Publications 21 - 40 / 167

Globalization, economic change, more stringent regulation and tougher governance make realizing shareholder value increasingly difficult. Never has it been more critical for companies not only to have the right leader in place, but a visible pipeline of high potential individuals ‘in-waiting’. Despite the immense challenges of the role, its prestige and visibility continue to create no shortage of people who aspire to become a CEO. So why do people strive to attain this pinnacle position and how do organizations identify the right attributes to make sure they invest in those individuals genuinely capable of reaching the top job?

Research indicates a key reason why teams fail is that many employees are ill-prepared to make the transition from individual contributor to team member. One of the fundamentals to developing high performing teams is to understand that successful teams do not simply happen. They take much effort and time. They take proper guidance and support from the team leader. They require an organizational culture which enable and fosters team work.

As 2010 approaches, many organizations are anticipating the likelihood of renewing their hiring efforts. Before they begin, they must prepare to enter a decade where they will face new realities and new challenges brought upon by the economic upheaval of the preceding years. Some changes will provide opportunities while others will prove more vexing. Here is a look at eight likely occurrences, their probable impact on hiring efforts and how you can take action to best position your organization for success.

We have long been accustomed to the Western expatriate assuming leadership positions in multinational companies in Asia. The rise of Asian leaders taking on senior roles at the corporate level has undoubtedly been a slower journey. Why is this so? What skills and competencies do Asian executives require to be more international? Will we eventually see a trend towards a more globalized workforce in the future, and what are companies doing in Asia to prepare their local talent to be placed in international roles?

Several diverse streams of research support different elements of the 720° approach to executive coaching. This paper explores the research foundations that contribute to both the inside-out and outside-in coaching methodologies that make up our approach. Our model is reflective of where coaching is moving as a field of practice – toward methodologies that are integrative, multi-disciplinary, and deeply embed executive and coach in an intense, collaborative experience.

What a difference a year makes. Much of 2009 was dominated by what was called the "the next big crash after 1932." Fourteen months since the fall of Lehman Brothers, global economic sentiment is on a rise and business vernacular is peppered with terms like "green shoots" and "stunning recovery."
 

With 83% of major Canadian boards now separating the roles of chair and CEO, there has been an increased focus on board leadership as one of the most important factors determining board effectiveness. While undertaking hundreds of board and director assessments and searches over the past fifteen years, Patrick O’Callaghan and Associates and Korn/Ferry International have consistently found that the boards operating most effectively have exceptional board chair leadership. Conversely, when a board is struggling, poor board leadership is inevitably one of the problems. The board chair has an enormous impact on board performance and exercises significant discretionary influence over both the board and management.

The current economic environment has ushered in new expectations for leaders – from increased scope of responsibility to heavier workloads to making decisions in more ambiguous conditions. Have these different expectations affected the set of skills that make a great leader?

"Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice," written by Korn/Ferry's Kenneth P. De Meuse and Guangrong Dai, examines the effectiveness and ROI of executive coaching.

The reality of deflated retirement savings accounts may be causing global executives to re-evaluate how long they stay in the workforce. A spring 2009 Executive Quiz released by The Korn/Ferry Institute reveals that a majority – 52 percent – of executives plan to retire at age 64 or higher, a jump of eight percent compared with results collected in 2004 when Korn/Ferry last surveyed executives about retirement plans.

In early 2009, The Korn/Ferry Institute launched a new thought leadership series called "Korn/Ferry's Career Playbook: Winning Strategies in Today's Job Market" to address executive job seekers's most frequent and pressing questions.

The fifth article in this series highlights the importance of managing your references in today’s socially networked and often litigious culture. Understanding how recruiters use references can help you choose and prepare the most appropriate people to speak about you as a person and a professional. In this article, the experts at Korn/Ferry describe how they find and work with the most solid referrals possible.

The global demand for metals and other basic resources continues to increase steadily despite the recent downturn in the world economy. Factors driving demand include population growth and rising living standards and expectations, particularly in underdeveloped and quickly developing countries.

The growing economic and political influence of the Hispanic market represents a crucial crosscurrent for U.S. companies in all sectors. Hispanic directors can provide the perspective needed to ensure that companies take advantage of revenue-growth, talent management and relevant community partnership opportunities.

As outsourcing's global reach and implementation steadily expand, boosting the demand for outsourcing executives, outsourcing firms will need to consider candidates well outside the typical competitive landscape. Although the traditional companies remain a viable target for talent, new Korn/Ferry research suggests that key skills and capabilities can be acquired outside of the industry and then honed into productive outsourcing leadership competencies.

In the aftermath of the global financial turmoil, companies today find themselves operating in an environment where the old fashioned values of discipline, accountability and sustainability are back in favour.

"Managing Against the Wind" by Korn/Ferry's Andrew Tsui (Hong Kong) and Mina Hsu of Mina Hsu Consulting, provides insight from twelve senior management executives, representing financial services, communications, real estate, construction, utilities, retail and consumer products on the factors that have helped companies navigate the current economic downturn. They also share the key management lessons they learned in the wake of the financial crisis, and their views on the lasting legacy of the crisis.

As the generics pharmaceuticals business model evolves, the industry faces many of the same challenges as those of the traditional big pharma. Consequently, generic drug companies may find that the key to continued growth will be breaking with tradition and recruiting and retaining seasoned big pharma executives. But, it cuts both ways, and big pharma may find that the expertise of generic drug executives accustomed to leaner budgets and product cycles is the tonic they need.

In early 2009, The Korn/Ferry Institute launched a new thought leadership series called "Korn/Ferry's Career Playbook: Winning Strategies in Today's Job Market" to address executive job seekers's most frequent and pressing questions.

For Asia’s leading private bankers, a slowdown in business caused by the shrinking overall wealth of clients in the region, wilting confidence in capital markets and other investment products, and an intensifying lack of trust in financial institutions at large, has not dissuaded them from seeking ways to reassure their clients that instruments still exist which can make them money.

"The Spanish 2009 Board of Directors Study" reports on the opinions and practices found in boardrooms of companies in Spain.

There is a small cadre of best-in-class foreign talent at the senior levels of top Asian corporate success stories like Samsung, LG, SK, Huawei, Haier and Lenovo, among others, helping to "globalize" key elements of the business. Reporting to the CEOs, these executives, by and large, don’t speak the local language and many have never worked in Korea or China. But their impact has been felt throughout the global enterprise and most of these Asian conglomerates expect to hire more foreign talent as CEOs recognize the importance of building global capabilities, beginning with the head office.