A company in the facility engineering industry took on a large and complex project that presented both technical challenges and was subject to legal regulations that affected customer requirements. Unfortunately, the steering committee (SC) in charge of the project never really understood the key trade-offs and risks in the project. Unaware of the technical or […]
Read More… from Supervising Projects Despite Limited Time and Expertise
Creativity occurs when pieces of information are put together in novel and useful ways. ‘Information’ here is used broadly, and includes objects, symbols and facts. This broad concept of information is known as ‘declarative information.’ For example, a chair consists of three pieces of declarative information: a seat, legs, and a back. Information can be […]
Read More… from Why Flat Information Structures Enable Creative Thinking
An organization’s activities can be divided between exploitation — the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as strategic planning and implementation — and exploration — acquiring and using new knowledge, ideas and insights, which can lead to new products, new technologies, or new markets. Previous research has shown that social capital — the breadth and […]
Read More… from Innovation and the Pros and Cons of Close Personal Relationships
Logically, the percentage of work that each team member contributes to a team project cannot add up to more than 100%. For example, if both authors of an academic paper insist that they did 75% of the work, the total work accomplished would be 150%. The inescapable conclusion is that one or both of them […]
Read More… from Beware of Egocentricity Causing Team Members to Overestimate their Value
Companies have both short-term and long-term responsibilities: they must be successful in the present while preparing for the future. While many companies believe they are managing these two priorities effectively, in truth, the urgency of the exploiting the present — launching marketing campaigns, resolving customer service issues or managing the supply chain, for example — […]
Read More… from Build Ambidextrous Teams to Combine Present and Future Objectives
Intuitively, respectful relationships and creativity are assets of a successful company. Respectful relationships lead to more effective collaboration, while creativity leads to new, competitive ideas. Business leaders might not realize, however, the link between these two attributes. Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business have shown, through a […]
Read More… from How Creativity Starts With Respectful Engagement
Employee victimization continues to be a problem in the workplace. New research reveals how through their job performance victims themselves may be unwittingly motivating their tormentors. In any group, there will be different levels of performance: some employees will perform at a high level, some at a low level, and some at an average level. […]
Read More… from When Non-Average Performers Are Targeted by Bullies
Collaboration, either formal or discretionary (informally approaching others for guidance, information or assistance), is considered a virtue in today’s workplace. The advantages of collaboration are many, ranging from creativity and knowledge sharing, to teamwork, employee engagement and improved long-term results. However, an in-depth study of the interaction of physicians and health care personnel in one […]
Read More… from The Overlooked Productivity Costs of Collaboration
As team members work on various (team) tasks and project, conflicts can arise over issues such as, for example, how the work should be done, or the best way to achieve results. While solutions can emerge from productive give-and-take, task-related conflicts tend to slide into personal relationship conflicts. This occurs for several reasons. Often, work criticisms […]
Read More… from How to Avoid Task Conflicts Damaging Team Relationships
Every organization has finite resources, starting with compensation, budgets and expense accounts, as well as high quality assignments, accounts or customers and even office space. The people who control the allocation of these resources have a great deal of power — and research shows that they use this power to make decisions that are in […]
Read More… from Candid Feedback Keeps Power-holders Accountable
