Lea Stadtler & Achim Schmitt 
More than Bricks in the Wall: Organizational Perspectives for Sustainable Success 
A tribute to Professor Dr. Gilbert Probst

Peter Gomez, University of St. Gallen Gilbert Spiderman Those were the days … when Gilbert Probst presented his innumerable lectures on systems thinking to executives wearing a T-shirt showing a spidernet; the serious and respected professor impersonating the famous Spiderman? Far from it! Systems thinking translated in German means “Vernetztes Denken”, in clumsy English “Thinking in Networks” – just like the spiderweb. A more precise term would be “Thinking in Circles”, but Gilbert was always looking for good effects – and this with great success, the executives loved it. Gilbert and myself were a good team in the 80s and 90s of the last century. In the form of team teaching we introduced literally thousands of executives and students to the secrets of systems thinking. Somehow like Simon & Garfunkel – he was Art Garfunkel, the front man, I performed the background vocals as did Paul Simon. It took us a long time to develop our product to perfection.

Table of Content

Corporate Growth.- Graduation Day: How New Growth Initiatives Turn into Sizable Businesses.- Adoption of Strategic Initiatives: The Role of Global Teams during Piloting.- Major Challenges in Doing M&A – A Theoretical Approach.- Leading Development.- Constant Development through Organizational Change.- Managing the Pace of Strategic Change: The Rhythm of Change as a Means of Balancing.- Structuring Ambidextrous Organizations: Exploitation and Exploration as a Key for Long-Term Success.- Intangibles as Enablers – Key Success Factors and/or Inhibitors.- Maneuvering through Organizational Crisis.- When Crises Represent an Opportunity: Insights into Corporate Turnarounds.- Employment Downsizing: Causes, Costs, and Consequences.- Restructuring in a Crisis and in a Position of Strength: Practical Illustrations from the Tourism Industry.- Strategic Management in Turbulent Times.- The Knowledge Perspective of the Firm.- Successfully Maintaining Participation in Virtual Communities of Practice.- The Development of Social Capital: On Managing Game-Players, Trade-off Makers and Low-Keys.- Enhancing Knowledge Management at Holcim.- Is This the Essence of Knowledge Management? Or Wearing Sunscreen? Or Is It 42?.- Managing Inside and Outside the Firm.- Proactive Work Orientation.- International Ambidexterity: An Extant Challenge for Business Professors?.- Managing Across Corporate Boundaries: Public-Private Partnerships.- Internal Complexities: Managerial Challenges in a Corporate Holding.- Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit: For Theirs Is the Kingdom of Heaven.- It’s more than just Bricks in the Wall: Three Decades of Organizational Studies, Continued Learning, and Leadership.

About the author

Lea Stadtler is a research and teaching assistant at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She has a Master degree in International Business Administration (Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany) and has a formal education certificate in Banking and Finance.
Achim Schmitt is a Professor at Audencia Nantes, School of Management, France and has a Ph.D. in Business Administration.
Patricia Klarner is a Professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany and has a Ph.D. in Business Administration.
Thomas Straub is a Professor at the School of Business Administration, Fribourg, Switzerland and has a Ph.D. in Business Administration. He is Associate Professor at the Department Chair of UNESCO, University of Bucharest, Rumania and Visiting Professor at the HEC, University of Geneva, Switzerland.