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Nitsa Lallas
Nitsa Lallas
Lecturer
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NitsaLallas
Lecturer in Management

Teaching Statement

Nitsa Lallas will teach a new class in 2015-16 on Leading Through Culture. She draws on her executive level experience in multiple industries to engage students in learning about the complex, real-world issues related to leading and shaping corporate culture and why it matters. Her focus includes: the executive leaders’ role in defining and shaping culture; how corporate culture enables or undermines business results; why cultures need to be refreshed in legacy companies at key inflection points; essential considerations in creating cultures in new companies; the personal impact people (including students) have on culture; and the need for healthier organizational cultures – building trust and more social conscience and competence.

Bio

As Partner and Healthcare Practice Leader at Senn Delaney, a culture-shaping firm and division of Heidrick & Struggles, Nitsa led, architected and implemented transformational culture change for over 18 years. She has been deeply involved in the healthcare industry transition from physician-centric, disconnected business models to a patient-centered, integrated healthcare supply chain. This transformation includes M&A, physician group alliances, and a massive technology conversion from paper based to electronic records and success relies heavily on changing embedded corporate cultures. Her clients included: Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, KentuckyOne Health, United Health Group, Children’s Hospital Association; as well as in other industries including L Brands, Staples, Yum Brands, T-Mobile, Advent Software and more. She has been a speaker at major healthcare industry conferences and contributed to several articles on culture shaping.

Previously Nitsa held executive and general management roles in consumer packaged goods and business to business environments, acquiring in-depth expertise in marketing, branding, sales, and manufacturing. She has direct experience in M&A from all sides; acquiring, integrating and being acquired. And she has conducted her work in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Nitsa received an MBA and BA from Stanford University. She and her husband are avid ballroom dancers and food enthusiasts who love to cook.

Academic Degrees

  • MBA, Stanford GSB, 1978
  • BA, Stanford University, 1974

Academic Appointments

  • Lecturer, Stanford GSB, 2015-16

Professional Experience

  • Partner & Healthcare Practice Leader, Senn Delaney, division of Heidrick & Struggles, 1996-2014
  • Vice President, Grocery Outlets, 1995-1996
  • Vice President, Dole Packaged Foods, 1988-1994
  • Director, Marketing and Sales, James River/Crown Zellerbach, 1978-1988
  • Graphic Arts Engineer, Hallmark Cards, Inc., 1974-1976

Courses Taught

Degree Courses

2015-16

OB 518: Leading Through Culture

This course examines organization culture, how and why managers can use culture to maximize results within an organization, and how culture can undermine results. The course begins by situating cultural leadership and management within a culture-...

Teaching Materials

  • Leading Through Culture (OB518) PDF
    This course examines organization culture---how and why managers can use culture to maximize results within an organization, and how culture can undermine results. The course begins by situating cultural leadership and management within a culture-shaping framework and the opportunities, obligations and methods for leaders to impact culture. It also focuses on what is different in cultural management and why so many contemporary firms attempt to use it. We analyze the relationship between culture and strategy, seeking alignment between the two. The course also explores different kinds of cultures seen in high performing and low performing organizations, and seeks to understand how cultural content affects behavior and business results. Students will be asked to describe and define the culture of an organization needed for a given business and strategy, and to define the role of executives in shaping culture. The class identifies and analyzes the tools or levers that leaders can use to build an effective culture. We will spend a session on each of the following: culture and strategy alignment, architecture for shaping culture, selecting people for cultural alignment, aligning organizational practices, culture and society, cultural inflection points from start-up to scale, cultural aspects of high performance and cultural diagnostics. The course will end with a session on culture issues in merger and acquisition.

Conferences, Talks, and Speaking Engagements

Service to the Profession

Advisory Role

  • Advisor, 114th Partnership, a non-profit focused on improving K-12 education across the U.S.

In the Media

'Walking the talk' in patient -centric pharma
Senn Delaney, 2014
Studies of Culture Transformation at: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
Senn Delaney, 2014
Video Studies
Senn Delaney, 2013
Healthy Leadership – How Physicians Positively Impact Organizational Culture
Senn Delaney, 2012
Connecting Culture and Care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Senn Delaney, 2008
The Invisible Anchor on Business Results
Senn Delaney, 2000
Overcoming Internal Barriers to Change Your Business Model
Senn Delaney, 1999

School News

writtenStanford GSB Welcomes New Faculty to Enrich, Broaden its Educational Experience
October 6, 2015
New faculty and lecturers offer unique perspectives and experience to augment program offerings.