Nasdaq named the company’s stock its top performer of the decade in 2009 even as the firm won first place on Business Ethics magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens lists in 2006 and 2007. Green Mountain Coffee also became the world’s largest supplier of fair trade coffee, a story Stiller tells in his new book, Better & Better: Creating a Culture of Purpose, Engagement, and Transformative Human Engagement (McGraw Hill, 2025). Stiller is a strong proponent of Appreciative Inquiry, an approach to problem-solving that essentially identifies what’s working and maximizes it. It engages people at all levels of an organization in a four-step process to discover strengths, imagine a better future, and then design and execute plans for achieving. MIT Sloan Management Review spoke with Stiller to learn more about how the approach helped drive the company’s growth. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What spurred your interest in using Appreciative Inquiry broadly?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Winter 2025-Ausgabe von MIT Sloan Management Review.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Winter 2025-Ausgabe von MIT Sloan Management Review.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Ask Sanyin: How Do You Build for an Unpredictable Future?
While the pandemic was a wild ride of uncertainty for me and many of my peers in leadership, it feels like we never regained our footing.
What You Still Can't Say at Work
Most people know what can’t be said in their organization. But leaders can apply these techniques to break through the unwritten rules that make people self-censor.
Make Character Count in Hiring and Promoting
Most managers focus on competencies when evaluating candidates but it’s character that will transform the DNA of the organization. Here’s how to assess it.
Why Influence Is a Two-Way Street
Managers achieve better outcomes when they prioritize collaborative decision-making over powers of persuasion.
Know Your Data to Harness Federated Machine Learning
A collaborative approach to training AI models can yield better results, but it requires finding partners with data that complements your own.
How Integrating DEI Into Strategy Lifts Performance
Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices into core business planning can provide a competitive edge.
The Myth of the Sustainable Consumer
Companies that understand the different kinds of consumers for sustainable products can market to them more effectively.
A Practical Guide to Gaining Value From LLMs
Getting a return from generative AI investments requires a systematic approach to analyzing appropriate use cases.
Improve Workflows by Managing Bottlenecks
Understand whether process or resource constraints are stalling work.
Craft Schedules That Work for Everyone
Business leaders can improve retention and business performance with schedules that make sense for workers’ lives.