Case study.
Where IS work done most efficiently and effectively? Yahoo!, a pioneer in Web search and navigation,
struggles to remain relevant in the face of competition from the likes of Google, Facebook, and
Twitter.73 It missed the two biggest Internet trends—social networking and mobile. However, in July
2012, after the company did its own search, it snagged a gem as the company’s new CEO—Marissa
Mayer, one of Goggle’s top executives. Mayer had been one of the few public faces of Google and was
respon- sible for the look and feel of Google’s most popular products. Guiding Yahoo! as it tries to regain
its former prominence is proving to be the challenge that experts pre- dicted, but they’re also saying
that if anyone could take on the challenge of making Yahoo! an innovator once again, Mayer is the
person.
Two of her initial decisions included free food at the office and new smartphones for every employee,
something that Google does. However, in early 2013, Mayer launched an employee initiative that
generated lots of discussion—positive and negative. She decided that as of mid-2013, Yahoo! employees
who worked remotely had to come back to the office. The memo from the vice president of people and
development (code for head of Human Resources) clarified that the new initiative was a response to
productivity is- sues that often arise when employees work from home. With a new boss and a renewed
commitment to making Yahoo! a strong company in a challenging industry, employees were expected to
be physically present in the workplace, hopefully leading to developing a strong common bond and
greater productivity. The announcement affected not only those who worked from home full time—
