Ulrich Steger & Wolfgang Amann 
Managing Complexity in Global Organizations 

This book delivers new IMD insights on an emerging challenge – how
to deal with overwhelming complexity. Global organizations face a
complex decision-making environment. On one side, diversity of
cultures, customers, competitors and regulations creates
complexity; on the other, competitive pressures cause expanding
countries to extract more synergies across products and regions. In
such a climate, a new way of thinking, acting and organizing is
needed beyond the familiar ‘control’ mindset.

Drawing together insights from across the expert faculty,
Managing Complexity in the Global Organization presents
IMD’s framework on how to understand complexity and its four
key drivers (diversity; interdependence; ambiguity and flux), along
with solutions on specific issues in a variety of functions,
industries and markets. The focus is on providing practical
solutions based on real-life examples.

Tabla de materias

Contributors.

Foreword by the Editors.

Acknowledgements.

Part I Conceptual Framework and Trends on the
Macro-level.

Chapter 1 Managing Complexity in Global Organizations as the
Meta-challenge (Martha Maznevski, Ulrich Steger, and
Wolfgang Amann).

Chapter 2 The Complexity of Managing Corporate Social
Responsibility in Multinationals (Michael Yaziji and Karin
Oppegaard).

Chapter 3 Opportunities and Threats in the Global Political
and Economic Environment (Jean-Pierre
Lehmann).

Part II Impact of Changes in the Competitive Landscape and
Business Models on Complexity in Selected Industries.

Chapter 4 The Need to Look at Complexity at the Industry
Level (Ulrich Steger and Wolfgang Amann).

Chapter 5 Shipping Organizations – The Ultimate Global
Players (Peter Lorange).

Chapter 6 Managing Complexity Caused by Industry Dilemmas:
The Case of the Automotive Industry (Ulrich
Steger).

Chapter 7 Managing Complexity with an Electronic
Manufacturing Services Supplier (Wolfgang Amann,
Carlos Cordon, Ralf W. Seifert, and Thomas E. Vollmann).

Chapter 8 Managing Complexity in the Financial Services
Industry (Arturo Bris).

Part III Solutions for Managing Complexity on the Functional
Level.

Chapter 9 Breaking Down Complexity Management to the
Functional Level (Wolfgang Amann and Ulrich Steger).

Chapter 10 Complexity in Global Business Strategies: The
Cumulative Impact of the Crisis of Choices (Jean-Pierre
Jeannet).

Chapter 11 Various Dimensions of Complexity in Effectively
Managing the Innovation Process – The Role of China
(Georges Haour).

Chapter 12 Managing Complexity with Management Diversity
(Martha Maznevski and Karsten Jonsen).

Chapter 13 The Role of Information in Creating Value
Efficiently (Don Marchand and Amy Hykes).

Chapter 14 Dealing with Complexity by Managing
Knowledge-Based Competence of the Organization (Kazuo
Ichijo).

Chapter 15 Managing Complexity in Marketing and Supply
Chains (Ralf W. Seifert and Wolfgang Amann).

Part IV Additional Complexity Challenges.

Chapter 16 The Price Tag of Ignoring Complexity in the
Globalization Process (Wolfgang Amann).

Chapter 17 Managing Complexity in Mergers and Alliances
(Ulrich Steger).

Chapter 18 Managing Complexity: The Family Business
Experience (John Ward).

Chapter 19 The Future of Managing Complexity
(Wolfgang Amann, Ulrich Steger, and Martha
Maznevski).

Index.

Sobre el autor

Ulrich Steger holds the Alcan Chair of Environmental Management at IMD. Switzerland, and is Director of the school’s research project on Corporate Sustainability Management. He also directs major partnership programs including Daimler Chrysler and Allianz, and is or has been on the boards of several major organizations – including Volkswagen, where he was in charge of worldwide environmental strategy. Prior to becoming involved in management education he was Minister of Economics and Technology in the German state of Hesse, with particular responsibility for transport, traffic and energy.

Wolfgang Amann is a Fellow in Strategic Direction and International Business at Henley Management Centre, UK. He joined Henley from IMD, and has also been visiting fellow at the Wharton School and Indian Institute of Management. Prior to pursuing his Ph D he worked for Daimler Chrysler and subsequently in management consulting. He has directed, delivered and contributed to open and in-company programs and courses on strategy, internationalization and governance in the US, Europe, China and India. His recent case study series on Hindustan Lever in India won the 2006 Oikos sustainability case competition.

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