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This book is a comprehensive introductory text for academics and management practitioners interested in making first steps in teaching executive education courses. This book helps understand the landscape of executive education, be aware of it key stakeholders and their expectations, and define the first step for entering the field. The book guides the experts in thinking how to turn their knowledge into valuable learning opportunities for executives. It provides information about program and session design and peculiarities of delivering sessions for executive audiences. The book helps envisage possible challenging situations in the classroom, and supports the reader in making use of program evaluations. The book also invites the reader to think about expanding their executive education experience into becoming an academic director - an intellectual leader of an executive course. The book will also be helpful to people entering the field in administrative roles.

© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

In a dynamically evolving market, Trumpf, a company renowned for high-quality machine tools, faces significant challenges, including increasing competition and changing customer needs and expectations. Marcella Montelatici, head of the sales division, is tasked with addressing these challenges to ensure the company remains competitive. Of course, the market for machine tools has grown, especially in China, but competition has also intensified. So, market participants are under pressure to lower prices. Additionally, customers are increasingly seeking comprehensive machining solutions in place of standalone equipment.
Trumpf has responded to the current go-to-market challenges by diversifying its product portfolio to introduce more machine variants. The business has also expanded its footprint in lower-priced segments through its acquisition of JFY in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. However, the organization still faces certain internal challenges when it comes to leveraging these new opportunities, and this is particularly felt in the company’s sales division. Lack of proactive customer engagement is a key issue, as is the under-utilization of digital tools. Plus, there are inefficiencies in collaboration between the Trumpf headquarters and subsidiaries. While the company has added several innovative products to its basket of offerings, it is missing opportunities to upsell them to its existing customers, and this is not the least of the company leadership’s worries.
Marcella recognizes the need for significant organizational changes to address these challenges and align the sales division with evolving market demands. The case invites participants to develop strategies based on the facts presented in it to help Trumpf reorient its B2B sales approach with a view to boosting revenue and driving market shares.

How can the selection of innovation projects be designed to reduce false positives and false negatives? Prior research has provided theoretical insights into organizing to reduce errors, yet we know little about how organizations adapt selection over time and the effects of this on selection outcomes. Drawing from qualitative data from 126 interviews conducted over several years, we explore how an accelerator evolved through three selection regimes for high-stakes funding decisions, focusing on the organizational changes and their underlying reasons. We then analyze quantitative data from all 3,580 submissions they received, assessing false positives and false negatives across these regimes. Our findings reveal a persistent occurrence of both types of errors, with relatively small differences across the regimes despite deliberate efforts to enhance the process. In the final regime, which increased submission quality by emphasizing applicant track record and adding additional layers of screening, evaluators surprisingly became more prone to making selection errors. This finding stands net of accounting for (1) differences in the pool of submissions, (2) differences in treatment effects through training and resources provided, (3) learning, and (4) market evolution. By combining qualitative and quantitative data, we explain this through two mechanisms: (1) mean reversion in combination with increased emphasis on applicant track record and (2) within-type adverse selection enabled by a more stringent selection process. The study reveals that evolving an organization’s selection regime may require adjustments across multiple aspects, resulting in unintended consequences.

© 2025, INFORMS

This case illustrates critical concepts and lessons about leading adaptive change in organizations, focusing on the challenges faced by Automécanique Industries during its transition from producing internal combustion engine (ICE) components to electric vehicle (EV) technologies. The case portrays the tensions between employees and management during a pivotal transformation, spotlighting employee reactions to change, possible miscommunication, and perceived leadership shortcomings. The central narrative centers on a letter written by Louis Tremblay, a senior technician, to CEO Isabelle Laurent. The letter, which gains traction among employees and leaks to external media, reflects the fears and frustrations of the workforce.
The case can be used directly in class, making it particularly suitable for executive education sessions or for classes in environments where students frequently fail to come to class prepared.
This case serves as a vehicle for exploring Heifetz’s theory of adaptive change (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002; Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009), the psychological challenges of leading change (Kets de Vries et al., 2007), and the importance of transparent communication and trust-building in leadership. The case is adaptable for courses on leadership, organizational behavior, change management, and communication in both MBA and executive education settings.

FoodCo, a historically successful global player in the FMCG field, is navigating a digital transformation initiative. The case focuses on Anette Weber, a 43-year-old Swiss national and Senior Manager for Management Reporting, who recently relocated from the USA to Germany. Anette inherits an overworked, directionless, and low-morale team due to significant headcount reductions and role transitions to an outsourced partner. Shortly after Anette took charge, FoodCo’s CEO, Timothy Brooks, introduced a new vision: “Be the leader in nutrition, health, and wellness and the industry gold standard for financial performance, trusted by all stakeholders.” Anette saw this strategic change as an opportunity but faced challenges in revitalizing her team. Her executive coach advised her to reflect on seven key leadership transition challenges: authorizing oneself as a leader, balancing strategic direction with adaptability, learning and unlearning, driving organizational and cultural transformation, building teams and networks, communicating effectively, and being her best self. To align her team with the new vision, Anette aimed to shift focus from low value-adding tasks to advanced management reporting and forecasting using data analytics. This vision met resistance from department heads who viewed her team as a service provider for exception-based tasks. Additionally, past outsourcing experiences at FoodCo had been contentious. Anette, in her new role, must address team dynamics, organizational culture, and strategic leadership challenges to navigate tensions between innovation capability, focus, collaboration, and governance while ensuring her team aligns with FoodCo's broader strategic goals. But where to start? What shall she do first?