Profiles in Leadership - UW-Milwaukee

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Cover Story Profi les in Leadership Leading an American Icon Jim Ziemer (BBA ’75, EMBA ‘86) President & CEO Harley-Davidson, Inc. 8 OUTLOOK What is it about the Harley- Davidson culture that allows it to be one of the world’s most recognized brands? Harley President & CEO Jim Ziemer suggested that the answer to that question resides in the four core attributes of the Harley brand and how they relate to corporate culture. Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent com pany for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. The company achieved $5.8 billion in net 2006 revenue. In many ways, Ziemer said, those four attributes — Freedom, Adventure, Passion, and Individuality — serve as metaphors for what goes on inside Harley-Davidson’s walls. “To be sure, we’re a disciplined, aligned organization whose objectives, strategies, and plans are driven by common values, our mission and vision, and a shared set of operating philosophies,” he clarifi ed. But that is basic to every successful organization, he said. “These core attributes are the key to our success.” At a corporate level, Freedom means removing barriers and obstacles, and minimizing bureaucracy, he said, so that people are empowered to make a difference. “It should come as no surprise that another part of sustaining Harley- Davidson’s market leadership has to do with continually exploring new roads — our sense of Adventure,” Ziemer noted. This was certainly key to Harley’s turnaround in the 1980s, he said, and its success since then has been due to the organization’s willingness “to turn left when others are turning right.” “Passion — and our ability to inspire it and to channel it — is another factor in Harley-Davidson’s success,” shared Ziemer. “Many of our employees live and breathe motorcycles, putting forth extra effort for the sheer love of doing it. I call it ‘psychic income.’” And just as Individuality is important to Harley’s customers (it’s often said that no two Harleys look alike), the company also prizes the individuality of its employees. Ziemer said, “It’s leadership’s job to bring out each individual’s capabilities and talents. We expect all employees to make a difference.” “Don’t get me wrong. We highly value teamwork and collaboration,” he added. “But a business environment where everyone thinks alike stifl es new ideas and is a pretty unexciting place to work.” “At Harley-Davidson, our mission is all about fulfi lling dreams,” Ziemer concluded. “One of the singlemost important traits of a leader in business — or in any endeavor — is to dream about what could be and to fulfi ll that dream.” “Dreaming is a positive, motivating force.” “ Over the last 40 years, the Lubar School of Business has established truly outstanding credentials in business education. And for me, personally, it has been a key factor in my success. ” — Jim Ziemer, President & CEO, Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Bradley Distinguished Lecture Series Who Killed Health Care? The provocative question that titles Harvard professor Regina Herzlinger’s latest book — Who Killed Health Care? — was a clear signal that her address on U.S. health care in the Bradley Distinguished Lecture Series would offer a compelling viewpoint. Regina Herzlinger is the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. She is widely recognized for her innovative research in health care, including her early predictions of the unraveling of managed care and the rise of consumer-driven health care and health care focused factories, two terms that she coined. Money magazine has dubbed her the “Godmother” of consumerdriven health care. And the answer to that provocative question? Herzlinger calls it the “Iron Triangle,” made up of: Hospitals, whose oligopolistic or mono polistic practices mean a lack of competition, infl ation of cost, and diminution of quality for the end consumer. The U.S. Congress. “Uncle Sam is becoming Dr. Sam, telling physicians how to practice medicine and suppressing physician-driven innovation,” she said. Insurers, who represent a trillion dollar industry, but provide few competitive offerings. Herzlinger said that the current system is too centralized, too expensive, and fails to meet the needs of the population — with more than 40 million uninsured Americans and millions of additional people who are underinsured. Regina Herzlinger The solution, she argued, ultimately lies in giving consumers money to let them shop for their own health care needs — fi rst under the umbrella of their employers, but later on their own through personal, tax-sheltered savings accounts. Offering consumers more choices would force the health care industry to step up its services to meet consumer demand, she said, encouraging entrepreneurial innovation among physician groups and other service providers within a system that gives them the freedom to organize their own teams and quote their own prices. Ultimately, Herzlinger projected, a consumer-driven health system could lead to “focused factories,” where health services are personalized around a particular health condition. For example, a breast cancer center might encompass diagnosis, imaging, drug therapy, surgery, and emotional care among its offerings to clients. Herzlinger maintains that such “focused factories” would be attractive to consumers not only because they are completely focused on them and their disease, but because they offer a better quality of care, more convenience, and lower costs. We don’t have this type of service now, she said, because the health care industry doesn’t incentivize entrepreneurs. “You don’t make money from making people healthier,” she noted. “You get paid for treating sick people.” In conclusion, she said, consumers must be given choices and information. Service providers must be given the freedom to organize and compete. Technology fi rms and insurers must innovate and stop trying to block progress. And the government’s role in a consumerdriven system, she advised, is to help the poor, prosecute the fraudulent, and enable transparency. But most importantly, she said, “Government needs to get out of the way.” The Bradley Distinguished Lecture Series, co-sponsored by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and UWM’s Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business, brings nationally and internationally respected scholars, policy experts, and business leaders to speak on major issues pertaining to the political economy of globalization, entrepreneurship, and global economic competition. FALL 2007 9
Page 1 and 2: Outlook The Lubar School’s magazi
Page 3 and 4: In This Issue Outlook FALL 2007 2 M
Page 5 and 6: Honors Hans G. Storr Recognized wit
Page 7 and 8: A beautiful Milwaukee spring evenin
Page 9: Cover Story Profi les in Leadership
Page 13 and 14: Entrepreneurship NEW VENTURE BUSINE
Page 15 and 16: Deloitte Center for Multistate Taxa
Page 17 and 18: intentional malfeasance, we only in
Page 19 and 20: Alumni Profile Kikkoman’s Connect
Page 21 and 22: (continued from previous page) ASSU
Page 23 and 24: Faculty Kudos Richard Priem, The Ro
Page 25 and 26: Alumni News Alumni on the Move Jame
Page 27 and 28: Honor Roll of Donors From the Devel
Page 29 and 30: Honor Roll of Donors Mr. and Mrs. J
Page 31 and 32: ✁ Alumni, we want to hear from yo

Profiles in Leadership - UW-Milwaukee

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?