Articles

In “The Fifth Discipline,” Senge explores how to craft learning organizations.

A strong brand name is an invaluable asset; managers must know when to exploit it, when to protect it, and how to tell the difference between the two. Because using an established brand name substantially reduces new-product introduction risks, there is an almost irresistable pull to "extend" brand names to new products. Doing so can be enormously profitable, but it can be dangerous, too: In the worst case, an ill-conceived brand extension may seriously damage the original product and preclude the establishment of another brand with its unique associations and growth potential. This article examines both the advantages and potential pitfalls of brand extensions.

It is time for U.S. companies to raise their service aspirations significantly and for U.S. executives to declare war on mediocre service and set their sights on consistently excellent service, say the authors. This goal is within reach if managers will provide the necessary leadership, remember that the sole judge of service quality is the customer, and implement what the authors call the "five service imperatives."

A new type of industrial engineering blends technological capabilities with business process redesign.

The concept -- and the practice -- of process consultation is enormously influential among students of organizational behavior. In this paper, Professor Schein describes the process that he went through to develop the process consultation approach. He focuses particularly on three ideas: helping as a general human process; the choices that helpers must make, as well as the assumptions that various choices rest on; and the importance of training clients to become helpers themselves.

The drive for short-term profits need not derail a firm's research and development programs, say the authors. By managing technology effectively, executives can ensure that their company's R&;D program focuses on developing technologies that support its product and marketing strategy. While radically new products may seize the public's imagination, making incremental improvements in existing product lines and adapting old products for new markets are always less risky and often more profitable.

Given the increasing complexity of the technological infrastructure, there is a critical need to build effective working relationships between line managers and information systems managers. This paper explores the concept of building partnerships as a management strategy. Using interviews with executives, the author focuses both on external partnerships (relationships between managers in separate organizations) and on internal partnerships (relationships between line managers and information systems managers in the same organization) to create a descriptive model.

Investments in service-sector technology have perhaps been less carefully monitored than have those in manufacturing sector technology. This paper analyzes the reasons for service-sector technology's sometime disappointing performance and proposes a systematic approach to technology investment planning and implementation.

The difficulty of managing environmental issues tempts many corporations to undermanage and neglect necessary pollution control and environmental protection programs. This oversight puts those firms -- not to mention the environment -- at serious risk. The authors describe five stages of environmental management program development. They highlight each stage's characteristics, including its potential shortcoming, and offer practical guidelines for program development. This article also includes an SMR interview with C.C. Smith, Jr., Union Carbide's vice president of community and employee health, safety, and environmental protection.

Some authors, and even some popular journals, have noted examples of the radical new organizational forms now emerging. This article illuminates the technological and services bases of these changes -- and examines how to manage them successfully. (Its companion article is "Technology in Services: Rethinking Strategic Focus" by J. B. Quinn, T.L. Doorley and P.C. Paquette; Sloan Management Review 31, no. 2 [1990]: 79-87.) Both articles build on the authors' earlier works published by Sloan Management Review, Scientific American, and the National Academy Press.