When conflicts in a team – no matter how minor – are left unresolved, it can eventually breed resentment. If unaddressed, this could lead to cynicism and distrust, as well as harm individual and team performance. How should leaders deal with this? The intuitive answer might involve orchestrating frank, albeit difficult,…
Though business and politics might seem like different worlds, there are increasing commonalities between leadership in these realms. As I explain in the second edition of Los Presidentes Españoles, which explores the success and failures of Spanish leaders since the return of democracy in 1978, executives can learn a lot from…
Medical criticality refers to the clinical value of a drug. Life-saving drugs should always be considered high criticality (e.g. insulin, blood thinners, antibiotics for the treatment of sepsis, etc.), while drugs that improve lifestyle tend to be low in medical criticality. Other criticality factors include the number of people dependent on…
In the real estate world, permeated with high-stakes and complex transactions, negotiation is a crucial skill to achieve and sustain success. Tried and tested adversarial negotiation tactics are falling into obsolescence and giving way to a new approach. In our practice briefing* for real estate professionals, recently published in the Journal…
In the complex, uncertain and fast-changing world we live in, success and even survival require intensive collaboration among individuals, organisations and countries. The outcomes of such collaboration can be breathtaking – consider the growth of Netflix and Amazon, the rebirth of Microsoft and General Motors, the successful launch of the…
This month’s selection of new research by INSEAD faculty offers some counterintuitive insights, from how misunderstandings can be productive to the possible negative effects of corporate social responsibility under certain conditions. Other studies reveal the significance of understanding the actions and interactions of human actors to achieve ideal outcomes. They include…
The United States narrowly escaped yet another government shutdown at the start of this year, which would have been the fourth US government partial shutdown in the last decade. But as the world’s largest economy heaved a huge sigh of relief, the 35-day shutdown from late 2018 into early 2019 – the…
Designed for sustainability One of the unintended legacies of Olympics and tournaments of similar scale are the purpose-built structures left conspicuously obsolete after the curtains fall. That said, Paris 2024 is designed for sustainability from the start. Apart from the purpose-built athletes’ village and Aquatic Centre, 95 percent of the infrastructure is…
Traditional productivity metrics are used by many companies to assess the value that employees bring to the organisation. These tangible, quantifiable and results-based measurements include work quality and output, efficiency and the number of projects completed on time and on budget. Some managers rely solely on these metrics to determine…
The wave of layoffs in Silicon Valley in the past two years is far from over. After a brutal 2023 that saw over 100,000 tech workers laid off in the United States, 2024 shows no signs of letting up.While the headlines are shocking, the human stories behind the numbers are just as…
Today’s uncertain and disrupted world has had a major impact on how firms do business. It has led to a gradual strategic shift from the era of “bigger is better” and a narrow fixation on increased sales growth to a more nuanced, broader vision of corporate value growth. In this podcast, Jean-Claude…
The US presidential election debate has delivered its verdict, produced new insights and raised new questions. The question we focus on here is why the richest country on earth has presented its voters with such poor options, and how the race to the White House has exposed the country’s democratic…
According to the African Development Bank, 11 African countries currently feature in the top 20 fastest-growing global economies. The organisation’s latest Outlook Report estimates that real GDP (gross domestic product) growth for the continent is expected to average 3.8 and 4.2 percent in 2024 and 2025 respectively. That compares favourably to…
If a company manages to double the demand for its products, it will undoubtedly celebrate its outstanding performance. But when demand for a company’s products increases 10 times, there’s no time to celebrate. Instead, a supply chain shock ensues. This was the experience of Kenvue at the height of the…
In December 2022, the world watched in awe as Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé lit up the World Cup final. Playing at a top international tournament for their national team is the pinnacle of any footballer’s career. But what happens when they returned to their club, where their teammates…
Naomi was troubled by recurrent nightmares. Each night, she found herself trapped in a dark parking lot with no exit, hiding from approaching footsteps. As a shadowy figure with a familiar face loomed closer, Naomi tried to run but her feet felt like lead. She'd wake up, drenched in sweat.Through therapy and…
Failing to identify faults seems to be a prevalent issue nowadays, considering recent reports of quality control problems at Boeing and numerous recalls by car manufacturers, to name a few. Yet, excessive fault-finding occurs when the ability to pinpoint faults, which is a beneficial behaviour, is taken too far. This can become detrimental if…
Under stress, good people can make bad decisions. Even CEOs, who are often exposed to contradictory demands, are not immune. Bad decisions can range from ill-advised stock buybacks to poorly devised cost-cutting measures to extremes like imaginative accounting or illegal practices. We’ve seen how Nokia, General Electric, IBM and many…
The future of work is undoubtedly hybrid. Major corporations from Apple to Zoom now require employees to be in the office two or three days a week, citing the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and culture building. Indeed, traditional thinking suggests that being physically close leads to better communication and collaboration.Our recent research reinforces…
In a family business context, this can be achieved in at least three ways: starting new businesses, transforming existing ones, or becoming active investors in the next generation of startups. Each will be discussed at the INSEAD summit.Starting new businessesIn many cases, the next generation of family members may be…
