Mystifying, challenging, constantly changing and defiantly different, the future is unwritten. All we can do is anticipate the future to the very best of our individual and organizational abilities.

As the pace of change continues to increase, constantly updating and sensitizing your anticipatory antenna is now, more than ever, a business essential. The aim of this collection of ideas and best practices from IMD’s Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) program is to arm you with some of the tools and techniques to orchestrate winning performance now and in the future. This is the first edition in an annual series that will draw on the current thinking of IMD’s Faculty. We hope that this broad selection will provide you with some useful insights to help shape a positive future for you and your organization.

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Part 1 – Global Trends and Their Impact – provides the big picture. Beginning with a broad-ranging survey of the multitude of trends and changes affecting our organizations, we go on to discuss the timeless phenomenon of the Black Swan, which calls on organizations to think about the improbable in order to survive the unpredictable. From there we provide an update on the competitive state of the nations of the world and then give an overview of national oil companies, which forces us to consider how to mitigate our companies’ exposure to oil price increases.

Part 2 – Emerging Markets and Minds – looks at the emergence of China and India as economic powerhouses. We look at the strategic choices Chinese companies need to consider as they move from domestic markets to global dominance. We then examine some corporate stars in China and India, including Chinese insurance company Ping An, the growth of Infosys and the ongoing battle between Alibaba and eBay in China’s fledgling consumer-to-consumer market. Finally, we look at the reality of expatriate life in China.

Part 3 – Innovating Innovation – turns to an issue that perennially tops boardroom agendas – innovation. We examine how ideas from other disciplines and professions can be harnessed using “knowledge brokering.” We also explore how corporations can boost their competitiveness by partnering with start-ups. Finally, we can find inspiration in how an entrepreneurial software vendor, Guidewire, was designed to be flexible and thrive on uncertainty.

Part 4 – Corporate Philanthropy and Sustainability – explores this emerging business agenda through the activities of two inspirational companies – TNT and Grand Circle Corporation. Finally, the Eco-Carbone example provides us with some insight into the business opportunities that are resulting from climate change.

Part 5 – Developing Execution Capabilities – focuses on some examples of how to make things happen. Turning dreams into reality, hands-on leadership, true customer-supplier partnerships and leveraging your information capabilities to successfully navigate change and uncertainty are all discussed in this part.

Part 6 – Developing Managerial Skills – examines some of the managerial skills required today. Starting with a guide to the networking skills essential for success in the global business environment, we then go on to provide advice on career transitions and work-life balance. The next discussion advocates critical thinking rather than quick fixes. Finally, we are offered some advice on how to strike a balance between facilitating and reducing ambiguity in our conversations to move the organizational strategy forward.

Throughout the book, you will find responses and reactions from OWP participants to some of the examples and issues featured.

IMD’s Faculty and Research Associates, 40 in total, contributed to this book. Additionally, a number of OWP participants shared their views and opinions on various topics. Last, but not least, some of the children of IMD’s Faculty and Staff provided us with the wonderful illustrations.

Contributors: Regula Altman-Jöhl Michèle Barnett Berg Dorothy Billett Corey Billington Ralf Boscheck Ben Bryant Ramit Budhraja Sanjeev Chadha Peggy Cherng Rebecca Chung Carlos Cordón Marcel de Estrada William A. Fischer Stéphane Garelli Xavier Gilbert Tho Ha Vinh Georges Haour James Henderson Debbie Ho Robert Hooijberg Jacques Horovitz Amy Hykes Aileen Ionescu-Somers Karsten Jonsen Claus Karthe Tracey Keys Marie-Louise Kjellström George Kohlrieser Katarina Léger Jean-Pierre Lehmann

