xi EDITORS’ NOTELynn S. Paine examine the foundations and fl aws of agency the-
ory, which views shareholders as the “owners” of a company and is
behind the current widespread idea that corporate managers should
make shareholder value their primary concern. The authors off er
eight propositions to provide a company- centered model that would
have at its core the health of the enterprise instead. Their model
would return companies’ attention to innovation, strategic renewal,
and investment in the future.
Where do we go from here? The #MeToo movement and countless
reports of sexual harassment in the workplace are transforming how
we manage relationships at work. In “Now What?” the legal scholar
Joan C. Williams and the feminist historian Suzanne Lebsock explore
whether this is really the end of a harassment culture. Companies
are moving away from quiet settlements with victims and toward
fi ring abusers. But employers must still follow due process and eval-
uate the credibility of reports. They need clear policies and fair pro-
cedures for handling harassment. The authors surprised themselves
with their closing advice: “If you are being sexually harassed, report
it. We’re not sure if we would have advised that, in such a blanket
and unnuanced way, even a year ago.”
The most important ideas of the year are at your fi ngertips in
this volume. From ideas on managing your team, to issues for your
board and senior executives, to harnessing artificial intelligence
and augmented reality, to addressing meaty personnel issues such
as diversity and harassment, the articles here will help you address
the situations you’re facing today and prepare for what lies on the
horizon.
—The Editors