Gartner Business Quarterly

As Year 2 of the global crisis gets underway, how can you help employees ready the company to move fast when better days arrive? This issue of Gartner Business Quarterly will share lessons on managing teams effectively through a period of illness, fear and bitter splits in society at large.

Although employees have generally kept producing and stayed engaged, adrenaline is giving way to battle fatigue. To win the next turn, you must recognize what has changed and use new ways to unleash the full force of your talent.

You’ll learn from the short articles inside that letting staff members choose where, when and how much they work boosts the number of high performers by a third, and that involving them in a shared sense of purpose on issues they care about — diversity, for one — will deepen commitment to your firm. Leaders must also join forces to spread important mindsets. With 87% of companies intending to compete on customer experience in 2021, you must show functional staff members how their decisions can influence the frontline’s ability to serve — read to the end for one epiphany. Similarly, all executives, not just the CIO, must guide everyone toward “techquilibrium,” the right mix of digital and traditional capabilities.

You’ll find real-world experience shared by leaders at an international group of organizations, large and midsize, private and public, including Ageas, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Guangfa Securities, HP Inc., IBM, Mashreq, Perpetual Guardian, Red Bull and Western Health.

GBQ advises you on aligning with others and reaching peak effectiveness so your organization can achieve its goals, be bold and principled, and bring employees, investors and the public along for the ride.

Our standing departments keep you up to speed — Cutting Edge, a look at provocative new data, and Briefs, short takes about smarter spending and planning, talent and culture, growth and innovation, and data and technology.

We welcome your comments and questions. Please reach out to me at judy.pasternak@gartner.com. 

— Judy Pasternak

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