Corporate communications

Five communications lessons from the biggest corporate turnaround.

When a crisis forces outside directors to navigate major changes, investors and directors must adopt new roles. The case of Royal Dutch/Shell provides...

American Airlines’ recent inspection fiasco grounded hundreds of planes, caused thousands of flight cancellations, and will, according to the Dallas Morning News, cost American Airlines tens of millions of dollars. But, in the heat of the event, Amercan’s website was virtually silent about the crisis. What could American have done differently? At the very least, […]

If there's one thing that the past decade's business disasters should teach us, it's that we need to stop evaluating corporate leaders simply on the basis...

Jim, an employee of the nuclear division of Fairway Electric, discovered a report written fifteen years ago about a flaw in the design of their Radon...

In 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment was subjected to the most devastating hack in corporate history. Highly sensitive data--salary details, private e-mails...

It matters for business and for policy.

Studies have always shown that the adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is wrong. It turns out, though, that sometimes the saying has merit....

In pursuit of strong performance, CEOs often overlook a critical factor in organizational success: the health of their leadership team. That's a big problem,...

Don’t let overcommunication tank productivity.

It’s not just what leaders say; it’s also how they say it. In our research on executives who have instilled a great sense of purpose in others, introduced powerful brands, or managed successfully in turbulent times, we’ve found that they often use terms and metaphors that resonate with their employees. Walt Havenstein, the CEO of […]

Three things to think about.

Greatest Southeast Community Hospital is a 494-bed acute care facility located in southeast Washington, D.C. With revenues of $145 million and 2,650 employees, it is both the largest private employer and the only medical facility in a troubled and isolated community called Anacostia. Nearly a quarter of the area’s residents live below the poverty line, […]

Today, most multinationals have a conspicuous social conscience. They publicize their internal codes of conduct, monitor labor conditions in their global supply chains, and require suppliers to meet basic labor practice standards. But despite efforts to be better global citizens, companies by themselves are unable to eliminate abuses in their supply chains. In fact, so […]

The stories that move and captivate people are those that are true to the teller, the audience, the moment, and the mission.

I've been on both sides of public relations. For years, I wrote a syndicated technology column for the Chicago Tribune. Now, I run a consulting firm that...

In this article, Bain consultants Orit Gadiesh and James Gilbert explore the concept of the strategic principle--a memorable and actionable phrase that...

Too often it has nothing to do with the core business.

For a leader, a public apology is always a high-risk move. Understanding what apologies can and cannot do will help you avoid both foolhardy stonewalling and unnecessary contrition.

Business runs better when people within a company have close ties and trust one another. But the relationships that make organizations work effectively...