Publications 61 - 80 / 215

It’s time to use a structured process for selecting the nonexecutive leader of the board. Defining the role is a good start.

Korn/Ferry interviewed 66 retail CEOs and board members from around the world to investigate the critical question: how are leadership talent issues impacting on the delivery of the organization’s strategic business objectives?

This report focuses on how Vanderbilt University, with the help of Korn/Ferry International and PricewaterhouseCoopers, implemented a stronger, centralized finance function to support their ongoing effort to develop a “one university” culture that embraces a collaborative approach to executing its mission of being one of the greatest educational institutions in the world. This report discusses the value of this process and the three primary advantages that were implemented at a time when capital was hard to come by.

Organizations around the globe have been battered by unprecedented economic turmoil, as years of extraordinary growth gave way to a deep recession. Now, as whispers of an economic recovery grow louder, some anticipate that this too, will produce its own difficulties. Korn/Ferry sat down with a select group of human resource directors from consumer products companies across Asia Pacific to discuss the critical issues faced by HR professionals and the impact of an economic recovery on their organizations at large.

When we look back at the close of the 21st century’s first decade, we are likely to view the global financial crisis as the final blow that pushed the pharmaceutical industry into a period of upheaval. Human resources executives are being asked to design talent strategies as the business playbook changes daily.

Over the past decade, Chief Financial Officers have been central to advising and leading their companies through some of the most upending and demanding issues faced by the corporate community in generations.

Over the past decade, organizations in Australia and around the world have invested billions of dollars in technology. This level of expenditure reflects a higher dependence on technology to support their day-to-day business operations than ever before. With this significant increase in investment and reliance on technology, it is important to explore how well organizations are managing the asset and opportunity.

If a person's brand is their promise of value, then the role of the CHRO is the promise of the value they bring to the executive table. In the case of the CHRO, he or she needs to realize that what they say and do can directly affect the organization's talent brand, and by default, the organization's ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent.

The 2009 Board of Directors Study, Australia and New Zealand is published
by Korn/Ferry International in partnership with Egan Associates. This year we
discuss the various trends in Non Executive Director selection, many of which
are a consequence of the global financial crisis and recent court decisions
involving board members.

The HR function is in a state of transition caused by the increasing pressure to identify and develop next-generation leaders, the growing globalization of businesses and talent pools, and the CEO’s requirement that HR be more strategic and relevant to the business as a whole. As HR seeks to meet these demands, others have questioned its effectiveness.

Chinese businesses have been integrating into the global economy at an extraordinary pace during the past decade. This large scope of globalization in China has created unprecedented human resource challenges. A chief concern has been the acute scarcity of Chinese leadership talent. Based on our global leadership assessment data, we contrasted Chinese managers with a global sample.

As the world begins to emerge from the deepest recession in more than half a century, and with confidence eroded in all four corners of the globe, Latin America’s top chief executives are changing their priorities. In an attempt to find out more about this change and to compare against some of the findings that were revealed in the first CEO Vision leadership study in 2003, Korn/Ferry International, in partnership with INSEAD, The Business School for the World, interviewed 365 business leaders in eight different countries across the region.

Following the onset of the recession, 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.

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.