Ready? The 3Rs of Preparing Your Organization for the Future

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

IMD presents a major new book on how business leaders can balance short- and long-term pressures

What connects an Indian tractor manufacturer, an iconic American ice-cream company, an Italian luxury goods brand, a South African bank and leading European fast-moving consumer goods firms?

The answer is simple: business leaders at all these companies must deliver results today while preparing their organizations for future success. But how can they bridge this gap?

This dilemma is the starting point for Ready? The 3Rs of Preparing Your Organization for the Future, a major new book from IMD business school professor Thomas Malnight, Tracey Keys and Kees van der Graaf.

Based on candid interviews with 156 CEOs and other top executives from developed and high-growth markets, the book highlights five major challenges facing senior business leaders today:

• Bridging the gap: understanding and addressing the causes of the short- versus long-term dilemma in an organization
• Rethinking the playing field: analyzing the trends that are reshaping the future and defining their implications for business
• Redefining ambition: clarifying a company's vision and purpose as fundamental building blocks for preparing for the future
• Reshaping work: using two-directional thinking to identify "sprints" and "marathons" for a company; exploring the need to move from a transactional to a relational mindset; and moving an organization from being complacent about the future to starting to challenge its thinking and move forward
• The 3Rs of preparing oneself for the future: understanding and addressing personal challenges that leaders face in preparing for the future

The book offers practical, real-world insights throughout and includes case studies on companies such as the Mahindra Group, Godrej, Gucci, Maersk, Nedbank, Nestlé and Unilever. It also has a foreword on the need for responsible capitalism by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever.

Professor Malnight said: "Delivering today while gearing up for the future is one of the biggest challenges facing leaders globally. There is no single answer or approach, but preparing for the future requires taking actions starting today. We hope this book will provide insight and challenge as you prepare your organization, and yourself, for the future."

Ready? The 3Rs of Preparing Your Organization for the Future is now available in print and Kindle format from Amazon. Learn more about the book at http://www.3RsReady.com

About the authors

Thomas W. Malnight is Professor of Strategy at IMD business school in Switzerland, where he works extensively with top leadership teams. Among other works, Tom is the co-author of Must-Win Battles: How to Win Them Again and Again, The Global Trends Report 2013, and Accelerating International Growth.

Tracey S. Keys is a Director of Strategy Dynamics Global SA, publisher of http://www.globaltrends.com. She previously worked with senior executives at IMD, and has held senior roles at the BBC, Booz & Co., and Deloitte & Touche. She is also co-author of Must-Win Battles, The Global Trends Report 2013, and Mastering Executive Education.

Kees van der Graaf is a former member of the Board and Executive Committee at Unilever and was an Executive-in-Residence at IMD from 2008-12. He currently serves on several boards and advises many international fast-moving consumer goods firms on complexity management.

About IMD

IMD is a top-ranked business school. We are the experts in developing global leaders through high-impact executive education. Why IMD? We are 100% focused on real-world executive development. We offer Swiss excellence with a global perspective. And we have a flexible, customized and effective approach (http://www.imd.org).

Media contact
Richard Eames
Senior Editor and Media Relations Specialist, IMD
+41-21-618-0799
richard.eames@imd.org