As Fujio Ando, senior managing director at Chibagin Asset Management suggests, "Japan's consumer electronics industry is facing defeat. As innovation thinker Vijay Govindarajan says , "The more you hardwire a company on total quality management, [the more] it is going to hurt breakthrough innovation. A data-driven mindset may encourage managers to ignore intuition or anomalous data that doesn't fit preconceived notions. MORE

At Cascade Asset Management , an environmentally minded recycler of computer components, sustainability reigns supreme, from a wholly green headquarters to employee nameplates personally made from recycled computer pieces. By Barbara T. Armstrong. MORE

The University provided me with an exceptional opportunity - to work in Hong Kong at a financial company in their asset management and private equity divisions. I'm honored to host this guest blog by Elizabeth Weber about her summer interning at a financial firm in Hong Kong. The lessons she shares at age 20 are ones many of us don't even learn in our 40's, 50's or our lives. She's bringing these lessons home, as Co-President of the Entrepreneur Program at Brown. MORE

NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE: A study by the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC) found that the funds managed by its member firms (79% of which are owned by minorities and 69% of which have women or minorities in at least half of the investment roles) had a median net internal rate of return of 15% from 1998-2011. of managing directors and senior executives, the highest-ranking and best-paying jobs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from the companies and their websites. MORE

And most of my asset manager clients were looking for something different: “Give me a contrarian perspective.” It’s not uncommon to meet a lawyer who’d like to work in renewable energy, or an app developer who’d like to write a novel, or an editor who fantasizes about becoming a landscape designer. Maybe you also dream about switching to a career that’s drastically different from your current job. MORE

The success of institutional-investment firms is socioeconomically vital: Their task is to grow the financial assets needed to fund retirements, development, education, scientific research, and many other capabilities associated with pensions, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, and the like. In September 2016 we undertook a survey of nearly 300 endowment and foundation managers. Innovation has the potential to transform the investment industry. MORE

One outside manager of many endowments I spoke to confirmed to me that there has been “no mandate” from clients to be investing in the future of higher education. “I Those who manage money for higher education, I propose, need to get much more interested in the market they are in. Many universities manage billions in research funding, but there is usually no R&D budget for their own product, namely delivering education to willing buyers. MORE

Increasing demand for clean, affordable electricity combined with an aging infrastructure, retiring workers, growing regulations, rising capital costs, and intensifying budget pressures challenge utility executives and managers now more than ever. MORE

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. Bob's blog entries devise new ways of operating make better use of limited assets Management Tip of the Day Harvard Business Review Necessity is the mother of invention The Number One Key to Innovation: Scarcity" by Uri Neren. To sign up for a free subscription, to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here. * * * Necessity is the mother of invention. MORE

However, when performed together, your department, plant or organization will be transformed into a sophisticated retention machine that will be the envy of your fellow managers or competitors. He has trained hundreds of first-line supervisors, managers, and executives during his career. MORE

Ignite managers’ passion to coach their employees. Historically, managers passed on knowledge, skills, and insights through coaching and mentoring. But in our more global, complex, and competitive world, the role of the manager has eroded. MORE

However, when performed together, your department, plant or organization will be transformed into a sophisticated retention machine that will be the envy of your fellow managers or competitors. Certain managers tend to churn thru people… even the ones the managers hire themselves. MORE

As an investor, I think about financial risk a lot, and I’ve become interested in using the tools of the investor’s trade in managing the large and small risks we face regularly. Crisis management Decision making Risk management Digital ArticleRisk is unavoidable. MORE

Basically, a handful of asset management firms have become the most powerful shareholders of the nation’s largest banks. This collective flood of individual investment has turned asset management companies into ginormous shareholders. trillion in assets. MORE

Examples of governance performance include management of the legal and regulatory environment, systemic risk management, and managing conflicts. MORE

The role of the manager is currently undergoing a transformation. Historically, managers embraced the role of coach and mentor. This erosion in the role of the manager has not gone unnoticed. Leadership & Managing people Coaching Article MORE

LPs pay VCs like asset managers, not investors. This fixed 2% fee structure creates the incentive to accumulate and manage more assets. In fact, many VCs don’t even invest in their fund from their personal assets, instead contributing their investment via their share of the management fees. LPs can certainly do a better job of paying VCs to act less like asset managers and more like investors. MORE

Digital asset management systems originally designed for a limited number of approved photos and metadata now have to capture, store (or link), and tag a broader array of assets. MORE

AllianceBernstein (AB), a $3 billion asset management company based in Manhattan, rates each of its 3,700 employees every year on both performance and potential. One other tip: involve as many line managers in the interviews you can. Hiring Managing people Talent management How much is your top salesperson worth? Your star engineer? Your best marketer? Everyone knows that some people get better results than others. MORE

However, when performed together, your department, plant or organization will be transformed into a sophisticated retention machine that will be the envy of your fellow managers or competitors. Assess your supervisory and management team! Identify the poor managers and supervisors. MORE

BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, recently said , “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors relevant to a company’s business can provide essential insights into management effectiveness and thus a company’s long-term prospects.” Management sought to create direct energy savings and a stronger brand that would be well-regarded by owners, employees, and consumers. Neasden Control Centre for HBR. MORE

Such examples are featured in FSG’s new research on shared value in the insurance sector, along with efforts by sector leaders to reach more underserved customers with insurance and better leverage their asset management side to create the context for prevention. Behavioral economists know well the power of instant gratification and overoptimism that too often lead to poor decisions — like reaching for an extra slice of cake or putting off the dreaded morning run. MORE

