Every month, my friends all over the world send me links on topics that are important to leaders. I’d like to share them with you. Feel free to chip in.

Strategy & Transformation

1. Although most retail markets will expand steadily in 2016, consumers and retailers alike could be vulnerable to crises of confidence, argues the EIU’s latest report on industries in 2016.
2. Companies operate in an increasingly complex world. Yet many firms still pursue classic approaches to strategy that were designed for more stable times, emphasizing analysis and planning focused on maximizing short-term performance rather than long-term robustness. Read about the biology of corporate survival at HBR.
3. BCG publishes the second in a series of articles on setting and executing digital strategies with speed, foresight, and savvy, and explains how companies across industries can systematically pursue their strategic priorities.
4. Companies can maximize their investments in Web analytics if they focus tightly on priorities, layer human intelligence on top of smart technology, and enlist senior management to lead the charge. A new study seeks to shed some light on the benefits of Web analytics and provide companies with guidance on maximizing the value of the digital data they gather.
5. Retail leaders globally are poised to embrace groundbreaking cognitive technology more holistically and, by doing so, redefine the future in retail. Read about cognitive opportunity in retail industry in the new IBM study.

Leadership
1. Deloitte has released its 19th Global Powers of Retailing report where it analyzes the performance of 250 largest retailers, provides a look at the world’s 50 largest e-retailers, an outlook for the global economy and an analysis of market capitalization in the retail industry.
2. BCG suggests three ways for companies to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution.
3. It may seem that the same familiar players always dominate the consumer goods industry, but the top players by market cap have shifted dramatically over the past 15 years. Bain offers an Interactive Feature to track the rapidly changing order of consumer goods leaders.

Management
1. S+B shares five steps to formalize the process of ‘forward thinking’ in your organization and capitalize on future trends.
2. McKinsey has been experimenting with three simple tests that help companies reduce the risks of unproductive interference by head offices. In this article, they describe the application of these tests by certain companies.
3. Matrices are often necessary, but they may create uncomfortable ambiguity for employees. Clarifying roles can boost both the engagement of the workforce and a company’s organizational health. Here are McKinsey’s findings on correlation between matrix structures & organization performance.
4. Try this Meeting Cost Calculator to see how much you are spending on meetings — and how much you could be saving.
5. The mindful board is an emerging style of corporate governance. Read about the evolution of the Board Species and strategies for building mindful boards in S+B article.

Photo: Petefromstaffs