Embracing the Counterintuitive Side of CollaborationThink of your to-do list at work. Chances are the most important tasks require you to work with others—and the success of those endeavors depends on the effectiveness of your collaboration.According to management expert Leigh Thompson, collaboration that is conscious, planned, and focused on generating new ideas builds excitement and produces what she calls a “creative conspir ...
The design of an organization–the accountability system that defines roles, rights, and responsibilities throughout the firm–has a direct impact on the performance of every employee. Yet, few leaders devote focused attention to how this design is chosen, implemented, and adjusted over time. Robert Simons argues that by viewing design as a powerful and proactive management lever–rather than an inevitable outcome of corporate evolution–leaders can ...
Economic and stock market cycles affect companies in every industry. Unfortunately, a confusing array of anecdotal and conflicting indicators often renders it impossible for managers and investors to see where the economy is heading in time to take corrective action. Now, a 35-year Wall Street veteran unveils a new forecasting method to help managers and investors understand and predict the economic cycles that control their businesses and finan ...
Knowledge workers create the innovations and strategies that keep their firms competitive and the economy healthy. Yet, companies continue to manage this new breed of employee with techniques designed for the Industrial Age. As this critical sector of the workforce continues to increase in size and importance, that's a mistake that could cost companies their future. Thomas Davenport argues that knowledge workers are vastly different from ot ...
You may not realize it but simple, irrelevant factors can have profound consequences on your decisions and behavior, often diverting you from your original plans and desires. Sidetracked will help you identify and avoid these influences so the decisions you make do stick—and you finally reach your intended goals.Psychologist and Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino has long studied the factors at play when judgment and decis ...
Only 30 percent of strategic initiatives are successfully executed. Of those that are, most CEOs view the process as too slow. What’s going on? And how can you accelerate execution in your company?In Strategic Speed, the authors provide the answers. Start by understanding the barriers to execution: Employees don’t grasp where an initiative is going. They don’t adopt new behaviors. They’re not committed to ...
Fascinating stats… useful tips… entertaining topics. Did you know that to make a task seem easier, all you have to do is lean back a little? Or that retail salespeople who mimic the way their customers speak and behave end up selling more? If you like stats like this, are intrigued by ideas, and find connecting the dots to be a critical part of your skill set—this book is for you. Culled from Harvard Business Review ’s popular newsletter, ...