common practices. H-P’s top management set goals, timetables, and performance expectations for a multi-pronged overhaul of its operating model, capital structure, R&D investment, and IT infrastructure. Oracle’s transformation from an amalgam of seventy “little companies” to an integrated, cost-efficient structure was launched with a top-down sense of urgency, coupled with changes in performance incentives to get employees on board. Dr. Tabrizi is a Professor of Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University, and the author of “Rapid Transformation.” He received his MS and PhD from Stanford University. Ann Livermore is Executive Vice President, Technology Solutions Group, Hewlett-Packard Co. She holds an MBA from Stanford University, and she serves on the board of UPS. Safra Catz is President of Oracle Corp, and has been a board member since 2001. She earned a JD from University of Pennsylvania Law School. $129.99 [Add to Cart]The traditional approach to strategic planning—which focused on producing a plan on a piece of paper that would subsequently disappear into a desk drawer—is dead. Replacing the old approach is a new method that focuses on strategic thinking and implementation. Rick Berthold presents a fresh perspective on strategy formation, and a process for developing strategies that assure organizational alignment and lead to effective implementation. $129.99 [Add to Cart]From creative accounting to outright dishonesty, businesses behaving badly have headlined newspapers across the country. After years of "greed is good," integrity is once again in vogue. But, has the pendulum swung back too far? In this frank discussion, Pam Lopker questions whether recent legislation will be successful in its attempts to codify and enforce virtue from the outside. She argues that survival, rather than regulation, will drive ethical business practices—that to be successful in the long run, an undercurrent of values must permeate all aspects of your organization. You have to look at every transaction from the point of view of the customer, the employee, and the community, and ask, "Am I doing the right thing for this stakeholder?" Ultimately, this perspective is not only virtuous—it is also your best strategy for success. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Author and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki explains the rules that make new products and services successful. Using examples from the personal-computer industry and a broad spectrum of other industries, Kawasaki outlines the ten things that a revolutionary must do to succeed in today's business climate. His presentation is a complete and pragmatic guide to the creation and marketing of revolutionary products and services for people who want to change the world. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Southwest Airlines started with a simple idea, and managed to stick with it through decades of unprecedented growth. Many have tried (but failed) to emulate their success. According to Colleen Barrett, the idea is so simple, nobody quite believes it: customers return because they like the experience and they like the way they are treated. But how do you keep your customers this satisfied? By keeping your employees satisfied. Barrett spends 70-80% of her time assuring that her employees are valued as people, and encouraged to do the right thing rather than doing things right. She acknowledges that you can't expect employees to be saints, but you can expect integrity and commitment to the team. Her guiding rule is to hire on attitude and then train for skills, seeking individuals who will take the business—but not themselves—seriously. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Negotiations have two dimensions: the creation of value, and the claiming of that value. Negotiators often focus on the value-claiming side, destroying value-creation opportunities in the process. Professor Neale describes the disastrous outcomes that result when negotiators' antagonism and pride obscure their own best interests. She explains how to focus instead on three critical data points: your reservation price, your aspiration price, and your best alternatives to an agreement. You can get a great deal—or you can walk away. Either way, you win. $129.99 [Add to Cart]Jim Thompson describes youth sports as an illustration of the teamwork and high achievement that every organization wants to see in its employees. He shares ten valuable leadership lessons (such as seeing the big picture, creating a culture of fair play, and giving permission to make mistakes) gleaned from his experience as a coach and crusader for young athletes. Jim demonstrates the right way—and the wrong way—to motivate individuals to do their very best. $129.99 [Add to Cart] Successful brands adapt to the changing needs of their customers. They grow from their base of brand-loyal return buyers who support price premiums and healthy profit margins. By investing this additional cash in further brand building, they create a "virtuous circle" that carries them through inevitable downturns. A strong brand guides overall strategy and acts as an ambassador for entering new markets and launching new products that will succeed as long as they continue to build on core brand values. Program Highlights
Formats: DVD  Often, employees don't really know WHAT they are supposed to do, or they don't really know HOW… Or they actually think they ARE doing it, or they think something ELSE is more important. This staff coaching video provides clear guidelines that will help you improving employee performance through mentoring and providing direction and feedback. There are four key steps to effective employee coaching:
This management training video shows you how to apply these essential performance coaching steps in productive ways that include your employees in the process. You'll learn to communicate specific expectations and to remove any obstacles that get in the way. And you'll learn techniques for further improving employee job performance through inspiring and mentoring employees who are already doing well—by pointing out what they could be doing even better! Formats: DVD
 Traditional pricing methods involve a trade-off. You want to charge as much as you can in order to maximize profits, but not so much that there is a negative impact on sales. So when a customer rejects your price, does it mean that the price is too high? Maybe not, says Tom Nagle. Price levels are only the visible "tip of the iceberg" in pricing strategy. Nagle explains that in order to get customers to pay for value, you have to do more than just set a value-based price. You must proactively manage your markets with communications that justify your price in terms of value. You need to offer service packages that customers recognize as providing extra value. And you need to manage a price structure that tracks with value, and a pricing process that forces customers to acknowledge value with their pocketbooks. Tom Nagle is the author of the seminal work "The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing."
