On Good Management ― The Corporate Lifecycle: an Essay and Interviews With Franz Fehrenbach, Jnrgen Hambrecht, Wolfgang Reitzle and Alexander Rittweger

Change or die! With this stark challenge begins the journey through the corporate lifecycle. Why do so many companies fail? Why do managers struggle to recognize change in good time and take vigorous action? Why – and how – must the traditional lifecycle concept be modernized if it is still to provide valid orientation?In this essay, Roland Berger CEO Burkhard Schwenker analyzes the challenges facing managers today and explores what these mean for good management. Corporate management, he argues, must once again become more direct, more personal, more entrepreneurial. The thoughts of the experienced consultant himself are complemented by very personal interviews with renowned business leaders. Finally Schwenker outlines an agenda calling for action in six specific areas.

Prof. Dr. Burkhard Schwenker is CEO of Roland Berger Strategy Cosultants and Chairman of Roland Berger School of Strategy and Economics. He teaches management at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. Mario Muller-Dofel is a business journalist, interviewer and communications/behavior coach. He is founder of the training company DIALEKTIK for Business, based in Frankfurt (Main).