ANHERMÈSWATCHHASTIMEONITSSIDECAPECOD8DAYSWATCH1-800-441-448872Innovation:TheClassicTrapsRosabethMossKanter84ManagingMulticulturalTeamsJeanneBrett,KristinBehfar,andMaryC.Kern92BreakingtheTrade-OffBetweenEfficiencyandServiceFrancesX.Frei106FacingAmbiguousThreatsMichaelA.Roberto,RichardM.J.Bohmer,andAmyC.Edmondson114DisasterRelief,Inc.AnisyaThomasandLynnFritz22Forethought39HBRCaseStudyTheReignofZeroToleranceBenGerson55BigPictureHowtoManageUrbanSchoolDistrictsStaceyChildress,RichardElmore,andAllenGrossman130BestPracticeHowWell-RunBoardsMakeDecisionsMichaelUseem141ToolKitMasteringtheThreeWorldsofInformationTechnologyAndrewMcAfee154ExecutiveSummaries160PanelDiscussionNovember2006www.hbr.orgCustomersasWildCards…page92FixingCitySchools…page55…page72DON’TGET72Innovation:TheClassicTrapsRosabethMossKanterEveryfewyears,itseems,managersrediscoverinnova-tionasarevenue-generating,profit-makingpursuit.Unfortunately,theyoftenmakethesamemistakesastheirpredecessorswhenexecutingtheirinnovationef-forts.Here’showtoavoidthepitfallsandcreatebreak-throughproductsandservicesforyourorganization.84ManagingMulticulturalTeamsJeanneBrett,KristinBehfar,andMaryC.KernSimple,oftensubtledifferencesarisingfromculturecancauseseriousproblemsonmulticulturalteams.Thegoodnewsis,theycanbediagnosedearly–andtherightstrat-egyfordealingwiththemcanactuallystrengthenateam’seffectiveness.92BreakingtheTrade-OffBetweenEfficiencyandServiceFrancesX.FreiCustomersintroducetremendousvariabilitytomostser-vicebusinesses.Learningtomanagethatvariabilityiscentraltomakingaserviceofferingprofitable–anditdoesn’thavetocomedowntoachoicebetweenopera-tionalefficiencyandasuperiorcustomerexperience.6harvardbusinessreview|hbr.orgCOVERART:JUSTINEBECKETTFeatures106FacingAmbiguousThreatsMichaelA.Roberto,RichardM.J.Bohmer,andAmyC.EdmondsonWhenanevent’spotentialforcausingacompanyharmisunclear,managerstendtoignoreordiscounttherisk.Suchanapproachcanbecatastrophic.114DisasterRelief,Inc.AnisyaThomasandLynnFritzInthewakeofahumanitar...