For social media marketing, many companies gravitate to big-name endorsers. But there are good reasons to get “nano influencers” into the mix. Maximilian Beichert, Xiaoxi Zhang, Andreas Bayerl, Jacob Goldenberg, Xian Gu, P.K. Kannan, and Andreas Lanz August 22, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images…

Coaching for the Future-Forward Leader When you just don’t get along with a colleague, reset the relationship by focusing on trust. Sanyin Siang August 21, 2024 Reading Time: 2 min  Topics Coaching for the Future-Forward Leader Leadership roles come with new personal and professional challenges — and Sanyin Siang, board…

Topics Leadership Talent Management Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images This past April, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a rule barring most businesses from entering into and enforcing noncompete clauses against their workers, declaring such provisions to be an unfair method of competition. If the FTC has its…

David Plunkert/theispot.com Product management is one of the fastest-growing roles in business, having gained increased scope and importance in Silicon Valley. While product managers used to be hired almost exclusively by technology companies, they are now being recruited in growing numbers by service-oriented businesses as well, with firms such as…

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 Our collective experience of the pandemic enabled us to conduct endless experiments with work. Initially, the experiments were about where work took place…

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 When you have the opportunity to connect with an audience, stating fact after fact is not the way to go.…

More than ever, companies need supply chains that are resilient to disruptions, whether the cause is a natural disaster, an infrastructure failure, labor actions, or a global pandemic. Yet the conventional approach to resilience is seriously flawed. Many companies follow a boom-and-bust pattern, making big investments in resilience after a…

Matt Chinworth/theispot.com In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, organizations are grappling with how best to harness its transformative power. Some are choosing to create a new senior management position with enterprisewide oversight of AI activities. In March 2024, for example, the Biden administration mandated that all U.S. federal…

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Many companies have yet to tap into the growing “longevity economy” — the economic value of the over-50 population as consumers and workers. Businesses often overlook this demographic even though it holds about 80% of U.S. household wealth and is responsible for half of…

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 Contrapower harassment, a seldom-discussed form of workplace harassment, turns traditional power dynamics on its head. This scenario, in which individuals…

What does Gen Z really want from hybrid work? This brief video shares advice for leaders on how to turn Gen Z’s preferences into overall culture improvements. MIT Sloan Management Review August 06, 2024 Reading Time: 1 min  subscribe-icon Subscribe Share [embedded content] Many stereotypes and anecdotes surround Generation Z’s…

Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series Andrew Baker/Ikon Images When I was managing director of the German subsidiary of U.S.-headquartered SC Johnson, I witnessed “not invented here” (NIH) syndrome in action. The larger company paid scant attention…

Neil Webb/Ikon Images Harvard Business School professor Theodore Leavitt emphasized the customer impact of benefits when he famously argued that people don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole.1 Although his idea is straightforward, many companies still fail to appreciate how embracing a benefits-driven approach can…

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 As hybrid work programs continue to grow in popularity and full-time office work declines, many leaders and companies are still…

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 What does it take to produce an award-winning AI initiative? Scotiabank — officially the Bank of Nova Scotia, and one…

Nick Purser/Ikon Images Recent pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has caused many leaders to focus on the broader topic of allyship. These leaders want to be better allies and encourage their teams to do the same. In politically charged environments, however, leaders may find the mountain of…

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling gives companies more opportunities to challenge regulations, but they may face more regulatory uncertainty as well. David Zimmer July 30, 2024 Reading Time: 6 min  Brian Stauffer In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the long-standing Chevron doctrine, fundamentally altering how businesses interact…

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 Otto Steininger/Ikon Images “Is such-and-such innovation disruptive?” It’s a question I’ve been asked countless times. At a recent workshop, for instance, a participant I’ll refer to…

Frontiers From ideation to user testing, large language models are allowing companies to explore more ideas and iterate faster. Tucker J. Marion, Mahdi Srour, and Frank Piller July 29, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min  Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More…

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images To create a competitive advantage in an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world, building an organizational change muscle is as important, if not more so, than having a great strategy, well-run operations, or the right talent. While the ability to react quickly to emerging trends,…

A winning CXO plays a crucial role in influencing customer satisfaction and company success. Amelia Dunlop July 24, 2024 Reading Time: 4 min  Fergs/Ikon Images Remember the idea of keeping an empty chair in the corporate boardroom as a reminder that the customer deserves a seat at the table? The…

In this short video, the 2024 Paris Olympics’ sustainability director offers business leaders advice on making dramatic cuts to carbon emissions. MIT Sloan Management Review July 23, 2024 Reading Time: 1 minute subscribe-icon Subscribe Share [embedded content] Sustainability efforts, including carbon reduction, are a priority for many organizations. However, many…

