It is important to draw a distinction between over-confidence and over-optimism in business. The former can be seen as a pejorative term, linked to arrogance and hubris, and the latter as more ‘neutral’. Over-confident managers underestimate the risks of their decisions; over-optimistic ones are biased towards larger growth projections than the figures suggest. So is […]
Read More… from Reasons to Be Cheerful: Positivity Linked to Profitability
Perhaps at one time, ‘corporate burnout’ was attributed to few, mostly C-suite executives. Now, it is much more commonly experienced by employees at all levels of an organization. Increased competition and market pressures means organizations frequently take on more in terms of activities, goals, technologies, etc. than they can handle for a sustained period of […]
Researchers have long noted that employees will sometimes spontaneously create games as a way of improving their work experience, helping them to not only pass the time but also alleviate the less pleasant aspects of their work. More recently, managers and employers have gotten involved by creating their own games for employees to play in […]
Seasonal depression is well-known and has traditionally been easy to recognize: difficulty concentrating, low levels of energy, etc. — all related to bleak winter weather conditions. So naturally, it follows that we assume the opposite in weather conditions leads to positive outcomes. Indeed, some previous studies have found this link to be true, linking good […]
The concept of governance is certainly not new, but in recent years it has been gaining more attention, especially in the business world. ‘Corporate casualties’ are proof that commercial pressures nudge executives towards introducing irresponsible risk into routine business operations. Today, these risks are easily obscured thanks to technological complexity, the large scales on which […]
In the past research has consistently demonstrated the importance of ‘dominance’ as a personality trait in influential leaders. Understanding this, the authors through their new research found that dominant individuals achieve influence because they tend to appear competent to others, even when they actually lack competence. Furthermore, dominant individuals behave in ways that make them […]
Read More… from How Dominant Personality Trumps Competence in Teams
In this paper, the author examines the possible bases for dysfunctional leadership, moving away from an emphasis on a leader’s performance and personality to focusing on the contextual features that can lead to success or failure. Even though the ‘romance of the leader-as-hero movement’ has been muted to some extent, the author says that the […]
Read More… from Dysfunctional Leadership: Context and Causes
Here is how most employees’ first day on a new job goes: they are shown how things are done, introduced to the company’s environment and culture, and subtly told what a great organization they have just joined. Sound familiar? This is the onboarding process followed by many HR professionals, with the commonly-held belief that this […]
CEOs are often put under the spotlight, with everything from how they spend their time to their leadership style closely scrutinized. But what about managers and supervisors lower down in organization hierarchies? These are the people that most employees directly work with, yet their ‘value’ is less discussed, which is surprising considering more often than […]
This research sought to learn more about the strategic, functional and tactical priorities of marketers for the future. What they found was a rapidly changing focus in marketing strategies, and a sharp divergence between British and continental European firms. The survey results indicate three top marketing priorities for companies in 2013: Taking advantage of the opportunities […]
