The Groucho Marx Theory of Efficient Markets

A finance professor argues that markets remain efficient only if enough people believe they are not.

Take 5: How to Tell a Great Story

Storytelling is a key business skill. Here’s how to make your narratives more persuasive.

How Higher Pay Incentives Can Backfire

While increasing bonuses and commission rates might seem like a good idea, doing so can inadvertently harm the quality of an organization’s workforce.

5 Tips for Finding the Right Angels

Not all investors are created equal. Entrepreneurs should look for ones who share their vision.

5 Ways to Know Your Customer Better Than Your Competitors Do

Developing a sound marketing strategy is about locating that intersection between what customers want and where an individual firm can create value better than its competition. It follows, then, that having a better sense than your competitor for what would create customer value is a huge advantage.

If superior customer insight is the goal, how do you get it? Below are five simple steps almost any … [ Read more ]

How Much Does Innovation Drive Economic Growth?

A study of millions of patents lifts the veil on how new ideas influence productivity.

Podcast: Why Are Rankings and Listicles So Popular?

From “Top 10 Beaches” to “Five Ways to Negotiate a Raise,” the psychology behind effective lists.

Take 5: How Companies Benefit from Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility has been a buzzword for a while. And it’s not hard to see how communities stand to benefit when firms are serious about CSR—be it by participating in a clean water campaign or having a large philanthropic presence.

But what about the firms themselves? How does doing good affect their bottom line? Here, Kellogg faculty share research and perspectives into how companies can … [ Read more ]

Take 5: How to Motivate Employees

Research sheds light on which employee incentives work best.

Four Tips to Persuade Others Your Idea Is a Winner

“People just aren’t naturally oriented towards innovation or change,” says Loran Nordgren. “If you were dealing with totally rational agents, you could sell your innovation on the grounds of its functionality—in other words, why it’s a good idea. But you are almost never dealing with totally rational agents.”

Thankfully, if you are convinced that a certain new product, fresh strategy, or overseas expansion is exactly what … [ Read more ]

Finding the Right Performance Incentives to Motivate Employees

Some incentive schemes encourage hard work—others reward those who game the system.

Duncan Watts

You’re trying to understand what makes something successful, but you’re only studying successful things. But of course, most of the things that successful people do are also done by unsuccessful people. So all successful people have breakfast, right? Maybe having breakfast is the key to being successful. Well, it turns out that’s not a very predictive feature. But you already know that if you study … [ Read more ]

Four Tips to Gain Influence in Your Organization

You have more power than you think—here’s how to harness it.

The Customers You Do Not Want

If these “harbingers of failure” love what you do, you are in trouble.

Editor’s Note: This is one of the more interesting pieces of research I have read about in a while. Based on the work of Eric T. Anderson, Song Lin, Duncan I. Simester and Catherine E Tucker

To Motivate, Better to Take Away Than to Give

Our motivation to work for goals is not steadfast: it can wax and wane depending upon factors both psychological (a bad mood) and environmental (nearby construction work). Determining how to enhance task motivation, therefore, remains a significant pursuit for both researchers and managers alike.

Editor’s Note: the comments on this article’s controversial findings are as more–or more–interesting as the article.

Everyone Loves a Generalist

Specialists are undervalued, on sports teams and in the workplace.

The Risks and Rewards of Experience Abroad

Do past international investments help or hurt a company’s chances of succeeding in a new market?