Jim Euchner talks with Amy Edmondson about failure and the conditions that make it possible for us to talk about it and learn from it.

Overview: Many multinational companies develop innovative new businesses in one geographic market that they would like to expand to another. This is often challenging, however, because market, economic, and cultural factors, as well as the regulatory environment, make direct transfer unlikely to succeed. Strong internal factors also can impede the transfer of an offering or business from one region to another. This article uses the experience of three businesses developed at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in the commercial trucking sector. All of these businesses started in one market and were later reshaped to enable their success in very different markets. We discuss the challenges these market expansions faced and the ways in which they were addressed. We propose a simple set of five factors (MERCI) for other companies seeking to grow through global expansion of innovative new businesses.

New technology can greatly improve both the productivity and effectiveness of work. It can also interfere with the development of expertise; as a result, skills that might be needed in the future may not be available when needed. In this interview, Matt Beane identifies the factors that enable skill development. He also seeks to define the characteristics of work and technology that can lead to the development of necessary skills. Beane advocates that technology and work systems be designed so that skill development is preserved and workplaces are not only more productive but more meaningful, as well.