Managing Across Cultures - 3rd ed.

Bayer Canada empowers frontline staff through a dynamic shared ownership model, boosting customer focus, collaboration, and inclusive leadership.

The case follows Kristin Hull, founder and CIO of Nia Impact Capital, a mission-driven investment firm in California, as she faces a pivotal decision in July 2025: Should she file a shareholder resolution against Tesla, Inc.? Hull and Nia have engaged Tesla for over five years on issues of human capital management, workplace equity and board oversight. In 2025, the stakes are higher. Tesla is facing mounting reputational, legal and operational risks, including civil rights litigation, governance controversies and product recalls, compounding the previous year's 53% decline in profits. Now, Hull must decide between two draft resolutions: one framed in the language of social justice, the other in terms of business efficiency and governance. A third option is to total withdraw from the engagement. This decision must be made in a shifting US political and regulatory context marked by heightened scrutiny of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and a national rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments. The polarized climate makes language and framing not just strategic choices but also existential ones: How can impact investors continue to advance their missions while maintaining legitimacy and influence in an increasingly hostile environment? Designed to mirror the complexity of real-world decision making, the case immerses students in an environment of competing pressures, contradictory information and media "noise." It reflects the paradoxes impact investors face: staying true to the mission vs. maintaining strategic influence; framing issues in values-based vs. efficiency-based language; and exercising leadership amid political backlash and reputational risk. The case is suitable for courses on sustainable finance, non-market strategy, governance and leadership. It challenges students to explore fiduciary duty, rethink the role of shareholder engagement, and consider how language and framing can serve as tools of influence in turbulent times.

When Antje Kanngiesser became CEO of Swiss energy company ALPIQ, she inherited a traditional culture, weary from restructuring and leadership churn. Partnering with IMD Professor Susan Goldsworthy, she launched a Secure Base Leadership program to unite leaders and co-create the future. The results were positive: Alumni became Coaching Ambassadors, SBL was embedded into processes, and executives were trained as coaches. Via a five-day program that became a company-wide movement, ALPIQ transformed culture by making leadership personal, shared and lived daily.

As more women take up corporate leadership positions, the idea that they lack confidence no longer holds up. And yet, as old stereotypes are challenged by new realities, some crucial misconceptions remain. Do women really lack confidence? Or are w...

This case series explores Sandoz's spin off from Novartis, which was finalized on 4 October 2023. Case B looks at Sandoz once it has become independent. The hard work of figuring out the best way to spin off is done, a new strategy created, and so...

This case series explores Sandoz's spin off from Novartis, which was finalized on 4 October 2023. Case A follows Richard Saynor's (CEO, Sandoz) ruminations as he builds the company strategy in preparation for the board's approval of Sandoz as a st...

This book is a vindication of Europe. It challenges the view of Europe as a tired, overregulated continent, arguing instead that Europe has emerged from decades of crisis—financial turmoil, Brexit, COVID-19, war in Ukraine—as a resilient, reformed...

The phrase ‘fake it until you make it’ has been a popular mantra in the business world for decades. It suggests that by imitating confidence and competence, we can eventually achieve genuine success. But where did this concept originate, and what ...

Despite declining support, LGBTQ+ inclusion still drives economic performance, boosting human capital by 4x and doubling innovation in inclusive cities.

The world faces grand challenges induced by climate change, conflict, digitalization, shifting demographics, and other factors. Only 15% of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track (UN, 2023). There has been significant research in...