Rodey Wing, a partner at global management consulting firm Kearney, had to decide what to recommend to a struggling retailer client with over 200,000 employees. With the client’s optometry division suffering from an excess of employees partly due to a pandemic downturn, Wing had initially planned to cut 1,500 employees from the division---laying off those with the lowest performance review ratings. However, a disproportionate impact assessment of .....more

Teaching note for product W25619.

Like the society of which it is a part, the work world has not been immune to the plight of intolerance. Recognizing that while systemic changes are necessary, this case offers a powerful way to combat bias by empowering employees to speak up in order to share their concerns, discomfort, and frustrations with intolerance and bias in real time, as they see it happening. An organization is more than the sum of its policies, procedures, and other initiatives. .....more

Teaching note for products W25584 and W25586.

Supplement for product W25584.

We all occasionally hear comments potentially driven by intolerance or bias. They often come without warning, sometimes from someone you really like. This article is about how to react. Research suggests that managers and employees alike are often loath to tackle uncomfortable topics. However, when formal company programs discourage bias, but everyday interactions allow or even encourage it, bias lives on. The good news is that the small everyday .....more

Teaching note for products 9B20M174, 9B20M175, 9B20M176, 9B20M177, 9B20M178, and 9B20M179.

The Maple Leaf Foods (MLF): Changing the System case explores how a major food processor pivoted its vision and operations in an attempt to become the world’s most sustainable protein company. Instead of focusing solely on financial goals, the organization's new purpose clearly recognized MLF’s potential impact on both society and the natural environment. In the anchor case, senior leaders considered the background and progress of this initiative. .....more

Supplement to 9B20M174.

Supplement to 9B20M174.