People treat each other differently at work than in non-work settings, and with good reason: they are work colleagues brought together solely to accomplish the work necessary for their jobs. They are not loved ones, family, or even close friends who come together for personal reasons. Work relationships, however, can veer too far from the […]
Read More… from Why Objectification of People Is Rampant at Work
When we find ourselves in social situations that are unfamiliar, unsettling, or confusing, our tendency is not to react immediately, but rather to take a moment and think about what we want to do or say—that is, we appraise the situation to determine the appropriate behaviour in which to engage. As we appraise the situation, […]
Read More… from Don’t Let Employees Become Too Inhibited to Do the Right Thing
A manager overreacts to an employee’s minor mistake and yells at the employee in front of his peers. Afterwards, the manager feels some guilt about the outburst for several reasons: she generally strives to be supportive of her employees, the employee is usually very trustworthy, and the mistake was easily repaired. The manager apologizes to […]
Read More… from How Mindfulness Reduces Guilt… But Also Apologies
Effective communication among members of a team or organization is key to the success of a group. Fast and direct face-to-face communication would appear to be the ideal method of communication. A study based on police emergency calls, however, reveals the complexities of communication—and why choosing the best modes of communication may not be as […]
Few people in their careers have avoided the scourge of time-consuming, unproductive meetings. For Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School and Tijs Besieux of the consultancy Leadership Footprint, unproductive meetings are a symptom of a broader problem: unproductive conversations. In many ways, the success of organizations hinge on the quality of the conversations within them. […]
Read More… from Leading Conversations: Productive and Unproductive Voice
Collaboration and teamwork are key elements of successful workplaces. Past studies have shown that gratitude—employees being aware and appreciative of the benefits they receive at work—inspires the generous, helpful behaviour toward other employees that underpins effective collaboration and teamwork. However, the pressure-packed, high-paced environment of today’s workplaces leaves little time for employees to contemplate and […]
Read More… from Mindfulness Sparks Collaboration and Teamwork
Companies in search of innovation-based competitive advantages recognize the benefit of innovation teams and projects that bring together a diverse set of backgrounds, skills, knowledge and perspectives. To achieve this diversity, companies create cross-functional teams that bring together team members from a variety of functions and units and open innovation teams that combine internal team […]
Read More… from Pros and Cons of Collaborative Spaces for Innovation
Previous studies have demonstrated the quality of decisions that emerge from cross-functional teams. Most of these studies focus on the outcome of cross-functional deliberations, but not the deliberation process itself. A study built on the simulation of six cross-functional teams reveals that the type of leader or leaders guiding the deliberations of the team will […]
Read More… from Why Cross-functional Teams Need Strong Leaders
Teamwork is never easy, and cross-functional teamwork is especially challenging given the starkly different experiences, knowledge and perspectives that team members bring to the team. To span the divisions, participants on cross-functional teams are often asked to acquire identify and confront the differences among them. The authors of an-depth research study argue against this time- […]
Read More… from 5 Practices to Avoid Knowledge Differences in Cross-functional Teams
Many executives struggle to accomplish their mandate as executives: aligning the people from top to bottom in the organization behind the goals and actions that ensure the company’s success. The problem is that executives are often like ships in the night, pursuing their own individual agendas that often conflict with the agendas and priorities of […]
Read More… from Ships in the Night: How to Unite Warring Executives
