California Management Review

Abstract

This case study describes Vice President and Chief of People Debbie Cohen’s key initiatives in a software entity that was one of the pioneers of the "open source" movement. It showcases Mozilla’s unique culture of distributed decision making and delegated leadership. Mozilla has a small staff of over 1,100 and millions of volunteers around the world. It also illustrates Cohen’s innovative, yet tailored, talent strategy for Mozilla, and describes the challenges of implementing initiatives related to compensation, onboarding, and development. The case study concludes in April 2013, when Cohen is able to reflect on her time working at such a unique and some would say "cultish" organization.

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