Social Psychology →
- 13 Apr 2009
- Research & Ideas
Kind of Blue: Pushing Boundaries with Miles Davis
Since it hit the airwaves half a century ago, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis has influenced the hearts and minds of jazz fans everywhere. Its songs became instant classics, and it has also converted many a nonfan to appreciate the music's subtlety and complexity. In a new business case, HBS professor Robert D. Austin and Carl Størmer highlight the takeaways for thoughtful managers and executives from this story of creation and innovation. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 30 Mar 2009
- Research & Ideas
Professional Networks in China and America
While American managers prefer to separate work and personal relationships, Chinese counterparts are much more likely to intermingle the two. One result: Doing business in China takes lots of time, says HBS professor Roy Y.J. Chua. Key concepts include: It generally takes much longer to build trusting business relationships in China than in the United States. When cultivating business relationships in China, American managers may want to know as many people in the Chinese counterpart's network as possible. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Mar 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Beyond Gender and Negotiation to Gendered Negotiations
How does gender affect negotiations within organizations or rather how do organizations affect gender relations? Deborah Kolb, a professor at Simmons College School of Management, and HBS professor Kathleen McGinn explore how definitions of work, specified roles in organizations, status hierarchies, and the politics and practices of organizational realities affect how gender plays out in organizations. Considering gender in organizations from a "negotiated order perspective"—that is, from the perspective that cultural patterns and work practices are the result of past interaction and negotiation—not only expands the range of issues that are potentially negotiable, it also turns attention to rethinking certain dimensions of the negotiation process itself. Key concepts include: Following recent scholarship, the authors distinguish between "first generation" gender discrimination involving intentional acts of bias from "second generation" gender issues, practices that are embedded in organizational workings, that seem unbiased in isolation, but result in different experiences for and treatment of women and men. Certain roles may be deemed more suitable to men than women and vice versa, setting up the need to negotiate for opportunities and fit. A woman's effectiveness as a leader, and the authority she can claim, is often judged differently from that of her male counterparts. Access to networks and flexible work arrangements give rise to the need to negotiate and this need often falls along gendered lines. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Mar 2009
- What Do You Think?
How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be?
HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up comments to this month's column. Given the possibility that a naturally pessimistic (or perhaps more realistic) CEO might adversely affect everything from market reactions to employee morale, HBS Working Knowledge readers' comments are full of advice for honesty, candor, and an optimistic bias. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Mar 2009
- Research & Ideas
When Goal Setting Goes Bad
If you ever wondered about the real value of goal setting in your organization, join the club. Despite the mantra that goals are good, the process of setting beneficial goals is harder than it looks. New research by HBS professor Max H. Bazerman and colleagues explores the hidden cost when stretch goals are misguided. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Feb 2009
- Research & Ideas
What’s Good about Quiet Rule-Breaking
If your company quietly allows employees to break some rules with the tacit approval of management, that's a moral gray zone. And your company is not alone. When rules are broken but privileges are not abused, such unspoken pacts between workers and management can allow both to achieve their respective goals of expressing professional identity and sustaining efforts in positive ways, says HBS professor Michel Anteby. Q&A Key concepts include: Moral gray zones in organizations rely on trust. Even if monitoring of employees increases, such gray zones are here to stay. Moral gray zones test middle management's ability to manage and to prevent abuses of mutual trust. Strong communities within occupations provide the unstated but necessary guidelines to ensure proper use of moral gray zones. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Feb 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting
For decades, goal setting has been promoted as a halcyon pill for improving employee motivation and performance in organizations. Advocates of goal setting argue that for goals to be successful, they should be specific and challenging, and countless studies find that specific, challenging goals motivate performance far better than "do your best" exhortations. The authors of this article, however, argue that it is often these same characteristics of goals that cause them to "go wild." Key concepts include: The harmful side effects of goal setting are far more serious and systematic than prior work has acknowledged. Goal setting harms organizations in systematic and predictable ways. The use of goal setting can degrade employee performance, shift focus away from important but non-specified goals, harm interpersonal relationships, corrode organizational culture, and motivate risky and unethical behaviors. In many situations, the damaging effects of goal setting outweigh its benefits. Managers should ask specific questions to ascertain whether the harmful effects of goal setting outweigh the potential benefits. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 15 Jan 2009
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpening Your Skills: Career & Life Balance
Achieving a life that balances the pleasures and demands of work and life has never been easy. Here are four HBS Working Knowledge stories from the archives that address everything from spirituality in leadership to understanding when "just enough" is truly enough. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Jan 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Smart Money: The Effect of Education, Cognitive Ability, and Financial Literacy on Financial Market Participation
(Previously titled "If You Are So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? The Effects of Education, Financial Literacy and Cognitive Ability on Financial Market Participation.") Individuals face an increasingly complex menu of financial product choices. The shift from defined benefit to defined contribution pension plans, and the growing importance of private retirement accounts, require individuals to choose the amount they save, as well as the mix of assets in which they invest. Yet, participation in financial markets is far from universal in the United States. Moreover, researchers have only a limited understanding of what factors cause participation. Cole and Shastry use a very large dataset new to the literature in order to study the important determinants of financial market participation. They find that higher levels of education and cognitive ability cause increased participation—however, financial literacy education does not. Key concepts include: The relationship between education and savings is difficult to measure, because both are affected by many factors (motivation, ability, etc.). This paper documents an important causal relationship between education and financial market participation. A set of financial literacy education programs, mandated by state governments, did not have an effect on individual savings decisions. It is imperative to conduct rigorous evaluations of financial literacy education programs to measure their efficacy. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Nov 2008
