Behind every failure is a team of people who were afraid to dissent and debate. But research shows that leaders can take specific actions to elicit constructive challenges. Celia Moore and Kate Coombs November 20, 2024 Reading Time: 7 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images The Research A team of researchers at Imperial College Business School conducted a field study within a financial institution that included the recording of…
Explore six steps for using AI with external partners in new ways to drive product and business model innovations. Margherita Pagani and Thomas H. Davenport November 20, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images In a time of constant change and evolving customer expectations, the ability to innovate quickly is no longer an option but a strategic necessity. Innovation is driven by creativity — the ability…
Frontiers New tactics can boost profitability and satisfaction with subscription services. Stanley Frederick W.T. Lim November 19, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Neil Webb/theispot.com Costco and Amazon subscription services were just the beginning. Consumers can now subscribe to a pickle-of-the-month club, monthly shipments of coloring books, bimonthly boxes of survival tools,…
Gary Bates/Ikon Images The Research The authors’ survey data was gathered from 2015 to 2023 via a questionnaire to which approximately 1,400 executives, representing 500 companies across industries and global regions, responded. Not all respondents replied to all questions. The authors also conducted 500 individual interviews at 45 companies in the same time period. The ability to wield influence is essential to getting things done in today’s complex, often matrixed…
Research Highlight Generative AI tools promise to help leaders make better decisions. But they may also cause trouble by nudging leaders toward a control-based style, research shows. J. Mauricio Galli Geleilate and Beth K. Humberd November 18, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min As artificial intelligence technologies develop, managers are striving to reap the benefits. Today’s generative AI tools can aid managers in strategic decision-making and assist with problem-solving in a…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images At the annual TED Conference earlier this year, the room fell silent for the demonstration of a potentially groundbreaking technology: a “cone of silence” tool, currently in development, designed to block out all surrounding noise so conversation partners can hear only each other’s voices. While many of us in attendance were impressed by the simulated “quiet table” in a busy restaurant, I could only…
Tania Yakunova/Ikon Images Sustainability has become a powerful driver of consumer behavior. People are changing what they consume, how they consume, and how they lead their day-to-day lives, motivated by a concern for sustainability. Our research has identified a consumer-driven megatrend that holds tremendous strategic opportunity for companies if they change how they think of consumer preferences for sustainable options.The belief that there is only one type of sustainable consumer…
Topics Culture Champions Building a healthy culture is one of the most important — and hardest — leadership jobs. These articles, based on a webinar series and research by Donald Sull and CultureX, share actionable advice from leaders whose cultures produced exceptional business results and a world-class employee experience. More in this series Aleksandar Savic As the chief operating officer responsible for leading Delta Airlines through bankruptcy in 2005, Jim…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images When it comes to maximizing growth and revenue, you may be missing something — something big. It’s the harnessing of predictive AI to enhance and deploy sales performance management (SPM). Companies with sizable sales forces — whether in the technology, medical device, pharmaceutical, industrial, or consumer goods industry or some other sector — must consider adopting AI-driven SPM. Consider the example of NovaMed, a…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Employee engagement — the measure of individual commitment to organizational success — positively correlates with discretionary effort and meaningfully impacts every individual and organizational performance metric that matters. However, despite significant investments across most industries, leading engagement studies have never found more than 36% of employees engaged at work. The Gallup Q12 survey tool, which some consider the gold standard for measuring employee engagement,…
Topics Leadership Talent Management Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Alex Nabaum/theispot.com Sarah, a manager in a bustling tech company, consistently delivers top results. Her team outperforms others, her strategic insights drive innovation, and her emotional intelligence allows her to easily navigate complex stakeholder relationships. By all measures, Sarah is an exemplary leader. Yet, when asked if she…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images The rise of the gig economy and remote work has blurred the boundaries between primary jobs and side hustles. As employees seek to diversify their incomes or explore passions outside of their 9-to-5 jobs, side hustles are becoming a standard…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Corporate sustainability efforts are seemingly facing a slump of low enthusiasm, with some tired clichés like “sustainability always costs more” resurfacing. It’s a blunt, unnuanced argument. The business case for sustainability is still sound. Broadly speaking, when done well, sustainability…
Jing Jing Tsong/theispot.com Today’s top leadership priorities include attracting and retaining top talent, fostering innovative thinking and action, motivating employee performance, and enhancing stakeholder value in an increasingly diverse and competitive market. At the same time, many leaders have supported diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to address inequities for marginalized groups. But our research shows that there is a broader opportunity to use DEI as a strategic lever in…
