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 the 1940s, psychologist Jean Piaget suggested that children use their hands-on experiences of the world around them to build and develop their knowledge. This theory went on to shape the modern approach to learning, moving it away from lecturing to passive audiences to actively engaging participants. Similar is the science behind a method known […]
Read More… from How LEGO® Helps Strategic Thinking and Idea Generation
In many facets of life, collective energy affects the way things run, positively or negatively. Take schools, for example. They may go through periods of upheaval, in which results and staff/pupil morale are affected, but the desired outcome is (hopefully) positive. Likewise, sporting teams may experience changes in management or captaincy with results that can […]
Read More… from Organizational Energy: May the Force Be With You
Trans-ocean sailing fits the organizational team/leadership metaphor well, as in order to achieve the basic goal of getting from A to B, the team needs to function effectively in handling the boat as well as navigating successfully. Furthermore the unpredictable element of weather conditions simulates the unpredictable nature of business environments, requiring team focus to […]
Read More… from Leading Dynamic Teams: Alignment, Capability, Autonomy
The desire for high status is widely considered a universal human motive. Those with higher status tend to be listened to more, and are often perceived as having more power. It has even been argued that this desire is an evolved adaptation, important for ascending hierarchies as a means to secure resources. In recent years, […]
Read More… from Deferring to Others: When Able People Prefer Lower Status
January 2008 to April 2011 was a shocking time for France Telecom, when more than 60 employees committed suicide — a large number leaving behind notes blaming stress and misery at work. Though initially labelled isolated incidents, the company eventually took note of the increasing problem and initiated measures ranging from suggestion boxes to opening […]
Read More… from Three Strategies for Resolving Workplace Conflict
Would you seek help from someone who has rejected you in the past? Most people are hesitant to ask for favours the first time around, let alone ask someone that has already refused one. However, according to a study led by Stanford University’s Daniel Newark, we often overestimate the chance that our requests will be […]
Read More… from Once Bitten, Twice Shy? Past Refusal and Future Acceptance
Music transforms experience … from the humdrum, the everyday, into something else … Music is used in theater, it is used in movies, it is used to ratify revolutions … Other experiences transform our lives, but none so universally … [Music is] one of the most important of man’s activities, and one gauge of […]
Group coaching is known to help break down barriers to communication, build trust and solve specific and practical problems in organizations. An interpersonal learning process, it can create the impetus for change. Its effects can be explained by psychology and psychodynamics. Good coaches use the ‘clinical paradigm’ as a conceptual framework for group sessions. They recognise […]
Imagine a cellist, taking on different roles depending on whether he/she is playing with a quartet, a chamber orchestra, or a full orchestra. Today’s leaders are not dissimilar; they come together in different arrangements to undertake most of an organization’s decision-making. These groups of leaders, or ‘ensembles’, debate changes in their company’s direction, or draw […]
Read More… from Leadership Ensembles: 4 Blueprints for Senior Decision-Making
