Business executive • May 11


From the Editor A MAGAZINE FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ISSUE 120 MAY 2011 www.abeuk.com 6 29


We all know about marketing – the activity within the business that gets our products and services sold. But how about marketing ourselves as individuals? Ever thought of that? It doesn’t matter who you are or what job you are in,


other people need to know about you, especially in the business world. It’s important for you to have contacts – as many as possible. To proceed and succeed in business life, it is very


Features:


6 Rosbeth Moss Kanter looks at the way business will be done in the future


8 Jason Wright shows how good habits in business can bring success


10 “Middle managers” are revolutionary heroes, argues Blaire Palmer


12 Lisa Turner describes the essential mindset to power up your thoughts


14 Mergers and acquisitions: Stephen Archer explains what they are all about and why they happen


18 special Feature: Meetings from hell. Patrick Forsyth shows how not to hold a meeting – a humorous lesson to be heeded!


cover photograph: Tsutomu Suyama and Harvard Business School


Regulars:


4 ABE News: consolidation in Africa; a new venture in the UK


15 Cartoon


20 Case study: the start of our short series on innovation management


22 Viewpoint: How much should the boss be paid? Freek Vermeulen considers the implications


23 Quote...!


24 Snapshot: Adrian Furnham reflects on some modern management styles


25 The Bookstore: some really interesting books; don’t just put them on the shelf


29 Across the Editor’s desk: revealing research on matters of management concern


30 Endpiece: The Editor on reading good (management) books


number 120 editor: Sidney Callis ABe Managing editor: Jon Swindell


Assistant editor: Hannah Ormiston


Published by: The Association of Business Executives, 5th Floor, CI Tower, St Georges Sq., High Street, New Malden, Surrey KT3 4TE, UK


tel: +44 (0) 20 8329 2930 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8329 2945


email: info@abeuk.com Web: www.abeuk.com


Design and production by: Cambridge Publishers Ltd, 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8JE Tel: +44 (0) 1223 477411 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 327356 Email: info@cpl.biz Web: www.cpl.biz


Advertising sales: Media Shed To advertise, please contact Ian Carter on +44 (0)844 858 4852 or info@media-shed.co.uk


All advertisements are accepted subject to ASA guidelines. The publisher cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information contained in the advertisements and does not enter into disputes on behalf of third parties.


Views and opinions expressed by any contributor herein do not necessarily reflect ABE policy; nor does ABE accept any responsibility for the views and opinions expressed by the author.


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval means – without the prior permission of the editor or publisher.


helpful to have a wide network of people you know and who know you. In a quiet, persuasive way let others know about you, who you are, what you have done, what you can do, how helpful you can be to them. If that sounds brash and too self-promoting it shouldn’t be; it’s a human characteristic to be sociable, the difference is in the way you do it. Life is full of opportunities, the more you are known, the better chance there is of a good opportunity opening up for you. You could be in the forefront of the boss’s mind when the promotion opening occurs; or someone you met by chance at a conference could remember your expertise. The possibilities are unlimited. Getting on well with people, whatever your job or business you work in, is an essential part of good management practice. You know your people, they know you. Your job is to keep everyone willing and able, to help out, to co-operate. Good networking, in its broadest sense is what gets the work done, well. The contributors to this issue know a lot about


networking; our lead article is by one of the acknowledged great management thinkers, Rosbeth Moss Kanter. Her vanguard companies research has involved a great deal of people meeting. Jason Wright discusses high performance habits, which need a lot of networking; Blaire Palmer argues that middle managers are the real heroes of the business world; Lisa Turner turns her attention to the thoughts in our mind that need to be shared if anything is to get done; Stephen Archer explains mergers and acquisitions; if ever there was a business activity that relies on networking, this is surely it. Our Viewpoint throws a cynically amusing light on excessive top management salaries, and the Snapshot reflects on some modern management styles, expanding on some of the bizarre management speak highlighted in the Viewpoint of our last issue. We have a special feature on meetings, amusing, perhaps embarrassing, but with a powerful point. We start a new series of case studies around innovation management, which should provide plenty of ideas. The Bookstore, research roundup and ABE News complete an edition packed with food for thought (an awful cliché!)


Enjoy! Sidney Callis


3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32