Psychological safety—the belief that it is safe to take interpersonal risks within a group—is recognized as a key attribute of high-performance teams. Research has shown that when team members are afraid to share their views, ask for feedback, or take risks, the team will be less effective. Psychological safety is conceptualized as a shared belief—that […]
Read More… from The Danger of Assuming Shared Psychological Safety in Teams
The leadership field is filled with suggested approaches, principles, and behaviours for effective leadership, often grouped into different leadership styles. Authentic leadership, charismatic leadership, empowering leadership, servant leadership, instrumental leadership, and transformational leadership are a few of the more popular leadership styles that proponents argue will make you effective, successful, and beloved by your people. […]
Read More… from Why You Should Not Depend on a Single Leadership Style
Leadership involves a dynamic relationship between leader and follower to which both parties contribute. The study of “followership,” focuses on the vital role that followers play in the leader-follower relationship and, consequently, the role that followers play in the success of the organization. For example, poor followership, such as blindly following an incompetent or unethical […]
Read More… from Followers Can Fix the Damage of Leadership Incompetence
A wide-ranging overview of related psychological studies reveals that, without exception, bad has a greater impact than good, no matter the context. Here is some of the evidence presented by the researchers: Reacting to Events: Studies demonstrate that a major negative event has a lasting impact on an individual; a major positive event results in […]
After we have finished a compelling book or a film, the narrative of the story will linger in our minds. This lingering is involuntary: we do not choose or decide to think about the story. Emotional experiences and social interactions, research has shown, have the same lingering impact after their occurrence. A study by a […]
Read More… from Making Messages Linger with Thought-Provoking Stories
Past studies have demonstrated the power of humor in strengthening relationships between leaders and followers. In the early stages of these relationships, the power position of leaders requires them be the ones to reach out to followers. Humor is an effective strategy for making these early connections. Humor positively impacts early-stage relationships in three ways. […]
Read More… from Leadership Humour Not Always Appreciated in Different Cultures
Meritocracy is an ideal that today’s organizations strive for. However, the practice of meritocracy doesn’t often live up to the aspiration. For example, studies continue to show that women and minorities are paid less than their white male counterparts. A study from MIT and Berkeley offers one explanation for why companies and organizations are not […]
Read More… from Divergent Views of Merit Complicate Merit-Based Corporate Practices
In 2008, a study led by Prof. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette of Duke showed that for Americans, Whiteness was one of the prototypical attributes of leaders. As a result, Whites, seen as more leaderly, were more likely to be promoted or recruited for leadership positions. In 2022, researchers replicated the 2008 research and found that attitudes […]
CEOs and corporate leaders come from diverse backgrounds, with a broad range of childhood experiences. While some CEOs were raised in affluent families, with all the privileges and opportunities that such an upbringing offers, other CEOs had difficult childhoods marked by poverty and challenging family situations. A team of researchers studying the impact of different […]
Read More… from Are Working Class CEOs Less Worried about Employee Welfare?
Companies recognize today that helping employees find meaning and purpose in their work will maximize employee satisfaction, motivation, engagement, and performance. The challenge for leaders is how to increase meaning at work. A team of researchers from five leading U.S. business schools (Virginia Darden, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Berkeley Haas, Chicago Booth, and Harvard) make the case […]
