First Look

Abstract—We examine the factors that influence the social performance of hybrid organizations that pursue a social mission, and sustain their operations through commercial activities, by studying work integration social enterprises (WISEs). We argue that social imprinting and economic productivity are both important drivers of WISEs' social performance. However, there is a paradox inherent in the social imprinting of WISEs: although it directly enhances their social performance, it also indirectly weakens it by negatively affecting economic productivity. Results based on panel data of French WISEs between 2003 and 2007 are congruent with our predictions. In order to understand how socially imprinted WISEs may mitigate this negative relationship between social imprinting and economic productivity, we also conduct a comparative analysis of case studies. We find that one effective approach is to assign responsibility for social and economic activities to distinct groups while creating "spaces of negotiation"-areas of interaction that allow members of each group to discuss the trade-offs they face. We conclude by highlighting the conditions under which spaces of negotiation can effectively be used to maintain a productive tension in hybrid organizations.

Publisher's link: http://dx.doi.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/10.5465/amj.2013.0903

Abstract—We tested whether engaging in expansive (vs. contractive) "power poses" before a stressful job interview-preparatory power posing-would enhance performance during the interview. Participants adopted high-power (i.e., expansive, open) poses or low-power (i.e., contractive, closed) poses, and then prepared and delivered a speech to two evaluators as part of a mock job interview. All interview speeches were videotaped and coded for overall performance and hireability, and for two potential mediators: verbal content (e.g., structure, content) and nonverbal presence (e.g., captivating, enthusiastic). As predicted, those who prepared for the job interview with high- (vs. low-) power poses performed better and were more likely to be chosen for hire; this relation was mediated by nonverbal presence, but not by verbal content. While previous research has focused on how a nonverbal behavior that is enacted during interactions and observed by perceivers affects how those perceivers evaluate and respond to the actor, this experiment focused on how a nonverbal behavior that is enacted before the interaction and unobserved by perceivers affects the actor's performance, which, in turn, affects how perceivers evaluate and respond to the actor. This experiment reveals a theoretically novel and practically informative result that demonstrates the causal relation between preparatory nonverbal behavior and subsequent performance and outcomes.

Abstract—On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the admission of women to Harvard Business School's MBA program, the authors, who have spent more than 20 years studying professional women, set out to learn what HBS graduates had to say about work and family and how their experiences, attitudes, and decisions might shed light on prevailing controversies. What their comprehensive survey revealed suggests that the conventional wisdom about women's careers doesn't always square with reality. The survey showed, for instance, that 1) the highly educated, ambitious women and men of HBS don't differ much in terms of what they value and hope for in their lives and careers; 2) it simply isn't true that a large proportion of HBS alumnae have "opted out" to care for children; 3) going part-time or taking a career break to care for children doesn't explain the gender gap in senior management; and 4) the vast majority of women anticipated that their careers would rank equally with those of their partners. Many of them were disappointed. It is now time, the authors write, for companies to consider how they can institutionalize a level playing field for all employees, including caregivers of both genders. The misguided assumption that high-potential women are "riskier" hires than their male peers because they are apt to discard their careers after parenthood has become yet another bias for women to contend with.

Publisher's link: https://hbr.org/2014/12/rethink-what-you-know-about-high-achieving-women

Abstract—Large companies are often viewed as a major threat for startups and small companies; big companies have more financial resources and greater scale, market power, and brand awareness than small ones. However, our research finds that a smaller brand can actually benefit if consumers can see the competitive threat it faces from a larger organization.

Publisher's link: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-upside-to-large-competitors/

Abstract—This article proposes that team reflexivity-a deliberate process of discussing team goals, processes, or outcomes-can function as an antidote to team-level biases and errors in decision making. We build on prior work conceptualizing teams as information-processing systems and highlight reflexivity as a critical information-processing activity. Prior research has identified consequential information-processing failures that occur in small groups, such as the failure to discuss privately held relevant information, biased processing of information, and failure to update conclusions when situations change. We propose that team reflexivity reduces the occurrence of information-processing failures by ensuring that teams discuss and assess the implications of team information for team goals, processes, and outcomes. In this article, we present a model of team information-processing failures and remedies involving team reflexivity, and we discuss the conditions under which team reflexivity is and is not likely to facilitate performance.

Publisher's link: http://sgr.sagepub.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/45/6/731.full.pdf+html

Abstract—The data you already have can't tell you how customers will react to innovations. To discover if a truly novel concept will succeed, you must subject it to a rigorous experiment. In most companies, tests do not adhere to scientific and statistical principles. As a result, managers often end up interpreting statistical noise as causation-and making bad decisions. To conduct experiments that are worth the expense and effort, companies need to ask themselves several questions: Does the experiment have a clear purpose? Managers must figure out exactly what they want to learn in order to determine if testing is the best approach. Have stakeholders made a commitment to abide by the results? Are they willing to walk away from a project if the findings suggest they should? Is the experiment doable? The complexity of the variables in a business experiment and their interactions can make it difficult to determine cause-and-effect relationships. Choosing the right sample size is important. How can we ensure reliable results? Randomized field trials, "blind" tests, and big data can help. Have we gotten the most value out of the experiment? Conducting the experiment is just the beginning. Use the data to assess which components of a new initiative might have the highest ROI or the markets where it is most likely to be successful.

Publisher's link: https://hbr.org/2014/12/the-discipline-of-business-experimentation