8
Scenario Thinking
What we agree with leaves us inactive, but contradiction makes us productive.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe1
In Chapter Three, we described how Deutsche Post DHL CEO Frank Appel and members of his executive team debated a tough issue over balancing short- versus long-term demands. The question: Should they use year-end cash to show good financial results today or invest for tomorrow? Executives from finance and the company's divisions each represented their stakeholders—shareholders versus customers. They each took a stand to advocate for the silo of their interest. They believed it important to forcefully represent their point of view.
As it turned out, we simplified the story. The executive team members at Deutsche Post DHL ...
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