When a foreign acquirer takes over a high-performing Australian company, why does the CEO so often leave within a year — even when the business is thriving? Drawing on a decade of inbound acquisitions involving Australian listed companies (2013–2022), our research shows that CEO exits after cross-border deals are driven not by underperformance, but by cultural distance — th...

Summary: Artificial intelligence has become a routine feature of mergers and acquisitions, widely deployed for target screening, valuation support, and due diligence. While industry commentary often frames this diffusion as the automation of dealmaking, its practical consequences for how M&A work is performed remain poorly understood. Drawing on intervi...

The Argument: Professional services firms have survived three technology-driven transformations: ERP implementation (1990s), web/mobile enablement (2000s), and SaaS/cloud platforms (2010s). Each wave changed what clients bought, how they paid, and what they received — but left the fundamental consulting model intact. Clients still purchased human expertise, m...

Imagine a Monday morning at a global corporation’s strategy meeting. The Chief Marketing Officer is pitching a bold new creative campaign. The Head of Engineering counters with product feasibility concerns. The CFO, focused on risk, winces at the projected costs. There is tension in the air — a classic case of functional diversity at work. Different backgrounds and areas of e...

This article is adapted from Making Organizational Culture Great: Moving Beyond Popular Beliefs published by Columbia Business School Publishing (c) 2026 Jennifer A. Chatman and Glenn R. Carroll. Used by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Culture baffles even the most experienced managers. Even those who take o...