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Today's market is an increasingly sophisticated one - and Dell Computer's reported revenues of $3.2 billion prove that customers are ready for new ways of doing business. In this interview, CEO Michael Dell shares his vision of the potential of online transactions, describes the success of customized Web pages, and examines the possibilities for direct and indirect sales of technology products. Dell talks about cutting costs with effective online support, building effective customer relationships, tearing down the myths of the Internet, and more.

Three things make the difference in becoming a leader and being led - product quality, customer service, and productivity. While managers have made great strides in the first two factors, improving productivity remains a major challenge for many organizations. John H. Zenger, a leading authority on organizational change and high performance systems, discusses practical methods to help an organization shed its past, raise its standard for higher performance, and give employees specific tools required to excel in the workplace.

How many Internet years ahead of the competition are you? If you're using networking for competitive advantage in the marketplace, you're on the right track, says Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers. Chambers believes networking is the most significant generation of the computer revolution, with wide-ranging implications for productivity in businesses worldwide. He provides examples of leading-edge companies, including Cisco, that are using networking effectively.

What do you do when interdepartmental conflict threatens organizational harmony? Peg Neuhauser suggests that the key is in recognizing that different departmental tribes, or subcultures, exist within the organization. By teaching these tribes how to communicate more effectively, the executive can minimize conflict and boost productivity. She covers the dos and don'ts of negotiating with other groups and points out the special role that tribal chiefs play in the organization.

If you're not thinking about how to change things or mix things up, you're going to be left behind! Carol Bartz, a self-described "change agent", discusses ways to drive change, rather than simply reacting to it. She talks about the value of change for growth, the importance of technology in driving change, ways to involve employees in change, and the role of confidence in creating change. Learn how to take control of the future of your organization.

Improvement initiative or organizational mindset - which leads to greater success? The need to operate successfully in a global economy has spawned numerous organizational improvement programs, such as TQM and re-engineering. However, business owner Jill Janov explains that it is your mindset, and not these initiatives, that creates lasting success. Drawing on nearly 30 years of corporate experience, she focuses on the systematic approaches your business needs to design its work processes, roles, relationships, strategies, and structures.

The traditional approach to strategic planning is dead. It used to be that plans were produced on paper, placed in the bottom of a drawer, and never seen again. Now, there is a new method that focuses on strategic thinking and strategic implementation. John Berthold, president of a management consulting firm that specializes in strategy development and implementation, stresses the importance of a strategy that results in improved teamwork.

How do you build a company of enduring greatness? Jerry Porras contends that a strong core ideology and the persistent drive for progress are fundamental to the process. Having studied the life history of 18 visionary companies, he offers six key mechanisms that these companies use to preserve their core and stimulate innovation and change. He debunks the myth of the charismatic leader and concludes that all firms can use his findings to improve their organizational performance.

Globalization and the next generation of organizational challenges require new kinds of leadership. Diane Woods of Levi Strauss and Co. explains how to employ specific strategies to leverage the richness of a diverse workforce. She explores the link between global competition and diversity and explains how such diversity is vital to an organization's transformation and regeneration.

Which is more important, innovation or corporate stability? Sought-after consultant James Adams shows how to increase the former without sacrificing the latter. Through his experience in industry, education, and government - including work on the design of the first Venus and Mars spacecraft - he has developed 10 techniques for boosting creativity. He also outlines ways for any business to balance creativity and management directives.

Remote management, contingent workers, virtual offices...10 years ago we may not have recognized today's corporate environment. Drawing on a decade of field research in the high-tech sector, Dr. Homa Bahrami talks about how technology and globalization have transformed the workplace and provides effective strategies for leading knowledge-based workers. She looks at traditional vs. emerging organizational models, the impact of physical design on the work environment, and "orgitechting" for the knowledge worker.

Technology leaving you breathless? Lew Platt describes what drives change in the high-tech environment. He elaborates on the impact technology is having on all organizations, not just high-tech ones, and discusses the resulting turmoil. His recommendations include how to implement strategies for promoting change, how to balance continuity and change, and how to integrate core values in the change process. This program is part of the Stanford CEO Forum series, in which top business leaders discuss a variety of industry topics from managing change to moving your company into the next generation of technology.

In today's fast-paced business world, companies need to react instantaneously. Pearlson features insightful case studies from companies like Dell, GE, Intel, and CISCO, and identifies five key disciplines companies need to adopt in order to remain competitive.

Ray Lane, President and COO of Oracle Corporation, discusses the importance of balancing talent and corporate values to keep a company in growth mode. Using Oracle as a case study, he describes how opportunity, a differentiated product, smart people willing to take risks, leadership, and funding are the five criteria essential to maintain corporate growth. Too often a company will not grow because it stands in the path of progress. Lane stresses the importance of flexible leadership and sticking to key objectives that value both your product and your employees equally.

Strategic alliances and other forms of collaborative inter-firm agreements have become commonplace in today's American economy. As companies get focused and specialized, they are beginning to move away from large, control-based structures to more flexible and relationship-oriented partnering. With a focus on the three phases of the Alliance Life Cycle, Dr. Shavers explores the ingredients to successful partnerships. In particular, she focuses on the impact that an alliance will have on each partner's bottom line.

Changes in US trademark law, the widespread adoption of the Internet, and an intensified interest in branding have combined to make desirable company and product names seem increasingly unattainable. Few companies today have embarked on a naming effort that has not proven to be frustrating at best, and useless at worst. S.B. Master addresses key current topics in naming including naming vs. branding, determining the optimal number of names, domain name issues, linguistic missteps, and getting the most out of your trademark attorney.

Building your business presence online is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. Deborah Triant, CEO and President of Check Point Software Technologies, explores how the Internet affects the growth of companies and what success really means in this era of the Internet. In detailing a roadmap to success, she offers ideas on how to thrive despite significantly shortened company life cycles and create a global strategy to include a world that is one click away from your front door.

Business sense consists of "five freedoms," says Dan Thomas, President of FOCUS. Success depends on exercising each freedom in developing strategy, systems, organization, and personnel selection. Dr. Thomas, whose company works with client management teams to help them develop and implement business and corporate strategies that make sense, has taught at both the Stanford and Harvard Business Schools. Now he lends his expertise to help you make the decisions that can mean the difference between prosperity and failure in your organization.

Silicon Valley's robust economy has yielded tremendous job growth - yet this prosperity has its down side as the boom has led to more traffic and fewer housing options. Joint Ventures Silicon Valley, under the leadership of former California State Senator Becky Morgan, is developing a model program applicable to all communities trying to balance business development with quality of life issues. In this speech, Morgan talks about her organization's plan, which incorporates community input and measurable goals.

How do you attract, retain, and develop more than your fair share of talent? Moreover, how do you build a skilled, flexible workforce that's able to keep pace with changing business directions? Betsy Collard of the Career Action Center looks at steps being made in Fortune 100 and Silicon Valley companies to address retention and workforce development issues. Highlights include the best career management practices in leading organizations....