Leadership | Luiss Business School - School of Management

30 October 2025

Facing a new World: Repositioning Police Services for the 21st Century

Author: Fabian Homberg Abstract: It was the fifth of July 2016. Mr Oliver Schumann came home after a long day of meetings with mixed feelings. On the one hand he was happy as he had been charged with a major task which he interpreted as a strong signal of trust by his superiors. On the other hand, he was also worried because it was a daunting task. He works for a regional police force, and his boss asked him to lead a major repositioning initiative that involved a strategy redesign. The current strategy focused on “securing the region” was not adequately developed to address recent societal changes the police was facing at the time. Additionally, he knew from his own experience in the organization that most officers make fun about it and do neither find it appealing nor relevant. It was his first role as project leader and thus he felt a strong pressure to complete the project successfully. As a civilian employee he had been working for the regional police force for the past 3 years. Benefitting from a degree in strategy from a well-ranked institution he had been leading the police’s organizational development office since January 2013. This office develops, consults on and implements major organizational initiatives. Most of his colleagues look at it as being some form of in-house consultancy. Apparently, his superiors were satisfied with his performance on the job to date since he took over the position and hence, charged him with the task to lead the repositioning initiative. On the one hand, he felt proud and enthused about the fact that he was given such an important project impacting the whole organization. “It may be a real chance and also a very interesting project”, he thought. Also additional resources were granted to him in order to expand his team and an increased budget for the next three years highlighting the importance of the project. Thinking thoroughly about it, he concluded that the project has the potential to be the springboard for his next promotion – but only if it was a success! Thus, on the other hand he was very stressed, as he knew that a majority of change projects fail and that visions and strategies are easier written than implemented. For example, he vividly remembers the discussion that were triggered by a Towers Perrin Report launched in 2013 on the high failure rates of change initiatives. The headline still stuck to his mind: “Only One-Quarter of Employers Are Sustaining Gains from Change Management Initiatives”. At all costs, he wanted to bring the majority of law enforcement officers behind him and to deliver a successful strategy redesign. He also remembers reading a recent study by McKinsey stating that 49% of company redesign projects fail. It seemed that he would have to cross a bridge over troubled waters, he thought. The fact that he was employed in a rather civilian function, not being a law enforcement officer working on the streets on a daily basis might be perceived as an additional obstacle by the law enforcement officers who form the largest fraction of personnel in the organization. Also, time was pressing! He clearly was aware of the need to get feet on the ground and to start working on the project. But how should he start? His mind was spinning! Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies

30 October 2025

Italcer Spa

Authors: Gianni Lorenzoni Abstract: Italcer nasce l’8 maggio 2017 per iniziativa del fondo Mandarin Capital Market e di Graziano Verdi con l’obiettivo di creare un gruppo che aggreghi varie imprese del distretto ceramico di Sassuolo. Secondo Alberto Forchielli, partner fondatore di Mandarin C.P. “La ceramica è uno dei pochi settori in cui l’Italia mantiene una indiscussa leadership mondiale. Abbiamo i due più grandi produttori di macchinari per ceramica. Sarebbe un delitto rinunciare a un grande accesso al mercato dei capitali, per un’azienda locale con un management che pensa globale”. Graziano Verdi, per molti anni all’interno del settore ceramico, ha guidato la crescita di Graniti Fiandre e la quotazione in Borsa della società, poi in Technogym e ancora nel gruppo Iris. Verdi dichiara: “L’obiettivo è creare un polo presente nei vari segmenti di prodotto che ha come filo conduttore l’alto di gamma attraverso il quale posizionare l’azienda sul mercato”. Nei 5 anni successivi vengono acquisite 7 imprese con prodotti e dimensioni diverse a partire da La Fabbrica, un’azienda ceramica in provincia di Ravenna. A questa hanno fatto seguito Elios e Elle Ceramica (fusa in Elios) e Devon & Devon, sempre nel 2017; nel 2018 le acquisizioni di Ceramica Rondine e di Spray Dry mentre nel 2020 è la volta di Cedir e nel 2021 della Spagnola Equipe. Nel 2022 di Fondovalle. È ancora in stand by l’investimento per un impianto di produzione 4.0 negli Stati Uniti per consolidare la presenza del gruppo sul mercato e per sfruttare le opportunità di rifornimento di materia prima e il più basso costo di energia di un’azienda energivora. Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies

30 October 2025

Organizing amid the Fog of War: data-driven decision makingin high-reliable operations

