3605 Posts Found

Business leaders make impassioned speeches about the advantages of a free-enterprise economic system while running some of the largest socialist bureaucracies in the world. They have central planning, central ownership of capital, central allocation of resources, subjective evaluation of people, lack of internal competition, and decisions made at the top in response to internal political pressures. These are the fundamental characteristics of a socialist economy. … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

There are others who are stronger on the individual subjects mentioned in the title – Peter Senge and Bill Isaacs on learning, Jac Fitz-enz on performance measurement, James O’Toole on change management. But no other single volume offers more and better information and guidance on those three subjects than this one.

Content: Book | Authors: Darlene Russ-Eft, Hallie Preskill | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Entrepreneurial managers give 10 insights on how to quickly grow an organization and still keep employees focused on what it takes to be successful.

Content: Article | Author: Keith Rollag | Source: Babson Insight | Subjects: Human Resources, Organizational Behavior

as [Ralphp] Ellison went on to argue, American diversity and unease are more often than not the parents of American excellence.

Content: Quotation | Sources: The Perverse in the Popular, The Wilson Quarterly | Subjects: Culture, Organizational Behavior

Neuman surveyed the available evidence and found what advertisers and educators already knew–that most human beings are “obdurate, impenetrable, resourcefully resistant” toward any message, regardless of medium, that does not fit “the cognitive makeup of the minds receiving it.”

Wrote Neuman: “The mass citizenry, for most issues, simply will not take the time to learn more or understand more deeply, no matter how inexpensive or convenient … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Sources: The Perverse in the Popular, The Wilson Quarterly | Subjects: Marketing / Sales, Personality / Behavior

Schwerpunkt, a German term meaning organizational focus, “represents a unifying medium that provides a directed way to tie initiative of many subordinate actions with superior intent as a basis to diminish friction and compress time.

Content: Quotation | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Organizational Behavior

Creativity, commitment, self-worth, purpose, fun and rebuild trust – send your employees a CARE package.

Content: Article | Author: Barbara Glanz | Source: CEO Refresher | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

The controversial Canadian theorist claims he can create the perfect organization. Has he found the key to management – or merely a justification for bureaucracy?

Editor’s Note: this article introduces Jaques’ Requisite Organization concepts which are very controversial but also very thought-provoking and worthy of consideration on various levels. I was particularly struck by how relevant some of his ideas are in light of recent … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Art Kleiner | Source: strategy+business | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, People

Winning communicators don’t strive for perfection, they strive for connection.

Content: Quotation | Source: CEO Refresher | Subject: Communication

A melange of different kinds of people in a firm can be a real challenge. Strategic management practices often fall short at the implementation stage if they don’t consider the different ways that members of a diverse workforce do or don’t relate to others and to the firm. Drawing on research in social psychology, comparative management and organization theory, Professor Steven White and Aki Nakamura … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Aki Nakamura, Steven White | Source: INSEAD Knowledge | Subjects: International – Asia, Organizational Behavior

“Cultural barriers” to sharing knowledge has more to do with how you design and implement your knowledge management effort than with changing your culture. It involves balancing the visible and invisible dimensions of culture; visibly demonstrating the importance of sharing knowledge and building on the invisible core values.

Content: Article | Authors: Carla O’Dell, Richard McDermott | Source: ManagementFirst | Subjects: Knowledge Management, Organizational Behavior

If the bureaucratic trap is like a cage that restricts the opportunities for people to contribute all they can, the entrepreneurial trap is a void, a black hole into which people disappear when they lack direction or accountability. The issue is balance: enough breadth in jobs and decentralization in decisions to allow initiative and creativity, but enough discipline and direction and controls to focus local … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Babson Insight | Subjects: Bureaucracy, Entrepreneurship

What do corporations do when their products may be detrimental to society as a whole? In this recent working paper, Sybille van den Hove and Professors Marc Le Menestrel and Henri-Claude de Bettignies explore how processes and consequences constitute a useful framework for understanding how businesses face ethical dilemmas and examine the question of businesses’ good faith.

Content: Article | Authors: Henri-Claude de Bettignies, Marc Le Menestrel | Source: INSEAD Knowledge | Subject: Ethics

Knowledge isn’t power; the ability to act on knowledge is power.

Most firms grossly overinvest in technologies that let people see what’s going on and dramatically underinvest in delegation and true empowerment.

Content: Quotation | Source: FORTUNE | Subjects: Knowledge, Power / Authority

Your project team may have top-notch skills, experience, and training, but if they can’t play well together, you can kiss success goodbye. Columnist Tim Landgrave explains how personality testing can ensure that a tech team hits high performance marks.

Content: Article | Author: Tim Landgrave | Source: TechRepublic | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Each of us sees the world through our own lens, says one diversity consultant. You can’t move beyond your own biases if you don’t recognize them. Take this test to see how your belief systems compare with others’.

Content: Article | Author: Keith H. Hammonds | Source: Fast Company | Subject: Organizational Behavior

How closely related are organizational learning and indoctrination? This Harvard Business Review interview with one of the founding fathers of the field of organizational psychology, Ed Schein, reveals the darker side of organizational learning.

Content: Article | Author: Diane L. Coutu | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Change Management, Organizational Behavior

Content: Book | Author: David A. Nadler | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

“Although managers were supposed to be graded on teamwork, Enron was actually far more reflective of a survival-of-the-fittest mind-set. The culture was heavily built around star players with little value attached to team-building. The upshot: The organization rewarded highly competitive people who were less likely to share power, authority, or information. Indeed, some believe the extreme focus on individual ambition undermined any teamwork or institutional … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: John A. Byrne, Mike France, Wendy Zellner | Source: BusinessWeek | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Although communities of practice develop organically, a carefully crafted design can drive their evolution. In this excerpt from a new book, the authors detail seven design principles. The payoff? Knowledge management that works.

Editor’s Note: see related article at
Content: Article | Authors: Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, William M. Snyder | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Knowledge Management, Organizational Behavior