From the category archives:

Organization

Breaking Down The Silos That Separate Business People And Lawyers

by Doug Park March 3, 2010

In many companies, business and legal operate as separate silos. On the business side, there is business development, corporate development, marketing, finance, and human resources. On the legal side, there are in-house attorneys and outside counsel. Business sees legal as a cost center, not as a value driver.  Unfortunately, this separation of business and legal [...]

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Why Strategy, Law, And Organization?

by Doug Park February 18, 2010

Good business lawyers understand that legal problems are necessarily business problems. Yet, understanding the law, by itself, is insufficient to understand and solve complex business problems.
In this short post, I advance a simple argument: A combined Strategy, Law, and Organization lens provides superior solutions to difficult business and legal problems. Examples include mergers [...]

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Berkeley Stanford Smart Grid Conference Post Mortem

by Doug Park November 22, 2009

The recent Berkeley Stanford CleanTech Conference on the Smart Grid made clear that the smart grid is in its infancy. Energy providers must solve the challenges of new energy sources, regulatory organization, and the energy needs of electric vehicles.
The Key Challenge For The Smart Grid
Keynote speaker Andrew Tang of PG&E framed the primary challenge of [...]

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How To Make High Tech Mergers Work

by Doug Park October 4, 2009

Mergers are difficult to make work.  Many large mergers have failed to meet expectations for a variety of reasons. What can companies do to make high tech mergers work?
Jon Schwarz, a member of the Executive Board of SAP with extensive merger and acquisition experience, addressed this question at a recent Wharton Club of Northern California event.
The [...]

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Does Diversity On Boards Of Directors Improve Corporate Performance?

by Doug Park September 14, 2009

Panelists at a recent Stanford Law School conference made a case for diversity on corporate boards, citing data, anecdotal evidence, and principle based arguments in support. That raises the ultimate question: Does board diversity affect corporate performance?
The Case For Diversity On Corporate Boards
The Rock Center for Corporate Governance, CalPERS and CalSTRS co-sponsored this event. Since [...]

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How Disney Will Impact Marvel

by Doug Park September 2, 2009

Now that Disney has acquired Marvel and its characters for $4 billion (a 29% premium), the question is how will Disney impact Marvel? Both Disney and Marvel touted the deal as huge win for both companies.  Will Disney propel Marvel to greater success or erode Marvel’s value?
The Good
Stan Lee, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, is all [...]

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Why Big Organizations Do Not Promote Learning And Innovation

by Doug Park August 11, 2009

Do big organizations promote learning? In today’s Big Shift Blog on HarvardBusiness.org, John Hagel, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison argue that big organizations can and must help individuals learn, experiment, and innovate. However, big organizations are not best equipped to promote learning and innovation because learning and relationships are difficult to scale.
The Argument For [...]

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What Clients Want From Their Lawyers: Good Business Strategy Advice

by Doug Park July 16, 2009

What do clients want from their lawyers? According to a new survey by Clemente Communications Group, middle-market companies want their professional services firms (including lawyers) to help them increase revenue growth and diversify strategically. These companies are looking for advisors who understand the key trends in their industries and their company’s strategic priorities. In short, [...]

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Tackling G.M.’s Strategic Challenges

by Doug Park July 10, 2009

Now that G.M. is emerging from bankruptcy, it faces formidable challenges to become a viable business.  The new G.M. will be significantly streamlined, retaining only the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC nameplates. Hummer, Saab, Opel and Pontiac are being sold off or shut down. How can a smaller, leaner G.M. also be meaner?
G.M.’s Strategic Challenges
In [...]

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Why Business People Get Frustrated With Lawyers

by Doug Park June 24, 2009

Why do many business people express frustration with lawyers?  Because most lawyers don’t get business.  That includes business lawyers.
Many business lawyers, including in-house counsel will privately admit they don’t understand the intricacies of business, especially strategy and management.  This is because managers and lawyers speak different languages.
Managers think in terms of getting things done.  Their [...]

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