Alec R. Levenson (CEO) and Tracy Faber (Pepsi/Co) share that in 2005 Frito-Lay’s senior executive team faced a challenge with their Route Sales Representatives (RSRs). The company was achieving sales and profitability targets. But high turnover and low productivity among the RSRs had made the task of meeting those targets progressively harder over time.
Research and Insights Archive
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
Available Content
Testing a Business Model Including Nonfinancial Measures in the Homebuilding Industry
Clara Xiaoling Chen (University of Illinois), Melissa Martin (Arizona State University), and Kenneth A. Merchant (USC) test a business model that includes customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and financial performance from a company in the homebuilding industry for the period 2001-2004.
Corporate Board Attributes, Team Effectiveness and Financial Performance
G. Tyge Payne (Texas Tech University), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and David L. Finegold (Rutgers University) discuss how researchers have recently begun to integrate the literature on corporate boards with that of team effectiveness in an effort to understand how boards function and impact company performance.
Pay at the Top: When does HR Make a Difference?
Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) and John W. Boudreau (CEO) discuss how executive compensation, board compensation, and management succession are among the most important issues confronting corporate boards. Decisions in these areas should be informed by valid information and expert knowledge.
Human Capital Management: What are Boards Doing?
Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) states that one of, if not the most important asset of today’s corporations is their human capital. CEO’s and board chairs recognize this and frequently make statements that say people are our companies’ most important asset.
Make Human Capital a Source of Competitive Advantage
This article by Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) looks at four areas where human capital should have a major impact on design: corporate boards, leadership, the human resource department, and information practices.
Extreme Strategizing
Theresa Welbourne discusses how this month (September, 2008) business leaders, government officials, students, and many workers at every level in the organization were shocked by the massive losses in the financial industry being documented in the press.
Relational Capital: Strategic Advantage for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Negotiation and Collaboration
Theresa M. Welbourne (CEO) and Manuela Pardo del Val (Universitat de València) explain that collaborative entrepreneurship research suggests that organizations will soon pursue more collaborative relationships throughout a worldwide network of firms, driving a strategy of continuous innovation, specially small-and medium-size firms (SMEs).
Leadership Confidence: What Goes Down…Keeps Going Down
Theresa M. Welbourne (CEO) states that the problem we find is that when leader confidence erodes, then employee confidence declines.
Sharing Leadership on Corporate Boards: A Critical Requirement for Teamwork at the Top
Jay A. Conger (CEO) and Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) argue that critical to the success of a high performance board is the ability of its directors to share leadership and to work as a dynamic team.
Management Consultants as Professionals, or are They?
Larry Greiner (USC) and Ilse Ennsfellner (Ennsfellner Consulting) share their concern and critical conclusion about the questionable knowledge and skills of today’s consultants.
Building a Change Capability at Capital One Financial
This article by Christopher G. Worley (CEO) and Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) describes the development of an enterprise-wide change capability at Capital One Financial.