Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

In this post, I want to share a short checklist of things senior leaders need to think about and do to shape and drive cultures that make strategies successful. The authors argued that companies had to pick between one of three paths to value creation and success in the market – operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership.

Company 244

Company Customer Intimacy Schein Long-term 244

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 17, 2015

In this article we look at three very different organizations – IBM, Rich Products, and Intuit – and the three different paths they have taken in reconfiguring their operations for more customer intimacy, by changing methods, reengineering processes, and transforming culture. IBM: Applying a Hybrid Design-Thinking Approach.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Customer Intimacy Software 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 24, 2013

having sacrificed customer intimacy for increased operational excellence gains through widespread cost cutting, are well documented. The danger is that their management approaches cannot sense or respond to shocks. Organizational managers and leaders should be worrying about fragility in the face of such shocks.

Organization 8

Organization Supply Chain Customer Intimacy Stress 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 3, 2014

Seed investors are mostly operating as growth investors, expecting that the entrepreneur will somehow manage to bridge the gap and bring a concept to realization. In short, they want to come to the rescue of victory. In fact, what these investors really want is to invest in businesses that have traction, not just validation.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Customer Intimacy Benchmarking 8