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Mindfulness as a Management Technique Goes Back to at Least the 1970s

Harvard Business Review

Through his unique lens, he came to create what we know as scenario planning — a widely used strategic planning practice that now spans all sectors. An HBR contributor, he wrote two seminal articles about Shell and scenario planning in 1985. Planning well, in his estimation, required “training the mind.”

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4 Signs That Your Focus Is Holding You Back at Work

Harvard Business Review

For example, many studies have shown that internal focus (for example, focusing on your arm motion in a golf swing) is more likely to cause fatigue than external focus (focusing on the flight of the golf ball). For example, you may be strategizing on a project that requires scenario planning.

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Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most

Leading Blog

Engaging in scenario planning or gaming is not to make accurate predictions, but “the very act of trying to imagine alternatives to the conventional view helps you perceive your options more clearly.” Pierre Wack wrote in the Harvard Business Review , “No single ‘right’ projection can be deduced from past behavior.

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Be Prepared for What You Don't See Coming

Harvard Business Review

Have you ever worked on a project that produced unexpected results ? For example, sometimes when a senior manager makes a request, it causes a cascade of activity that is far beyond what she intended. To minimize their negative impact, there are two steps that managers can take: Plan ahead (as much as you can). Test the waters.

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The Olympics as a Story of Risk Management

Harvard Business Review

In the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics, for example, the global financial crisis caused private developers for the Olympic Village project to withdraw, requiring a refinancing package backed by government. These risks can emanate from the realm of security, public health, natural ecology, technology, or economics.

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Navigating the Complexities of Doing Business in Russia

Harvard Business Review

For example, in 2014, at the onset of the sharp deterioration in U.S.-Russian In many cases, people have to bear more costs directly – for example to pay for more of their own healthcare – which also limits their spending power. ” Similarly, hours after the U.S. further sanctions, oil price drop, protests, etc.)

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What a Good Moonshot Is Really For

Harvard Business Review

Google''s moonshots include expansive projects like its driverless car and Google Glass efforts. At the heart of the future-back process is a consensus view of your company''s desired future state.This isn''t scenario planning, where you consider a range of possibilities. Take the driverless car, for example.