3517 Posts Found

In this article, we propose a theory of the cultural evolution of the firm. We apply cultural and evolutionary thinking to the questions posed by theories of the firm: What are firms and why do they exist? We argue that firms are best thought of as cultures, as social distributions of modes of thought and forms of externalization. Using the term ‘meme’ to refer collectively … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Charles Galunic, John Weeks | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Culture, Organizational Behavior

Companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82% of the time, Gallup finds.

Content: Article | Authors: Jim Harter, Randall J. Beck | Source: Gallup Management Journal | Subjects: Hiring, Human Resources, Management, Organizational Behavior

Munger’s success was built on a system for decision-making—not a classical investment philosophy, but rather a mental discipline underpinning one. We outline four ideas strategists can learn from Munger to think more clearly in turbulent times.

Content: Article | Author: Martin Reeves | Source: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) | Subjects: Decision Making, Management, Organizational Behavior, Personal Development

In a famous social-science experiment conducted in 1946 by psychologist Solomon Asch, participants were given one of two sentences. The first began, “Steve is smart, diligent, critical, impulsive, and jealous.” The second read, “Steve is jealous, impulsive, critical, diligent, and smart.” Although both sentences contained the same information, the first one led with positive traits while the second one started with negatives. When asked to … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Authors: Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Communication, Organizational Behavior

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is grabbing a lot of headlines, but let’s look beyond the latest debates to understand some labor market dynamics that can help employers hire and retain talent to meet business needs. New research from the McKinsey Global Institute compares women’s and men’s work experiences to better understand the tough trade-offs at play in the world of work.

Content: Quotation | Author: Kweilin Ellingrud | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Diversity, Human Resources, Organizational Behavior, Women in Business

Too often, business initiatives get mired in bureaucracy, overconfidence, and lack of ownership. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Andrew McAfee explores reasons for the dysfunction—and how to fix it.

Content: Thought Leader | Authors: Andrew McAfee, Raju Narisetti | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Best Practices, Management, Organizational Behavior

Capturing the full benefits of diversity is not about hiring people who can fit into the existing corporate culture; it is about ensuring that the culture itself is supportive and adaptable enough to embrace all kinds of talent. Only then will companies get the creativity, innovation, and different ways of thinking that diversity can bring. For that to happen, there needs to be data and … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Katy George | Source: Harvard Business Review | Subjects: Diversity, Human Resources, Organizational Behavior

Improve your sales and marketing results by wielding this little-known CIA spy strategy.

Content: Article | Authors: Andrew Bustamante, Nii Codjoe | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Personality / Behavior

We all want possibility, transformation, change, and innovation, but the only way to get to that is through uncertainty. If we want those things, we need to get better at navigating uncertainty as individual leaders, as teams, and as organizations. Organizations need to ask themselves, “Do we have the ability to face uncertainty? What is our uncertainty ability?” I believe uncertainty ability is like a … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Nathan Furr | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Change Management, Innovation, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior

In this Nano Tool for Leaders, scientists from the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative provide eight steps to enhance online collaboration at work.

Content: Article | Authors: Michael Platt, Vera Ludwig | Source: Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Teamwork

If we look at the distance between that minimum standard and how we actually want to interact with one another—with trust, kindness, respect, love, and care—there’s a very big gap. Laws can only do so much. You can’t legislate kindness; I can’t order you to treat me with respect. What this means for organizations is that policies are essential, but it’s also important to create … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jessica Nordell | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Communication, Organizational Behavior

Extroverts are more likely to express their passion outwardly, giving them a leg up when it comes to raises and promotions, according to research by Jon Jachimowicz. Introverts are just as motivated and excited about their work, but show it differently. How can managers challenge their assumptions?

Content: Article | Authors: Ben Rand, Jon Jachimowicz | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Human Resources, Management, Organizational Behavior

What I’ve found is that it’s not necessarily the way you ask for feedback that matters. It’s how you show up when you receive that feedback that increases your chances of getting high-quality insights.

Content: Quotation | Author: Nate Stewart | Source: First Round Review | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

For all the communication around strategy, we know that leaders at many companies don’t provide the necessary context for employees to understand what the words and sentences in a strategy statement actually mean. What can leaders do to help employees understand enough context to understand a strategy? In this article, the authors offer three ideas.

Content: Article | Authors: Andrew MacLennan, Constantinos C. Markides | Source: Harvard Business Review | Subjects: Communication, Organizational Behavior, Strategy

Power is not something like a bottle of water that gets used up the more you drink it. It’s something that gets created the more effectively you use it.

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Power / Authority

Breaking rules has many advantages. The first advantage of breaking the rules is that it catches people by surprise. […] The rules are made by those already in power. If you’re already in power, follow the rules. If you’re not, make your own.

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Personal Development, Power / Authority

No one is hired to win a popularity contest—you’re hired to get things done. You’re hired to make things happen, so when you show up to lead a group of people, those people want many things from you. What they don’t necessarily want from you is your authentic self.

What they need from you is inspiration. They need energy, even if you’re not feeling energetic that … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Personal Development

We know that educational credentials help predict salary. We know that gender and race help predict salary, even though they shouldn’t. We know that years of service, or seniority, helps predict salary, and there’s some evidence to suggest that years of service is one of the more important predictors of salary.

Gender, race, years of service, and educational credentials all have nothing to do with performance. … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Compensation, Human Resources, Organizational Behavior

I would define power as the ability to get things done your way in contested situations.

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Power / Authority

The classic psychological rule is often misapplied. But when understood correctly, it can radically improve your EQ.

Content: Article | Author: Jessica Stillman | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Communication, Organizational Behavior, Personal Development