Goals, values and rules: securing the team’s missionGoals, values and rules are three distinct and complementary ways to bond team members. Together, these elements create the solidarity needed for group members to become a true team. Goals are the foundational element of teams. They provide a shared purpose and direction for the team's efforts.…
New papers published by INSEAD professors suggest gains from AI could be undermined by managers, perhaps because they have to consider wider objectives beyond measurable results. Another finding pertains to social movements on a global scale, and how they may turn consumers off specific products. Other research cover macroeconomics. One paper…
Protectionism, decoupling, regionalisation and Covid-19 have shaped and reshaped value chains in the last five years. In particular, the pandemic and other geopolitical dynamics have revealed the deeper interconnectedness between economies, with the protagonist at the centre, undoubtedly, being China. But these global dynamics have not led to tectonic shifts; they…
Imagine a world where your boss could be fined for contacting you after hours. California is considering a law to make this a reality. The "right to disconnect" movement is gaining traction globally, with Australia joining France, Italy, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Canadian province of Ontario in passing legislation to empower employees to…
Every day, we make many decisions that affect not just ourselves but also the people around us. A few examples: Navigating different opinions at a team meeting, tipping wait staff at a restaurant, picking a weekend activity with friends, or choosing between conventional and sustainable but more expensive products. Traditionally, researchers…
Lawrence Wong, a US-trained economist, was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister yesterday. He has big shoes to fill. Under long-time former PM Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore became a bona fide growth miracle and is now one of the richest countries in the world. But Wong is also taking over…
When it comes to performance reviews, managers have traditionally held the reins, assessing employee contributions based on their observations and insights. But this approach can be flawed, as managers may harbour biases or lack a complete picture of each team member’s efforts. To address these limitations, some companies have adopted peer evaluations,…
In his 1941 non-fiction work Brazil: Land of the Future, Austrian author Stefan Zweig waxes lyrical about the South American country’s lush and fertile landscapes, astute city planning and melting pot of cultures living in harmony. These, he believes, could help Brazil become a leader on the global stage.“Brazil’s importance for…
Sooner or later, every successful entrepreneur confronts the challenge of establishing a board of directors. Yet many founders approach this task too casually, relying on intuition rather than learning from empirical research or other entrepreneurs’ experience. Such founders tend to become disillusioned with the board they assembled, losing faith in…
Imagine that two brands are running contests where participants stand to win nearly identical fitness watches. Both companies will award the watches to randomly chosen winners, amounting to 1 percent of all participants. Brand A has capped the number of entries at 1,000, while Brand B allows up to 10,000…
In the tumultuous seas of the ever-evolving global economy, geopolitics and technology, board directors must become agile captains, navigating the relentless waves of change with strategic foresight and adaptability. This requires a clear view of the path ahead.At the recent INSEAD Directors Forum, Professor of Economics Pushan Dutt and Professor of…
Disasters can act as brutal audits of organisations to which even veritable institutions like Boeing are no exception. In the wake of two fatal crashes as well as a mid-flight door blowout, Boeing has shaken up its C-suite and pledged to prioritise safety over profit. Will these measures solve its…
New research by INSEAD faculty explores the potential downsides of anti-corruption efforts and the various ways incumbent firms successfully defend themselves against new technologies that could displace them. Another paper examines how job candidates self-censor when negotiating pay at firms that frame the work in terms of its social impact. Other…
The old assumption that the past informs the future no longer holds true in an era marked by unparalleled speed and deep-rooted uncertainty. Corporations today face an environment that require boards to recalibrate their governance approach. Indeed, our collaborative board research with BCG, Heidrick & Struggles and INSEAD has identified significant challenges…
Before the Yellow Vest protests roiled France in 2018, many believed a carbon tax was the best solution to climate change. Tax proponents argued that, through their wallets, people would be forced to reckon the cost of their actions on the planet and future generations. Yet, the protests, sparked by…
But what can we do if we feel our job lacks meaning? Jiang suggests taking a step back and reflecting on what's causing this disconnect from your work and why it no longer feels fulfilling. Is it some shift at work, like an organisational restructuring or a change in leadership that has…
According to research from the International Monetary Fund, the benefits of global decarbonisation would amount to US$85 trillion in net value. Carbon emissions represent a massive cost not just to the environment, but to the economy as well, and the data is clear that the potential gains associated with reducing emissions…
Despite a seemingly glamorous life as a fashion executive, Nadine felt a gnawing loneliness. Her life was filled with acquaintances but devoid of true connection. She desperately wished for someone who understood her. This struggle stemmed from a traumatic childhood marked by abandonment and isolation, leaving her with a deep-seated…
When Amazon went public in 1997, founder and then CEO Jeff Bezos’ message to shareholders was clear: His focus was on creating long-term value through bold operational investment. The following year, as promised, Amazon doubled its distribution capacity and more than tripled its inventory.And the rest, as we know it, is…
Giving and receiving help are essential aspects of organisational life, whether that’s providing career advice or soliciting a colleague’s input on a tricky technical problem that you just can’t solve on your own. Through help exchange, individuals gain access to ideas, resources and relationships that help them complete tasks more…