Authors: Andrea Salvi, Paolo Spagnoletti Abstract: Uncertainty is a constant and systematic element on the battlefield and profoundly influence military operations. As Clausewitz (1982) argued, war is intrinsically bound to chance and a thick fog embraces decision-making in that context. This element dictates the need for frontline military functions to craft and implement processes to confront contingencies while minimizing the chances of errors and maximizing reliability. Mission-oriented organizing is an organizational doctrine (often called “Mission Command”) created to address these systemic characteristics through diffused leadership and collective mindfulness. In other words, members of the organization should have situational awareness towards the missions’ ends and be able to contribute to the decision-making process if the contingencies dictate so. Accordingly, digital systems and awareness-enhancing tools may be powerful mediums for mission-oriented organizing and may prove instrumental to the flourishing of beneficial practices in frontline contexts. Yet, data on which these systems rely may be inaccurate, discontinued or simply not available due to technical malfunctioning or human errors. Those pitfalls, given the peculiarities of the settings whereby frontline military organizations, can be extremely costly in terms of resources and human lives. Over-reliance on these systems may hamper the organizational nature of frontline functions and hinder their resilience and focus on reliability. This teaching case brings the users amid the fog of war (Willink & Babin, 2017): it takes place in the Ma’Laab district in Iraq during the “Second Battle of Ramadi” (2006). U.S. Forces and Iraqi Soldiers are conducting a series of operations to retake the district from the clutch of insurgents. They sweep through several areas of the city checking each building and each compound to detect hostile forces and to dismantle stashes of explosive materials and weapons. While on a mission, troops are monitored through a GPS tracking system called “Blue Force Tracker” (BFT). The system sends the position of allied troops (“blue”) to the Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) and each user can input enemy positions, obstacles, and other tactically relevant elements. During one particular “sortie”, the TOC receives a fierce firefight report from a U.S. Marine Corps Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) platoon - accompanied by an Iraqi platoon - with an unknown enemy unit hiding in building H204. Accordingly, the threat is inputted and mapped on the system. The marines report heavy fire from a compound, that resulted one casualty and several wounded operators. The TOC sends in a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of armored infantry consisting of four Humvees to relieve the units that are still under the fire of an unseen enemy hiding behind concrete walls. Contemporaneously, the TOC gets another request for a QRF: a SEAL1 sniper squad in the same area - with declared position in a building (H142) - asks for immediate armored support calling in two Abrams Tanks. They are pinned due to heavy enemy fire: the squad is surrounded, outnumbered, and requires support for immediate extraction. The ANGLICO team – still engaged in the firefight -asks for clearance for an airstrike on the building in order the neutralize the threat. TOC immediately realizes what is happening. The SEAL sniper squad originally appeared to be in H204 on the BFT, they then declared by radio that they were abandoning the location to relocate in another building, then their trace disappeared from the system. The teaching case focuses on data-driven decision making in high-reliable operations and shows the advantages and pitfalls of live tracking systems in emergency frontline situations. Moreover, it highlights the interplay between technologies and coordination practices under extreme conditions. Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies

30 October 2025

Sigaro Toscano. Una porta di accesso al lifestyle italiano

Author: Lucio Attinà Abstract: Era un giorno di luglio 2018, uno di quei giorni luminosi della provincia Italiana in cui i colori valorizzano la bellezza della natura delle colline toscane e Stefano Mariotti - Amministratore Delegato di Manifatture Sigaro Toscano SpA (“MST”), il principale produttore italiano di sigari naturali e aromatizzati, si trovava a Lucca, presso lo stabilimento produttivo principale della sua azienda per il management meeting con la sua prima linea di collaboratori. Sul tavolo si trovavano i report del semestre appena concluso che confermavano quelle che erano state sino a quel momento le ambizioni, le intuizioni e le scelte dell’azienda. La strategia implementata dall’Azienda in passato era volta da un lato a massimizzare la crescita del marchio “TOSCANO®” in Italia e dall’altro a sviluppare l’attività di esportazione dello stesso con un approccio tattico-esplorativo. Quel giorno però aveva deciso di non concentrarsi sulla analisi della performance gestionale della settimana appena trascorsa ma piuttosto di ingaggiare i suoi più stretti collaboratori in quello che lui chiamava brainstorming creativo al fine di disegnare nuovi e più ambiziosi traguardi per l’azienda che sotto la sua guida aveva già consolidato e considerevolmente aumentato il fatturato negli ultimi anni. Dopo aver messo in sicurezza ed avere garantito all’azienda una posizione di leadership nel mercato principale, quello domestico, era già da un po’ di tempo che si interrogava su quale strada intraprendere, facendo leva sui propri punti di forza, per valutare di cambiare la propria strategia, focalizzandosi (i) sul consolidamento della propria posizione sul mercato italiano o (ii) sull’accelerazione della crescita estera attraverso una strategia più mirata e diversificata per Paese. Continuare a crescere era già nelle loro corde e quel giorno voleva raccogliere dal suo team di professionisti del settore quelle idee che potevano rappresentare l’ulteriore sfida da affrontare. Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies

30 October 2025

Takeda Italia: una nuova leadership inclusiva per una crescita globale del Gruppo giapponese

Authors: Maria Isabella Leone, Ginevra Assia Antonelli. Abstract: A partire dal sogno del trentaduenne Chobei Takeda I di aprire un’impresa per la vendita di erbe medicinali della tradizione giapponese e cinese, realizzato nel lontano 12 giugno 1781, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ha affrontato negli anni grandi sfide e cambiamenti, fino a diventare oggi una delle prime dieci case farmaceutiche al mondo, e la prima in Giappone. La crescita dell’Azienda è sempre stata un obiettivo particolarmente a cuore della proprietà e del management di Takeda, realizzato progressivamente anche tramite partnerships e acquisizioni strategiche. Da un lato, attraverso l’espansione del portafoglio prodotti per rispondere alle esigenze di un numero sempre maggiore di pazienti; dall’altro, attraverso l’espansione geografica, realizzata con l’intento di raggiungere i propri pazienti ovunque si trovino. Nel 2014, Christophe Weber diventa il primo CEO non-giapponese alla guida dell’Azienda nipponica. Sebbene questa scelta sia espressione dell’irreversibile processo di globalizzazione dell’organizzazione, la decisione genera perplessità e malcontento, tanto da portare 110 ex dirigenti, compresi alcuni membri della famiglia Takeda, a firmare una petizione volta a convincere gli azionisti a rifiutare la nomina dello stesso Weber. Nonostante queste manifestazioni contrarie, il nuovo CEO riesce a rimanere saldo nella sua posizione, secondo la volontà del suo predecessore, Yasuchika Hasegawa, che fu il primo CEO che non vantava legami diretti con la famiglia Takeda e sancisce una nuova impronta globale per il Gruppo. In questo nuovo contesto, quali sono state le scelte di Takeda Italia per distinguere il proprio stile di leadership, in linea con il nuovo assetto strategico e organizzativo del Gruppo, incentrato sui principi di diversità e inclusività a 360°? Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies