Social Psychology
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- 19 Sep 2018
- Sharpening Your Skills
Say Again? Uncommon Advice for Common Business Problems
Sometimes the right answer is far from obvious. Learn why an introvert may be the best choice to lead your team, taking a pay cut might make you a better manager, and why you should not trust your gut when the pressure is on. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Sep 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
The Impact of Penalties for Wrong Answers on the Gender Gap in Test Scores
Multiple-choice questions on standardized tests are widely seen as objective measures of student ability, but the common practice of assessing penalties for wrong answers may generate gender bias. This study documents the impact of a policy change that removed penalties for wrong answers on the national college entry exam in Chile. This simple change reduced the gender gap in test performance by 9 percent.
- 10 Sep 2018
- Research & Ideas
Celebrating 'The Men and Women of the Corporation' 40 Years Later
Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s Men and Women of the Corporation inspired and informed a generation of scholars studying gender, status, and power. Robin J. Ely interviews Kanter about her groundbreaking research and why it remains relevant today. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 15 Aug 2018
- Book
Why Entrepreneurs Must Focus on Building Trust
Legal and social institutions that support entrepreneurs often aren't well established in developing countries. Tarun Khanna's new book explains how businesses can make up for that by building trust. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Aug 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Gifts of the Immigrants, Woes of the Natives: Lessons from the Age of Mass Migration
Investigating the economic and political effects of immigration across US cities between 1910 and 1930, this paper finds that political opposition to immigration can arise even when immigrants bring widespread economic benefits. The paper provides evidence that cultural differences between immigrants and natives were responsible, at least in part, for natives’ anti-immigration reactions.
- 11 Jul 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Channeled Attention and Stable Errors
As humans we are surprisingly good at neglecting unexpected information that conflicts with what we “know” to be true. This paper develops a framework for predicting when we are more likely to “get a clue” despite this cognitive barrier to discovering our own mistakes.
- 06 Jun 2018
- Research & Ideas
Cut Salaries or Cut People? The Best Way to Survive a Downturn
When times are tight, companies usually respond with employee layoffs. But what if they held on to workers and cut their salaries instead? New research by Christopher Stanton and colleagues has the answer. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 May 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Trust and Disintermediation: Evidence from an Online Freelance Marketplace
Intermediaries such as brokers, distributors, and agents all face a risk of disintermediation, when two sides circumvent the intermediary and thus avoid the intermediary’s fees. This study of a large online freelance marketplace finds that enhanced user trust increases this risk, alongside other contributing factors like being geographically near one another, having easily divisible jobs, and clients themselves having high ratings.
- 17 May 2018
- Sharpening Your Skills
You Probably Have a Bias for Making Bad Decisions. Here's Why.
Cognitive biases cloud our decision making like a San Francisco fog in the brain. Here is recent research on psychological factors that fool us into hiring bad employees, favoring one gender or race over another, or giving more weight to the last information we've received. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 16 May 2018
- Research & Ideas
How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps
Foreign businesses located in at-war countries are often victims of expropriation. Historian Valeria Giacomin explores how German businesses in the United Kingdom and India mitigated risk and even benefitted when their employees were placed in internment camps during the World Wars. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Apr 2018
- Book
How to Be a Rebel Leader
In the book Rebel Talent, Francesca Gino argues companies should encourage rebellion in their workplaces. Quiz: Discover what type of rebel you really are. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 29 Apr 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Analyzing the Aftermath of a Compensation Reduction
This study of the effects of compensation cuts in a large sales organization provides a unique lens for analyzing the link between compensation schemes, worker performance, and turnover.
- 27 Apr 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Is Overconfidence a Motivated Bias? Experimental Evidence
People are most at risk of making overly positive self-assessments when their assessment criteria are not clearly defined. Yet, even within ambiguous domains, providing clearly defined criteria for what makes a productive employee, an effective leader, and an efficient team, may help people better calibrate their self-perceptions with reality.
- 16 Apr 2018
- Research & Ideas
Can Consumers Be Saved From Their Misguided Decisions?
Even with a world of information at our fingertips, consumers routinely make bad decisions on everything from investments to health coverage. Can science help? Research by Joshua Schwartzstein and Benjamin Handel. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 11 Apr 2018
- Research & Ideas
Sexual Harassment: What Employers Should Do Now
Organizations are realizing they are not doing enough to stop the inappropriate behavior that can lead to an awkward office environment, lawsuits, and reputation damage. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 09 Apr 2018
- Sharpening Your Skills
The Dark Side of Performance Bonuses
To motivate workers, employers often turn to incentives such as money or recognition. What's become clear is that these programs can also result in unintended consequences—like a financial crisis. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 26 Mar 2018
- Research & Ideas
To Motivate Employees, Give an Unexpected Bonus (or Penalty)
Susanna Gallani finds that employees can be more motivated by the anticipation of a reward or punishment than the actual payoff. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 14 Mar 2018
- Research & Ideas
Feeling Stressed? Try Sniffing Your Romantic Partner's Shirt
Attention business travelers: Reducing on-the-road stress might be as simple as tucking a loved one’s t-shirt into your suitcase, according to new research by Marlise Hofer, Hanne K. Collins, Ashley V. Whillans, and Frances S. Chen. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Feb 2018
- Research & Ideas
Customers at the Back of the Line Are Anxious—Can You Keep Them from Leaving?
The irrational anxiety associated with being last in line can lead to unhappy customers, according to new research by Ryan Buell. But there are ways to make people happier while they wait—and keep them from abandoning the queue. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
Did Entrepreneur Ernesto Tornquist Help or Hurt Argentina?
Geoffrey Jones examines the career of Ernesto Tornquist, a cosmopolitan financier considered to be the most significant entrepreneur in Argentina at the end of the 19th century. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.