Beverley Lennox Jean-Daniel Loparco Thomas Malnight Donald A. Marchand Lindsay McTeague Claudio Menz Richard Monkel Winter Nie Anne-Valérie Ohlsson Atul Pahwa Vladimir Pucik Jim Pulcrano Stuart Read Phil Rosenzweig Oliver Salzmann Morits Skaugen Ulrich Steger Paul Strebel Janet Shaner Nick Shreiber Rodney Taylor Jan van der Kaaij Christophe Vankriekingen Luc Volatier Thomas E. Vollmann Mike Wallin Katherine Xin Arthur Yeung

Illustrators: Morgan Billington Carlos Cordero Chloé Délèze Emily Francis Helen Genton-Bezzola Caroline Henderson Philippe Henderson Christopher Ohlsson Tara Oppegaard Julia Peiperl

Chloé Pierazzi Hugo Pierazzi Jack Pulcrano Aline Raub Julian Raub Mason Read Jan-Willem van Zwieten Matthijs van Zwieten Aspen Wang

Part 1: Global Trends and Their Impact

Chapter 1 Surf the Storm: Translate Global Trends into Today’s Decisions by Thomas Malnight & Tracey Keys

Chapter 2 Think of the Improbable to Survive the Unpredictable: A New Perspective On Corporate Global Trends Analysis by Jean-Pierre Lehmann

Chapter 3 The Big Shake Up: The Race to Catch up with the United States by Stéphane Garelli

Chapter 4 Open the Black Box: National Oil Companies & Resource Nationalism by Ralf Boscheck

Part 2: Emerging Markets and Minds

Chapter 5 Go Global: The Next Challenge for Corporate by China Katherine Xin & Arthur Yeung

Chapter 6 Learn from Emerging Giants: Lessons from China’s Ping An by Donald A. Marchand & Winter Nie

Chapter 7 Leverage Global Resources: The Infosys Way by Georges Haour & Atul Pahwa

Chapter 8 Head-on: Alibaba’s Challenge to eBay by Katherine Xin, Winter Nie & Vladimir Pucik

Chapter 9 Lessons from Expatriate Life in China by William A. Fischer & Rebecca Chung

Part 3: Innovating Innovation

Chapter 10 Gain Competitive Advantage with Knowledge Brokering by Corey Billington & Michèle Barnett Berg

Chapter 11 Partner to Succeed: How Partnerships with Start-Ups Provide Inspiration and Innovation by Georges Haour

Chapter 12 Organize for Uncertainty: Lessons in Flexibility by Stuart Read & Anne-Valérie Ohlsson

Part 4: Corporate Philanthropy and Sustainability

Chapter 13 Moving the World: Corporate Philanthropy at Work by Robert Hooijberg & Jan van der Kaaij

Chapter 14 Embed Corporate Philanthropy: Best Practice at Grand Circle Corporation by James Henderson

Chapter 15 Seize the Day: Eco-Carbone and Business Opportunities from Climate Change by Ulrich Steger, Aileen Ionescu-Somers & Paul Strebel

Part 5: Developing Execution Capabilities

Chapter 16 Realize the Power of Dreams: From Mission to Execution by Jacques Horovitz & Anne-Valérie Ohlsson

Chapter 17 Develop Hands-On Leadership, Essential for Strategic Initiatives by Xavier Gilbert

Chapter 18 Go Beyond the Hype to Develop True Customer-Supplier Partnerships by Carlos Cordón, Luc Volatier & Thomas E. Vollmann

Chapter 19 Leverage Your Information to Navigate Change and Uncertainty by Donald A. Marchand & Amy Hykes

Part 6: Developing Managerial Skills

Chapter 20 Networking Across Cultures: Different Cultures Demand Different Networks by Janet Shaner, Jim Pulcrano & William A. Fischer

Chapter 21 Take Charge of Your Career Transitions by George Kohlrieser & Nick Shreiber

Chapter 22 Discard Delusions: Cut through Business Clutter with Rigorous Thinking by Phil Rosenzweig

Chapter 23 Manage Ambiguity through Skilful Conversation by Ben Bryant