Topics Strategy Global Strategy Jon Krause/theispot.com The Philippines isn’t new to foreign investment. Long considered one of the striving tiger cub economies, its bustling ports and big cities have represented attractive investment opportunities for companies like General Electric, KKR, and Cargill.1 However, despite its prime location, young English-speaking workforce, and…

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Companies are under increasing pressure to improve supply chain transparency, particularly around working conditions in remote factories. Government regulations, the best practices of peers, and attention from outside stakeholders all make it increasingly critical that leaders ensure that partners producing goods for the company…

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 Ever get an animal in your house? Not a dog, a cat, or a hamster, but a wild animal: a…

Research Highlight Disrupt or adapt: Which is the best choice for your company? Here’s how to frame the decision. Murat Tarakci, Fabian J. Sting, Jan Recker, and Gerald C. Kane July 16, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images The Research The authors conducted numerous interviews…

Topics Social Responsibility Sustainability Dan Page/theispot.com Leaders can’t escape the global imperative to reduce the contributions businesses make to environmental degradation, but deep down, many harbor doubts: Can a profit-driven organization also be sustainable? Pressure to grow revenue and control costs is constant. How can a leader feel confident in…

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 proverbial ship of artificial intelligence is moving ahead at warp speed, icebergs and societal risks be damned. The pace…

Intense monitoring of individual output doesn’t lead to more productive employees and can limit workers’ professional growth. Stacia Garr and Priyanka Mehrotra July 10, 2024 Reading Time: 4 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Reports that U.S. productivity was up 3% in the fourth quarter of 2023 were seen…

Catch up on articles you might have missed and get expert advice on hard truths about meetings, AI and data science, return-to-office mandates, and more. Laurianne McLaughlin July 02, 2024 Reading Time: 3 min  subscribe-icon Subscribe Share When I interviewed Phillip G. Clampitt in early 2024 about how leaders could…

Leaders face tough choices on whether and how their businesses should take a public stance on current events. Today’s conflicts may be particularly precarious to navigate. Cynthia E. Clark July 01, 2024 Reading Time: 3 min  Topics Leadership Corporate Social Responsibility Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Growing concern over…

For chief marketing officer success, focus on helping them attain the right skill set at the right corporate growth stage. Kimberly A. Whitler and Jonathan Metrick June 26, 2024 Reading Time: 6 min  Nick Lowndes/Ikon Images Chief marketing officer turnover has long been a challenge for companies. As a company…

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images For the growing number of organizations committing to decarbonization, meeting their goals can take a frustrating amount of time. The decarbonization journey is a nontraditional marathon — with a lot of ambiguity regarding the nature of the track — and many organizations struggle to…

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 Gen Z employees — workers in their early to late 20s — often get painted in anecdotes about their supposed…

Executives often fear that they’ll lose control and speed by engaging employees in strategic planning. But here’s a new playbook that works. Alexander Loudon June 19, 2024 Reading Time: 8 min  Tang Yau Hoong/Ikon Images As the newly appointed CEO of Hema, a struggling European retail chain with 750 stores…

Download the Event Summary Download (PDF) Technology is given undue agency — it shifts, it disrupts, it eliminates. At Work/24: The Human Factor, a virtual summit held May 2, 2024, MIT Sloan Management Review brought together experts in artificial intelligence, change management, workplace culture, and human resources. Their goal: to…

In this short video, MIT Sloan CIO Symposium speakers and CIO Leadership Award finalists share advice on the AI threat vectors to focus on now. MIT Sloan Management Review June 18, 2024 Reading Time: 1 min  subscribe-icon Subscribe Share [embedded content] At a time when cybersecurity is paramount, artificial intelligence…

For managers and teams, this is an unhealthy rapport. Here’s how to stop rolling your eyes and start treating each other like full-fledged adults. Jennifer Jordan June 17, 2024 Reading Time: 11 min  Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images To prepare for an upcoming program with a global chemicals company,…

Magazine Summer 2024 Issue Radar These research-backed tips can help you improve your prompting strategies for better results from large language models. Kaushik Viswanath June 10, 2024 Reading Time: 1 min  Topics Data, AI, & Machine Learning AI & Machine Learning Radar Brief insights on emerging trends in management from…

1. The Ethical Matrix is based on a bioethical framework originally conceived by philosopher John Mepham for the sake of running ethical experiments. For a detailed presentation, see C. O’Neil and H. Gunn, “Near-Term Artificial Intelligence and the Ethical Matrix,” chap. 8 in “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” ed. S.M. Laio…