The Next AOL Time Warner

The resignation of AOL Time Warner mogul Steve Case on January 12
leaves the company in dire need of a new leader. Those applying for the
CEO's position should be prepared to run a troubled company with little
prospect of quick recovery. To pull the company out of its slump, the
succeeding CEO will face the challenge of bringing together two divergent
sides of the merged company.

"[Steve Case] was never able to meld the AOL team with Time
Warner," says Donald Moine, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in
business and investment. "His vision is tied to what AOL was in the past,
not what is needed in the current environment." The merging of the two
companies fueled the recent and painful drop in stock prices that
eventually resulted in Case's resignation. Most put the blame on AOL's
shoulders.

Having a leader of an upstart tech company run an established
entertainment empire brought the two disparate businesses cultures to the
boardroom. "AOL had much more of a risk-taking, pioneering
entrepreneurial bent, and Time Warner was much more established with
policies and procedures," says Moine. "They were two very different
cultures."

The new leader will be responsible for bringing both sides together
and ensuring that everything—and everyone—can work in
conjunction. "They want someone who can build a team. Not a pioneer, not
a maverick, but a team player," explains Moine.

Despite the exciting potential of new leadership, don't expect
dramatic change in the company anytime soon. "There is a limit to how
much one person can accomplish; it will take more than a new CEO," says
Moine.