Transforming Business: Big Data, Mobility, and Globalization

The Tightrope Walkers

According to the Hay Group, only 8% of senior managers believe that Human Resources provides a significant strategic contribution to their company.¹

It was raining and gloomy outside, and the mood inside the social-buying startup BuyWithMe was no better. A group of employees sat around a table having drinks and working their way through a stack of pizzas. The feeling of dread in the room was compounded by the fact that the number of pizzas ordered was in no way sufficient to feed all 200 employees waiting to discover their fate. The past couple of months had seemed bright for this promising young organization. Companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial had defined an effective business model in the social buying space, and BuyWithMe executives liked to emphasize that it held a strong number three position to those competitors. The organization had been hiring staff, and the new Chief Marketing Officer had been heard discussing plans to advertise the company during the Super Bowl. However, the optimism and enthusiasm of this young organization were replaced with feelings of fear and dread just two weeks before the rainy day pizza party. An e-mail, intended for the executive team, that outlined the names, salaries, and proposed termination dates of a large ...