The European Business Review July/August 2020

building the future on a century of heritage a family business on the move – for generations to come

• Max Viessmann • The CEO Viessmann Group, a German manufacturer of heating, cooling and climate solutions. • The great-grandson of founder Johann Viessmann. • He oversees the private company's climate solutions portfolio and drives the digital transformation and cultural renewal of the group. • He was a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group in its Munich and Shanghai offices. • He studied industrial engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and at the TU Darmstadt. If knowledge is power, then shared knowledge must surely be the way for a company to maximise the potential of its employees. Here, Max Viessmann, CEO Viessmann Group, explains how, in a changing world climate, that principle enables the company not only to thrive commercially, but also to fulfil its vision of making a difference. A company that is…

robots are cleaning up - and much more besides!

The potential of robots to assist and even replace humans in a variety of work areas was already appreciated long before the advent of COVID-19. But now, in the context of that global health crisis, the notion of a device that can work tirelessly in environments where humans are at risk has boosted interest in the sector. Claus Risager of Blue Ocean Robotics tells us more about this fascinating industry. Q Hello, Mr Risager. Thank you for sparing us a little of your time. It’s a great pleasure to have the opportunity of talking to you. To begin with, is there such a thing as a typical workday for you and what might it look like? A In the early morning, I exercise on a cross-trainer while I watch the latest business…

turning a weakness into a strength: why leaders should never leave the battlefield

It is no secret that within the business world companies have a starting date, but also that one day they will die. All of them! Most companies, however, do not write their own ending. Rather, it is what happens around them (i.e. the context) that decides when a company comes to its ending. Companies do differ, however, in their ability to extend their “survival” horizon. Some companies die young whereas others are able to keep going and deal with external threats for a long time. The tech world is a place of coming and going of start-ups. Mostly these start-ups suddenly excel and then sell out to one of the bigger companies. Surviving for a longer time is not very much on the mind of young tech entrepreneurs. It’s a different…

about the author

David De Cremer is Provost ‘s chair and professor in management and organizations at NUS Business School, National University of Singapore. He is the founder and director of the Center on AI Technology for Humankind at NUS Business school; which is a platform developing research and education promoting a human-centered approach to AI development. Before moving to NUS, he was the KPMG endowed chaired professor in management studies at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. He is named one of the World’s top 30 management gurus and speakers in 2020 by the organization GlobalGurus and has published over more than 300 articles and book chapters. He is also a best-selling author with his book “Huawei: Leadership, culture and connectivity” having sold more than one million copies. His newest book “Leadership…

wharton live best-in-class online learning

When Wharton’s campus closed in March, more than 40 students from Shanghai were in California en route to Philadelphia for a finance program. The global pandemic cancelled their plans, forcing them to return home. Just a week later, Wharton Executive Education brought the program to them, online. Like all of the new Wharton LIVE programs – available for individuals and teams and customized for organizations – it was taught in real time on a virtual platform. Participants experienced a high level of engagement with award-winning Wharton faculty and with each other, creating a true classroom community. In addition to interactive lectures, it included individual exercises, group work, and peer-to-peer dialogue. “Engagement and participation were incredibly high,” says management professor Emilie Feldman. “The technology allowed me to seamlessly lead case discussions and breakout…

the corona virus threat – the issue of re-opening our economies or continuing the “lock-down” and the business implications of this uncertainty

Over the last few months, almost all countries in the world have been faced with the challenge of how to handle the threat from the highly contagious coronavirus. The governments of most countries have elected to “close down” their economies, at least to some degree, so as to contain the spread of the virus, and thereby also to “flatten the curve” of those that might be in need of hospital support as a consequence of the virus. Some governments reacted more quickly than others when it came to imposing rules for societal lockdowns, thereby apparently contributing significantly to a more successful (initial) management of the virus, including saving lives. Other countries have decided not to impose such stringent lockdown rules, relying instead on the belief that their populations would become…