J&J's William Weldon: Leadership in a Decentralized Company

Consumers tend to associate Johnson & Johnson with Band-Aids and baby shampoo, but those well-known products are only part of a much larger picture, according to William Weldon, chairman and CEO of the New Brunswick, N.J.-based firm. In fact, Weldon has the mind-boggling task of overseeing more than 200 operating companies across three sectors, including consumer products, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. On June 18, Weldon spoke at the 2008 Wharton Leadership Conference about the challenges of running the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. In an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, he elaborated on how J&J's decentralized structure informs his leadership style and what he sees as key issues for the health care industry in the coming decade, among other topics.