Why do unethical practices become ‘normalized’ in some organizations? Why do errant employees sometimes go unpunished for long periods of time? These are questions that many people will have asked in the wake of the phone hacking scandal at News of the World and the recent interest-rate-rigging scandals at major banks. One explanation is that […]
Read More… from Profits Vs Principles: Market Competition and Moral Transgression
The true measure of integrity in a firm is not comforting slogans on the home page of the company website, but how employees feel about whether top management, through its actions and behaviours, is living up to the promise. A culture of integrity exists when employees perceive top managers as trustworthy and ethical. "The higher […]
Read More… from How a Culture of Integrity Boosts the Bottom Line
High levels of ethical leadership can have unintended consequences, demotivating employees and making pro-social and co-operative behaviours less likely, according to recent research in Europe and the US. The research, based on three field studies and an experiment, finds a negative, linear relationship between ethical leadership and employee deviance: the more ethical the leader, the […]
The term ‘human capital’ encompasses the knowledge, skills and talents inherent in individuals. These skills represent an important source of productivity in an organization, and can be enhanced through training and education. But could an individual’s selection from a top educational institution constitute or signal that they will amount to a ‘better’ human capital resource […]
Read More… from Do Ivy League or Elite Educated CEOs Outperform Others?
Traditionally, financial capital has been viewed as the primary promoter of growth and profitability for an organization. Though undoubtedly still important, executives have begun to realise there is something else that is even more crucial: human capital. How companies attract, develop and retain talent is fast replacing financial concerns, especially in light of the fact […]
Read More… from Securing Talent with a Superior Employee Value Proposition
Do soldiers make better CEOs? There is no doubt that the hands-on leadership lessons learned in combat — or in preparation for combat — can seldom be matched by any corresponding leadership learning from business school or a typical corporate environment. Given the stress of war or training for war, ex-military business leaders may be […]
Being able to make the right decisions at the right time is a crucial part of leadership. Too often, however, lack of a proactive attitude gets in the way, causing not only decisions getting delayed but leaders failing to effectively resolve key business challenges. Ultimately, a lack of proactive leadership can have profound effects on […]
Read More… from How Procrastination Undermines Pro-Active Leadership
Strategic renewal is not an easy process to begin, fund, or lead, because it entails making changes before disruption occurs. The problem for many businesses, stretched as they are by myriad pressures and mounting costs, is they don’t want to go ‘looking for trouble’. Yet recent research suggests that is exactly what they need to […]
Read More… from Rapid Response Teams: Strategic Renewal for Organizations
Social category diversity — diversity of race, gender or political leanings, for example — has been shown to enhance creative thinking in groups, and leads to more effective decision-making that takes into account a wider range of perspectives. The downside, according to previous research, is that the relationships among members of diverse groups are not […]
Read More… from Diversity in Teams: Tasks, Not Relationships Drive Performance
In Shakespeare’s Othello, the eponymous lead’s passionate jealousy motivates all of his actions, including ultimately the murder of his own wife. Similarly, in the corporate world, there exist executives whose quest for power or professional success can generate jealousy that consciously or unconsciously affects their decisions. In an article published in the European Business Review, […]
Read More… from Is Othello Boss Syndrome Affecting Your Organization?
