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Chugai C focuses on the company's future as it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025. In 2021, Chugai launched its ambitious 'TOP I 2030' growth strategy, aiming to transition from Japan's top innovator to a global leader. The strategy sets two primary targets: doubling RD output and launching one in-house global product annually by 2030. These goals are supported by three key drivers: a RED SHIFT toward early-stage research, comprehensive Digital Transformation DX, and Open Innovation. The case examines the progress made and the significant challenges that lie ahead. These include intense competition from firms in China and India, technological disruption from AI-driven drug discovery, geopolitical risks and cultural barriers to attracting global talent. The central question posed is whether Chugai's proven model for success can sustain its bid for global leadership in an era of unprecedented market shifts.

Chugai B examines the pivotal strategic alliance formed in October 2002 between Chugai Pharmaceutical and Swiss giant Roche. Facing constraints in RD funding and global reach, Chugai's President Osamu Nagayama sought a partnership to achieve the firm's ambition of becoming Japan's number one pharmaceutical enterprise while preserving its autonomy. The case examines the unique business model by which Roche acquired a 50.1 equity stake while Chugai retained its management, public listing and corporate identity. This structure created a powerful synergy: Chugai gained exclusive rights to develop and market Roche's innovative products in Japan, while Roche leveraged Chugai's RD pipeline for its global distribution network. The case details how the alliance transformed Chugai from Japan's 10th largest pharma firm into its market leader in oncology and by market capitalization by 2024. It provides a rich context for analyzing how strategic partnerships can bridge resource gaps, foster a 'capability revolution,' and accelerate a company's path to becoming a global innovation powerhouse.

Are you unknowingly playing favorites at work? Take this quick test to uncover bias and learn proven strategies for fairer leadership.

Most managers like to think they act the same toward all their team members, but research says otherwise. Take the test below to check if you’re unconsciously playing favorites, and check out the tips on resolving the problem.

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet shares how the company became Europe’s most indispensable tech firm and what’s next for EUV lithography innovation.

Brazil, India, and Nigeria, among others, present opportunities and challenges for business in a rapidly developing energy landscape.

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet discusses EUV innovation, AI chip demand, sustainability, and how Europe’s top tech firm powers the digital economy.

Chugai A traces the transformative journey of a leading Japanese biopharmaceutical firm from its founding in 1925 to the early 2000s. Starting with founder Jz Ueno's vision to 'create medicines that benefit society,' the case details the company's evolution from an over-the-counter OTC drug importer to a research-driven enterprise. Key milestones include the shift to prescription drugs in the 1960s and a strategic pivot to biotechnology in the 1980s. Despite Japan's limited biotech expertise at the time, Chugai successfully developed groundbreaking therapies by forging global partnerships, such as with the US-based Genetics Institute, and laid the foundation for its leadership in biopharmaceuticals. The case highlights visionary leaders like Jz Ueno, Kimio Ueno, and Osamu Nagayama, who drove pivotal strategic transformations in response to environmental and policy changes from 1925 to the 1990s. The central conflict focuses on how President Nagayama, upon taking office in 1992, navigated the limitations of the traditional business to seize the immense opportunities in biotechnology, ultimately realizing the firm's ambition to become an international enterprise.

This Technical Note presents a comprehensive framework of ten evidence-based principles for improving decision-making effectiveness in leadership contexts. Drawing from cognitive science, behavioral economics and management theory, it addresses the critical challenge that leaders face in making sound decisions under pressure and uncertainty.The ten principles cover: understanding and avoiding cognitive biases, recognizing the importance of decision framing, embracing probabilistic thinking, structuring information effectively, encouraging constructive disagreement, leveraging diverse perspectives, fostering inclusive decision making, implementing structured decision rules, balancing deliberation with speed, and intelligently integrating analytics. Each principle is supported by practical tools and techniques, from emotional regulation training to weighted decision matrices.The note emphasizes how cognitive biases become more pronounced under stress and pressurecommon conditions in leadership roles. It provides specific strategies for activating deliberate, analytical thinking System 2 over fast, intuitive responses System 1 when making important decisions. The framework integrates insights from leading researchers such as Daniel Kahneman, Annie Duke and Amy Edmondson.This comprehensive guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and practical toolkit for leaders seeking to improve their decision-making capabilities. It acknowledges the reality that leaders must often make decisions quickly while maintaining quality, providing frameworks that support both speed and accuracy in complex business environments.