…From the Editor

Abstract

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone,” noted filmmaker Steven Spielberg, “is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” That philosophy lies at the heart of the succession planning efforts being undertaken at accounting firms across the United States, both large and small. According to Kristen Rampe and Sarah Elliott (page 6), mentoring with an eye on gender equity is one of the strategies that male-dominated CPA firms are using to attract, retain, and develop female professionals and thereby assure a sustainable future for the profession. Organizations striving to satisfy the unique needs of a diverse cadre of employees on long-term international assignments are realizing the importance of helping them balance the responsibilities of home and job. Jane E. M. Innes and Anne P. Stevenson took insights gleaned from interviews with expatriates in the oil and gas industry to develop a framework (page 19) that business leaders can use to facilitate foreign postings and foster employees’ commitment to the organization long after their return from abroad. A European multinational used a holistic model of another kind to bolster employee engagement and refine its competitive edge. As André de Waal and David Hanna detail (page 30), the firm's management team cleverly merged two high-performance organization frameworks to customize a strategy to align its processes and vastly improve its outlook. Turning to the small and medium-size enterprises of the Maghreb in northern Africa (page 44), Maarouf Ramadan and Nadine Levratto present a causal model of internationalization that business leaders can use to make the most of their endeavors in this promising region. Mentoring employees while allowing them the freedom to follow their creative instincts underscores the experiences of firms that have set up idea incubators in the Silicon Valley. As Andreas Berger and Alexander Brem explain (page 58), other essential factors to establishing an innovative off-site environment include attentive employee selection, protection from bureaucratic distractions, and a focus on business outcomes. Similar characteristics rose to the surface of a study of organizational culture at a leading Indian manufacturer conducted by Vinita Sinha and Pratima Sheorey (page 71). Their findings show that the firm's success was rooted not only in its results orientation but also in its attention to teamwork and human resources. In every walk of life, the trials and successes of trusted mentors offer valuable lessons. In the end, business success through effective mentoring comes down to caring about people.