Customers as Innovators: A New Way to Create Value. Fully understanding customers' needs is a costly and inexact process. Even when customers know precisely what they want, they often cannot clearly or completely transfer that information to manufacturers. The solution? Many companies are equipping customers with tool kits to develop their own products. Such an approach can generate tremendous value, although capturing that value is hardly simple or straightforward.

Best Practice. Saving Your Rookie Managers from Themselves. Most organizations promote employees into management based on their technical competence. But very often, that competence does not translate into good managerial performance. Learn what you as a senior manager can do to further the success of your rookies.

Strategic Humor. Illustrators Dave Carpenter, Mike Shapiro, Mort Cerberg, David Harbaugh and P.C. Vey train their attention on business-people's wandering eyes. Focus People!