- Research Event
Social Media Leads the Future of Technology
From Facebook to smartphones, advances in technology are changing the way we work and communicate. Professor David Yoffie led three experts in a recent panel discussion on "The Technology Revolution and its Implications for the Future" at the HBS Centennial Business Summit. Key concepts include: A lot of growth potential remains worldwide. The sticking point for business is spanning the gap between the physical and digital worlds. For example, it remains difficult to figure out consumers' specific intent on the Web. What people want most of all is technology that is simple to use, said one panelist. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Oct 2008
- Research & Ideas
Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency
Urgency can be a positive force in companies, says leadership expert and HBS professor emeritus John P. Kotter. His new book, A Sense of Urgency (Harvard Business Press), makes that conviction clear. Our excerpt describes how leaders might skillfully transform a crisis into an organizational motivator for the better. Key concepts include: Always think of crises as potential opportunities, and not only dreadful problems that automatically must be delegated to the damage control specialists. Plans and actions should always focus on others' hearts as much or more than their minds. If you are at a middle or low level in an organization and see how a crisis can be used as an opportunity, identify and then work with an open-minded and approachable person who can take the lead. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Sep 2008
- Research & Ideas
Indulgence vs. Regret: Investing in Future Memories
Good news for makers of $20,000 watches and other luxury goods and services. Recent research from Harvard Business School professor Anat Keinan and a colleague suggest that we often regret not indulging ourselves earlier in life. Key concepts include: People can be too farsighted, or hyperopic, leaving wistful regrets of missing out on life's pleasures when they look back at how they spent their time. It's possible to motivate consumers to indulge themselves by simply asking them what they think they will regret in 10 years. Marketers can convince consumers that buying their product is actually a farsighted behavior, an investment in future memories. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Aug 2008
- Op-Ed
The Time is Right for Creative Capitalism
Bill Gates has it right. Business is the most powerful force for change in the world right now and gives the idea of creative capitalism real power, writes Harvard Business School Professor Nancy F. Koehn. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Aug 2008
- Research & Ideas
The Inner Life of Leaders
"Even when leaders try to hide and disguise their character, their traits are recognizable to others," says HBS professor emeritus Abraham Zaleznik. His new book, Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations, explores the internal complexities of people in control. Plus: Book excerpt. Key concepts include: Hedgehogs know one big thing while foxes know many things. Applied to leadership, hedgehogs reduce reality to one single principle, while foxes are prepared to adapt to a complex view of the world. An individual's character is outwardly represented while it is a product of development, starting with early childhood. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Aug 2008
- What Do You Think?
Has the Time Come for “Stretch” in Management?
Summing Up HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up comments from his readers on the topic of stretch goals. Does stretch still make sense as an organizing principle? What, if anything, should be done to ensure that stretch is allowed to flourish in companies today? What do you think? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Jul 2008
- What Do You Think?
Are Followers About to Get Their Due?
Online forum now closed. Leadership may be much-discussed, but followership merits equal attention, suggests HBS professor Jim Heskett. As a follower, what advice would you give other followers who want to have an impact on their jobs and organizations? As a leader, what do you do to foster good followership? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Jun 2008
- Research & Ideas
Innovative Ways to Encourage Personal Savings
Saving money doesn't need to be so difficult. According to HBS professor Peter Tufano, "The most interesting ideas—indeed the oldest—try to make savings a fun or satisfying experience." As Tufano describes in this Q&A, different solutions appeal to different people. Here's what government policy, the private sector, and nonprofits can do. Key concepts include: A variety of levers can be used to support people who want to save (not to force someone to save who doesn't want to). Some levers are simple changes that make the process of savings easier. Other levers involve providing various incentives, be they financial or sociological. The oldest and most interesting ideas try to make savings a fun or satisfying experience. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 06 Jun 2008
- What Do You Think?
Why Don’t Managers Think Deeply?
Online forum closed. Summing Up. According to Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman, nearly all research techniques commonly used today probe humans only at their conscious level, though it is the subconscious level that really determines behavior. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Jun 2008
- Research & Ideas
Spending on Happiness
Money can't buy love but it can buy happiness—as long as it's spent on someone else. Research by Michael I. Norton and colleagues looks into how and why spending on others promotes happiness. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
What’s Next for the Big Financial Brands
Some of the great financial brands such as Merrill Lynch built trust with customers over decades—but lost it in a matter of months. Harvard Business School marketing professor John Quelch explains where they went wrong, and what comes next. Key concepts include: Turmoil and distrust in the financial services sector is an open invitation to non-financial companies to exploit the brand vacuum created by the demise of the likes of Merrill Lynch and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Financial brands today must address the most basic of consumer concerns: Will my money be safe with this company? Financial brands should continue to advertise but with messages that help customers with recession-relevant product and service offerings. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.