Topics Culture Champions Building a healthy culture is one of the most important — and hardest — leadership jobs. These articles, based on a webinar series and research by Donald Sull and CultureX, share actionable advice from leaders whose cultures produced exceptional business results and a world-class employee experience. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Aleksandar Savic “We have a very long-tenured board member who said to me, ‘Every…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Ever sat through a board meeting and wondered whether other directors or trustees are not conscious of the time or are consciously sabotaging the meeting? Do some members seem hell-bent on turning decision-making into a no-win game? You’re not alone. The line between accidental and intentional sabotage can often be as thin as your treasurer’s patience after the third hour of budget discussions. We’ve…
Accidents involving 737 Max airplanes and Boeing’s ongoing internal struggles serve as a stark reminder that having experts is not enough: Leadership must organize expertise effectively. Pedro Monteiro November 06, 2024 Reading Time: 11 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images In the race to recruit and deploy talent, organizations often focus on attracting highly skilled experts and then optimizing internal knowledge flow. But translating expertise into better business decisions…
1. Credit for this example is due to X user Dean Buono (@deanbuono); credit for subsequent examples in this section is due to Colin Fraser (@colin_fraser). 2. L. Berglund, M. Tong, M. Kaufmann, et al., “The Reversal Curse: LLMs Trained on ‘A Is B’ Fail to Learn ‘B Is A,’” arXiv, submitted Sept. 21, 2023, https://arxiv.org. 3. E. Mollick, “Google’s Gemini Advanced: Tasting Notes and Implications,” One Useful Thing, Feb.…
Topics Responsible AI The Responsible AI initiative looks at how organizations define and approach responsible AI practices, policies, and standards. Drawing on global executive surveys and smaller, curated expert panels, the program gathers perspectives from diverse sectors and geographies with the aim of delivering actionable insights on this nascent yet important focus area for leaders across industry. In collaboration with More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share For the third…
Topics Culture Champions Building a healthy culture is one of the most important — and hardest — leadership jobs. These articles, based on a webinar series and research by Donald Sull and CultureX, share actionable advice from leaders whose cultures produced exceptional business results and a world-class employee experience. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Aleksandar Savic The truth about core values isn’t pretty at many organizations. In a…
Better choices enable better decisions. Profitably thriving through market disruptions demands that executives recognize that better decisions aren’t enough — they need better choices. Choices are the raw material of decision-making; without diverse, detailed, and high-quality options, even the best decision-making processes underperform. Traditional dashboards and scorecards defined by legacy accounting and compliance imperatives reliably measure progress but can’t generate the insights or foresight needed to create superior choices. They…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images This is a time when we are all asking how best to prepare for a long working life. With expanded life expectancies and fast-paced technological development, this is a necessity. In my own research, I’ve long focused on the notion of the multistage…
Topics Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy The Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy initiative explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the business landscape. The exploration looks specifically at how AI is affecting the development and execution of strategy in organizations. In collaboration with More in this series Get updates by email Please enter a valid email address Thank you for signing up Privacy Policy Jeremy Kahn’s investigation into the…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Recently, several high-profile U.S. organizations have backtracked on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Rural chain store Tractor Supply said it would eliminate DEI roles and goals, and farm equipment company John Deere said it would no longer sponsor social or cultural awareness…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series Patrick George/Ikon Images Purposeful play is a critical behavior for executives facing disruptive change. In good old-fashioned play, the goal isn’t to win or lose. It isn’t to achieve against an objective standard. It’s to have fun. To experiment with different approaches. To see what feels good and what…
Topics AI in Action This column series looks at the biggest data and analytics challenges facing modern companies and dives deep into successful use cases that can help other organizations accelerate their AI progress. More in this series Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images USAA, a 102-year-old financial services company with a strong focus on military-affiliated and veteran customers (whom the company refers to as “members”), is not new to…
Jing Jing Tsong/theispot.com It’s been said that we hire for competence and fire for character. Consider Boeing, which has been brought low by poor leadership decisions that have severely compromised its planes’ quality and safety, and hence public trust, forcing its CEO to announce a year-end departure. And yet the debate about who should be the next CEO of the troubled airplane manufacturer has centered on the merits of engineers…
