Idea posted: May 2017

Institutions: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University    Durham University   

Some people are motivated by growth goals — goals that reflect aspirations and ambitions. In psychological terms, these people are promotion-oriented. In contrast, prevention-oriented people are motivated by goals that…

Idea posted: November 2016

Institutions: University of Utah David Eccles School of Business   

Most people multi-task because they think they can do it well — and that they will acquire the rewards of multi-tasking, such as saving time and being less bored with…

Idea posted: November 2016

Institutions: University of Toronto Rotman School of Management    Institute for Management & Innovation at the University of Toronto Mississauga   

All of us belong to certain social groups in society. Our ‘social identities’ are based on these groups, which can involve gender, nationality, profession, heritage, political affiliation, hobby or family…

Idea posted: October 2016

Institutions: Yale University    Stanford University   

How do you respond to stress? The common wisdom is that stress is debilitating — that is, if you are stressed, you are less effective and productive. However, a series…

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: Ivey Business School at Western University   

Enthusiasm for your job is usually an asset. However, new research reveals that on Wall Street, such enthusiasm may backfire as the rush of winning triggers physiological changes that undermine…

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: University of Oxford    Cornell University   

Most people make moral judgements intuitively: we feel what is right or wrong. For example, imagine a dilemma in which a runaway trolley is racing toward five people, who will…

Idea posted: January 2016

Institutions: Central Michigan University College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences   

Even the most well-intentioned people can be swayed by almost subconscious, automatic biases against certain categories of people — what scientists call “implicit out-group bias.” These biases emerge from engrained…

Idea posted: January 2016

Institutions: Emory University Goizueta Business School    University of Miami Miller School of Medicine    The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania    University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences   

Michael Porter gave us a process for strategy development. It was a very cognitive process (i.e., using conscious mental activities such as thinking, understanding, learning, remembering) that followed prescribed steps:…

Idea posted: November 2015

Institutions: London Business School    Harvard Business School    University of Michigan Ross School of Business    University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School   

Best-self activation is the deliberate effort to think the best of yourself. You can do this in one of two ways: 1) reflecting on situations in your history that show…