 After reinventing itself years ago from a software-for-PCs producer to a software-for-the-enterprise producer, Microsoft is now in the midst of a multi-year initiative to transform itself again—to a software-plus-internet-services provider. And Microsoft remains committed to that transformation, notes Chris Capossela, despite the global economic downturn. In fact, it sees the crisis as an opportunity to rally all parts of the company behind its “big, big bets” for the next five to ten years. For the short term, Microsoft’s strategic direction to employees comes down to four simple guidelines: understand what they can and cannot control, prepare for an unknown length and depth of downturn, strengthen customer and partner relationships to grow market share, and act with a sense of urgency. For the longer term, the single-minded focus on its software-plus services initiative—which led to Xbox LIVE® and Exchange Online, for example—will continue to demand innovation on all fronts: technology, new business models, global pricing plans, and even naming and packaging practices. Program Highlights
Chris Capossela is responsible for worldwide product and business management for the Microsoft® Office System. He has spent more than 15 years with the company in marketing, technical and field positions, and was previously general manager of the Microsoft Project business unit. He has a BS degree in computer science and economics from Harvard University.
Avoid embarrassing errors and make your best impression on customers and colleagues. Email is fast becoming the preferred method of contact for sharing information and resolving problems. The impression you leave with others about the quality of your organization and your own personal competency is largely based on the courtesy and professionalism of your email correspondence. Learn about:
• Email etiquette and best practices.
• Openings and closings.
• Proper formatting and subject lines.
• Grammar and punctuation.
• Writing “bad news” emails.
• Email customer service.
No matter how long you’ve been using email, you’ll learn some very important guidelines in this video—guidelines that will protect you from catastrophes and ensure your messages are professional, every time.
Format: DVD
Successful innovations must be desirable to consumers, technically feasible, and viable from a business point of view. But how do you meet these requirements? Tim Brown advocates using the three stages of “design thinking”: inspiration, ideation, and implementation. For inspiration, innovators must look at the world through the eyes and the ears of users, perhaps studying analogous situations or extreme users to spark a generative process. Ideation, the core of the process, involves prototyping and realistic testing. Implementation begins with storytelling to bring the idea into the world. If a narrative can be developed around an idea, it has the best chance of being understood and implemented. $129.99 [Add to Cart]As a former federal mediator, Pat Cleary has been involved with just about every kind of negotiation. In this entertaining presentation, he shares gems of wisdom from his nearly 20 years of hands-on dispute resolution. Pat describes common negotiation mistakes that unnecessarily complicate solutions and can prevent you from getting what you want. He then provides practical, effective methods that you can use to sidestep the pitfalls and stay focused on getting the best deal possible. He explains how to test stakeholder commitment on the issues, what you should always take off the table, and when to recognize that "no" doesn't mean "no," and "final" doesn't mean "final." $129.99 [Add to Cart]
Duration: 59 Minutes When employees have the freedom and ability to act in the best interests of the company, performance improves. But does more freedom mean even better performance? Dr. Getz shares examples of phenomenal business results from companies whose leaders built total freedom-of-initiative organizations. These leaders understand that three universal human needs—intrinsic equality, opportunity for growth, and self-direction—must be met for all employees. To nurture and sustain the freedom culture, these leaders share their vision of the company so that employees can “own” it. Among his examples: the president of Finland’s successful cleaning services company, SOL, ensures intrinsic equality by having employees determine the office space design, furnishings, company logo, work schedules, job titles and job responsibilities. Insurance leader USAA provides growth opportunities for 21,000 employees through robust onsite training and support for college courses or business degrees. And manufacturing leader W.L. Gore champions self-direction in a unique and innovative culture built on individualized job responsibilities and fluid, situational leadership.
Isaac Getz, coauthor of Freedom, Inc., is a professor at the ESCP Europe Business School French campus, and was a visiting professor at Cornell and Stanford Universities and at the University of Massachusetts. He graduated in Computer Science, obtained an MS in Management Science, and PhDs in Psychology and in Management.
Phil McKinney, VP and CTO of HP’s Personal Systems Group, oversees long-range technical strategy and research and development. He is also general manager of the group’s gaming business unit.
FIRE is a four-step process for bringing creative ideas to life. Focus on what you’re going to pursue rather than wait for inspiration to strike. Ideate by brainstorming and asking the “killer questions.” Rank ideas to ensure they meet specific goals of the organization. Execute on the ideas with a staged rollout for validation. PO, or perspective and observation, bring the big picture to the process. When we broaden our perspective by knocking down ingrained blinders, and get in the field to directly observe problems or opportunities, truly creative ideas emerge.
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