1. K.E. Brink and R.D. Costigan, “Oral Communication Skills: Are the Priorities of the Workplace and AACSB-Accredited Business Programs Aligned?” Academy of Management Learning & Education 14, no. 2 (June 2015): 205-221. 2. K.E. Brink and R.D. Costigan, “Development of Listening Competence in Business Education,” Current Opinion in Psychology 50 (April 2023): 1-9; and A.N. Kluger, M. Lehmann, H. Aguinis, et al., “A Meta-Analytic Systematic Review and Theory of the…
The retailer is using immersive commerce — a form of online shopping that combines VR with 3D visualizations and gamification — to connect with the next generation of shoppers. Mary Lacity and Remko Van Hoek October 17, 2024 Reading Time: 9 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Retailers must constantly adapt to shifting consumer trends, demographics, and technological advancements. Walmart, like many other retailers, needs to connect with younger…
Sam Falconer/theispot.com Nowadays, deploying artificial intelligence no longer guarantees a competitive edge. What truly sets companies apart is access to diverse, extensive, high-quality data that enhances their AI system’s performance compared with that of their competitors. But concerns over data privacy can limit the use of unique, relevant data for analysis. This problem can be alleviated by means of privacy-preserving federated learning. This technique, in combination with a special type…
Topics Column Our expert columnists offer opinion and analysis on important issues facing modern businesses and managers. More in this series subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Here are some things I bet you can’t say at work, no matter how much you believe them and how much they affect your own motivation, engagement, or ability to make good strategic decisions: “I’m not motivated to work harder…
Human resources needs to rethink its role as an agent of management and become a passionate advocate for employees and their interests. Ashley Goodall October 10, 2024 Reading Time: 9 min subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images For the human resources profession, this has been the best of times and the worst of times. Early in 2020, as the realities of the pandemic set in, all the…
Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Matt Herring/Ikon Images When decision makers include individuals from varied economic backgrounds, generations, genders, races and ethnicities, sexual orientations, physical abilities, and religions, everyone is better off — employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and the people in the communities where businesses operate. I have worked with global companies for over two decades…
Topics Leadership Talent Management Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Selecting the right candidate for an executive role ranks high on the list of the most consequential organizational decisions. But despite employing the common tools of due diligence when assessing whether someone will perform well in the role, most companies’ predictive powers rank alongside astrology in reliability. Organizations consistently make poor hiring decisions, but they rarely rethink their approaches. Despite…
Leaders can help more employees upskill, reskill, and adapt to change by applying four key strategies. Wendy Tan and Joo-Seng Tan October 07, 2024 Reading Time: 7 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Amid the ever-increasing frequency and complexity of job changes and career transitions people experience, the notion of “one life, one career” has given rise to the phenomenon of a “portfolio career” that comprises a variety of…
Research Highlight Banning GenAI tools won’t work. Leaders should set guidelines that let employees experiment: This mitigates risks while opening the door to organizational gains, research shows. Nick van der Meulen and Barbara H. Wixom October 03, 2024 Reading Time: 10 min Matt Harrison Clough / Ikon Images The Research This research briefing is based on a series of three consecutive virtual roundtable discussions the authors conducted in the last…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Just how much do employees resent it when leaders cross work-life boundaries? Our research found that employees consider being contacted during off-hours an unwelcome intrusion into their personal lives 76% of the time.1 Additionally, 83% of people reported experiencing interruptions at least twice a week, and 41% reported an increase in interruptions compared with pre-COVID times.2 Work-life boundaries are blurrier than ever, creating significant…
Topics Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy The Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy initiative explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the business landscape. The exploration looks specifically at how AI is affecting the development and execution of strategy in organizations. In collaboration with More in this series Get updates by email Please enter a valid email address Thank you for signing up Privacy Policy Alessandra Sala, senior director of…
Annalisa Grassano Dual dangers are threatening the national workforce: a child care crisis and a mental health crisis. The connection between the United States’ inadequate child care system and parents’ mental health struggles is so significant that the U.S. Surgeon General highlighted it in an advisory released in August on the mental health and well-being of parents. But employers that support employees experiencing child care issues have an opportunity to…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images You call your team into a meeting to discuss a looming decision. As the meeting begins, you notice that your questions are being met with little response. Most people seem uninterested while a few dominate the conversation. You’re not making progress on reaching a decision. It’s better than an open revolt, but the level of apathy bodes ill for any real energy around the…