Issue link: https://industrialmanagement.epubxp.com/i/285723
march/april 2014 9 chaired by SEMS board member Mark Jannone from Atlantic Health System (mark.jannone@atlantichealth.org). Jannone again has done a fantastic job in organizing this track. To date, 25 abstracts have been submitted, currently making the Engineering Management track the second largest in the Applied Solutions Conference, behind only the Latin America track. In addition to the Engineering Management tracks, the annual conference will feature the SEMS Town Hall and many student activities. The Town Hall is an interactive forum to benefit current and potential SEMS members. The SEMS officers and board discuss the state of the society and future plans. The town hall meeting always is well-attended and is a great opportunity to learn about SEMS and network with your colleagues. The student activities include presentations geared to students, networking opportunities and a student best paper competition. Please make your plans today to join your SEMS colleagues at the 2014 ISERC and Applied Solutions Conference. Visit www. iienet.org/annual for more details. —BrianK .Smithisassistantprofessorof engineeringmanagementand systemsengineeringatMissouriUniversityof Science&Technology.; Culture, analytics and university-industry partnerships To say there are tremendous challenges present in the dynamic business environment is an understatement. Factors such as globalization, supplier dependencies and logistics in navigating natural disasters can manifest challenges that affect business objectives. The key factor in positioning any organization to be successful is leadership. Leaders must possess a keen ability to anticipate situations, predict behaviors and prescribe effective direction. Now more than ever, confidence around timely and accurate decisions separates those who succeed from those who fail. The stakes are raised, and the consequences are significant. The one certainty about the future is that change is imminent. Therefore, leaders must foster a culture of responsiveness, flexi- bility and adaptability. It is essential for organizations to foster an innovative culture that capitalizes on increased levels of data to make much more intelligent decisions. Based on my personal experience in leading enterprise lean initiatives, the following three focus areas should be considered when attempting to create a high- performance team. First, the influence of culture is largely a qualitative process. Culture can be described as the "chemistry" an organization applies as it performs its responsibilities. Do organizational behaviors exist where thoughts are based on facts, exchanged professionally and honestly? Are these thoughts shared in a creating high-performance teams IM MarApr 2014.indd 9 3/24/14 12:12 PM