Investors are increasingly seeking firms with long-term growth strategies, rather than ones focused on managing short-term earnings to boost the stock price. As head of the world’s largest asset manager, with $4.6 MORE

Financial asset managers have been out-price-cutting one another in exchange-traded funds in a bid to gain market share. As pressure intensifies to reduce prices, either by cutting the list price or offering a discount, managers may act hastily, without the same rigor they apply to investments elsewhere, such as capital deployment or product enhancements. Price wars have broken out in consumer industries around the world. MORE

Here is an excerpt from a profile of Asahi Pompey (Managing Director, Compliance, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs) written by Melissa J. Bob's blog entries “Know yourself – know your strengths and weaknesses” Be a subject matter expert Careers for Attorneys at Goldman Sachs” Columbia Law School Forging a Career in Compliance Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Private Wealth Management Melissa J. MORE

Jeff Kortes is the President of Human Asset Management LLC, a human resources consulting firm which specializes in executive search, retention, engagement and front line leadership training. The StrategyDriven family is proud to introduce Jeff Kortes as our newest contributing author! MORE

Could Liberate 50% of Managers' Time. Drone- and satellite-based asset management. Consider appointing a chief data officer to ensure that data is being properly managed as a corporate asset. The question now is not about whether managers should investigate adopting AI but about how fast they can do so. MORE

I was meeting with a client last week, the CEO of a global asset management firm. Edgar Schein, the renowned expert on organizational culture and professor emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, says that once cultural norms such as not giving feedback are established, it’s easier for people to resist change “by denial, projection, rationalization, or various other defense mechanisms” than to change their behavior. MORE

Executive leader brings hands-on management and operational experience to StrategyDriven’s Power & Utilities focused advisory services. MORE

Senior industry leader adds hands-on management and operational experience to StrategyDriven’s Power & Utilities focused advisory services. MORE

Bob's blog entries "lean manufacturing" ” Taiichi Ohno Chibagin Asset Management Customize how and where continuous improvement is applied Edgar McVoy Harvard Business Review blog HBR email alerts It's Time to Rethink Continuous Improvement Jon Katzenbach Kaizen Lowell Mellen Schaffer Consulting Shigeo Shingo Eiji Toyoda Simply Effective The GE Work-Out and The Boundaryless Organization Toyota Production System (TPS) Training Within Industry (TWI) programs in 1951 MORE

Senior managers at Allianz Global Investors, a global asset management company, attended a workshop called Dialogue in the Dark, led by visually impaired trainers who conducted the entire workshop in total darkness. MORE

The pay of top managers has risen faster than those of other star earners. Top management compensation packages guarantee a high level of pay, but are often only weakly linked to the performance of the firm relative to its industry competitors. Nowadays, the same handful of large, diversified asset management companies controls a significant proportion of US corporations. In other words, these managers are rewarded less for outperforming their competitors. MORE

He is the current director of enterprise risk at SouthernSun asset management in Memphis, Tennessee. Bob's blog entries Amazon CIA's Counterterrorist Center CNN Daniel Kahnerman FBI's National Security Branch Fox News John McLaughlin Los Angeles Times Meredith Blake NPR PBS Peter Drucker Philip Mudd: An interview by Bob Morris SouthernSun Asset Management Steven Colbert Thinkin [comma] Fast and Slow Warriner’s English Grammar MORE

For example, Vanguard, the investments firm, created the semi-autonomous Personal Advisor Services (PAS) capability for its asset management customers. Each has different implications for the kinds of skills an organization needs and how it manages the technology once it comes in the door. I’m teaching a new course this semester on cognitive technologies (AKA artificial intelligence) to Babson MBAs. MORE

Here is an excerpt from a profile of Joanna Cound (Managing Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, BlackRock) written by Melissa J. Bob's blog entries Advice for Women in the Industry appreciate the impact of legislation on the end investor and to avoid any unintended consequences BlackRock Women’s Initiative Network (“WIN”) BlackRock’s International Cash Management Business Building a Better Europe European Commission European Parliament London Business School Melissa J. MORE

The innovation alone is a herculean task, but imagine being that upstart pioneer trying to develop the technology, while at the same time going up against entrenched, powerful competitors with deep industry knowledge, assets, and channels who’ve been around for a hundred years or more. Transforming our oldest industries calls for more than new technology; sophisticated knowledge of regulations, testing protocols, and traditional physical assets are now essential. MORE

StrategyDriven Enterprises, LLC and NTE Solutions partner to provide energy industry executives and managers with asset lifecycle management and regulatory compliance advisory services. Risk management and compliance. Project development and management. MORE

StrategyDriven Enterprises LLC and Xen Wireless form StrategyDriven Analytics to provide utility industry executives and managers with asset management program benchmarking data supporting operational and investment decisions and fleet and individual plant performance assessments. MORE

Eccles , a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School points out, that’s not because these issues don’t have financial consequences. Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues are often referred to by investors as “nonfinancial information.” MORE

According to the Global Impact Investing Network, the market for impact capital, currently sized at $60 billion, could grow over the next decade to $2 trillion, or 1% of global invested assets. Ultimately, asset managers can develop a matrix with financial asset classes (e.g., MORE

Writing under a pseudonym in the Financial Analysts Journal in 1960, mutual fund executive Jack Bogle made "The Case for Mutual Fund Management." After costs, actively managed mutual funds trail the market. trillion in assets in 2010, up from $25.8 MORE

The water industry is using digital technologies and analytics to derive more value from its physical assets. The need for this sector to change and evolve could not be greater: The organizations that manage water supplies around the world are facing critical issues, and water scarcity is chief among them. In that context, the role of data is not to make a manager sound analytical. MORE