Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms, to start off your work week. I’m pointing you to articles about leadership, strategy, industries, innovation, women and work, and work and learning now and in the future. Highlights include the rise of the ‘Superbosses,’ three posts about manufacturing, Agile at Orange France, getting more Black women into the c-suite, and the best companies for work-life balance.

Be sure to look for dots that you can connect.

Note: Some links require you to register or are to publications that have some form of limited paywall.

Thinking about Leadership and Strategy

From Lauren Dixon: The Rise of the ‘Superbosses’

“Picture the most influential and successful leaders in a given industry, and it’s very likely that a great majority of them at one point or another were led by the same select set of special leaders.”

From Wharton: How Industrial Firms Can Pivot to Digital Business Models

“authors Barry Libert, Megan Beck and Jerry (Yoram) Wind look at how industrial companies can learn how to think like a digital disruptor and reorient their business models accordingly.”

From Philipp Gerbert, Jan Justus, and Andrej Müller: The Double Game of Digital Management: Managing in Times of Big Data and Analytics

“Digital technologies are profoundly transforming not just products, services, and business processes but also management itself and the inner workings of companies. A new generation of executives is relying on data analytics and artificial intelligence to support and make decisions.”

Industries and Analysis

From Craig Guillot: Why U.S. Manufacturers Need to Increase Their Use of Internet of Things

“While U.S. manufacturers are eagerly exploring opportunities and uses for the Internet of Things, German manufacturers are already far ahead of the game. A recent survey indicates that major European manufacturers are integrating IoT at a rate of nearly double that of American companies, and it’s time for American businesses to step up their IoT game.”

From Becky Morgan: Manufacturers Seek Aggressive Growth

“A recent KPMG survey of over 350 leaders of global manufacturing organizations divulged a strong commitment to aggressive growth in the next two years. CEOs report that most of that targeted growth will be through organic activities, not acquisition. They intend to enter new markets, both geographic and adjacent, with new products. Investment in R&D will rise significantly to implement the commitment to new products.”

From Daniel Gross: Is U.S. Manufacturing Really in Decline?

“Did you hear that U.S. manufacturing just had another big month? That output has risen about 20 percent in the past six years? That industrial capacity is actually expanding? Probably not.”

Innovation and Technology

From John Markoff: Artificial Intelligence Swarms Silicon Valley on Wings and Wheels

“The new era in Silicon Valley centers on artificial intelligence and robots, a transformation that many believe will have a payoff on the scale of the personal computing industry or the commercial internet, two previous generations that spread computing globally. Computers have begun to speak, listen and see, as well as sprout legs, wings and wheels to move unfettered in the world.”

From Innovation Excellence: Agile at Orange France

“Koen Vermeulen is CIO at Orange France, and awarded CIO of the year in 2015. He kindly accepted to answer a few questions related to the implementation of Agile methodology, and how it brings a brand new spirit for innovation projects.”

From Henri de Romrée, Bruce Fecheyr-Lippens, and Bill Schaninger: People analytics reveals three things HR may be getting wrong

“More sophisticated analyses of big data are helping companies identify, recruit, and reward the best personnel. The results can run counter to common wisdom.”

Women and the Workplace

From Melinda Marshall and Tai Wingfield: Getting More Black Women into the C-Suite

“In late 2014, poised to publish a report on women’s ambition, we stumbled on a startling fact: black women are nearly three times more likely than white to aspire to a position of power with a prestigious title. And yet white women are about twice as likely as black women to attain one.”

From Margarita Mayo: To Seem Confident, Women Have to Be Seen as Warm

“Why are there so few women in leadership roles? My research collaborators (Laura Guillen of ESMT and Natalia Karelaia of INSEAD), and I believe we have shed some new light on this conundrum. But first, some background.”

From Jena McGregor: As Yahoo sale nears, do women in tech get pushed more onto the ‘glass cliff’?

“For Yahoo, it’s nearly all over but the shouting. Final bids are expected Monday in the protracted sale of the core Internet business at Yahoo — which will also announce second quarter earnings late Monday — and it likely won’t be long before we know the fate of both the faded Internet company and its embattled CEO, Marissa Mayer.”

Work and Learning Now and in the Future

From Lydia Dishman: More People Work From Home Now Than Ever Before

“Thanks to 24/7 connectivity, the boundaries between work and life are eroding, several studies have found. A survey from EY, a global assurance, tax, and advisory services organization, found that 64% of U.S. workers report they’re working two to four hours more a week, and one-third (36%) are on the job an extra five hours or more. No wonder satisfaction with work-life balance is sliding downward as well. Glassdoor’s most recent survey of employee feedback from about 60,000 company reviews revealed a drop in ratings from 3.5 (out of a possible 5) in 2009 to 3.2 this year. A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that part of the issue is that more people are working from home than ever before.”

From Cali Yost: Wake Up, Leaders! Flexibility Is Happening, and It’s Time to Get Strategic

“Ironically, because leaders have avoided being intentional about it, work-life flexibility could be described as the free-for-all they fear right now.”

From Katheryn Dill: The Best Companies For Work-Life Balance

“As Americans in many industries increasingly work longer hours than previous generations and technology continues to facilitate the seepage of work life into home life, companies that prioritize their employees’ work-life balance become increasingly attractive. To determine where someone who wants a challenging career and a thriving personal life might find an employer who shares those goals, Forbes turned to job search and company review site Indeed to identify some of the best companies for work-life balance.”

More Leadership Posts from Wally Bock

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By and About Leaders: 7/26/16

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From the Independent Business Blogs: 7/27/16

Pointers to posts by Kate Nasser, Ellen Weber, Lolly Daskal, Julie Winkle Giulioni, and Mary Jo Asmus.

Stories and Strategies from Real Life: 7/29/16

Pointers to stories about Ecolab, Dollar Shave Club, Peloton, BiKASE, and Toro.

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