In January I visited Johannesburg, South Africa to speak at the Academy of Management’s first-ever Africa Conference. The conference brought together leading organization and management scholars as well as social entrepreneurs, service providers and change agents interested in the many theoretical and practical problems presented in Africa. The continent is home to some of the world’s … More Profile of Change: Thulani Madondo
asdf Randy Nelson knows something about how to build collaborative, innovative cultures. Although currently the Head of Artistic Development and Training at DreamWorks Animation, two years ago when he did this piece, he was the Dean of Pixar University. For twelve years, Randy was responsible designing curriculum and delivering classes and programs to continuously increase … More Pixar’s Foundations for Collaboration
Ethan Zuckerman is the senior researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and he studies how the world uses new media to share information and moods across cultures, languages and platforms. In this talk he identifies a troubling challenge: While the internet connects the globe, most of us only listen … More Listening to Global Voices
Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, has been researching great bosses for many years. His last book was the New York Times bestseller The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t. His work suggests a number of techniques and behaviors that research has shown good bosses … More The Mindset of a Great Boss
Why don’t we get the best out of people? It’s simple, really. Most “modern” corporations kill human capability the way we strip-mine and deplete the earth of natural resources. Think about it. We hire bright, ambitious, enthusiastic young people fresh out of the hope and idealism of school. We stick them in cubicles under fluorescent … More Getting the Best Out of People
Sorry I’ve been away from blogging for a few weeks. It has been a busy time and writing, unfortunately, has taken a back seat. The upside to my absence is that the work I have been doing has provided an abundance of ideas and material to share, particularly with regard to innovation. It continues to … More The Call for Innovation . . . Part 2
The new reality show Undercover Boss from CBS should be required viewing for every corporate executive and everyone who aspires to be one. It follows CEO’s as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems … More Undercover Boss: Listening to the Heart of Your Company
A friend of mine called the other day to share a story from the executive suite that made him dream of selling hot dogs on the streets of New York. I told him that it was not the first time I had heard the tale, especially in these days of our sputtering economy. I imagine … More The Trouble With Layoffs
Listening is an essential ingredient for innovation. Eric Lewis listens to the world differently than the rest of us, and as a result, is creating the next evolution of jazz. I had the joy of seeing him a number of years ago–before the hair–when he was playing with Wynton Marsalis. Then, he was electric. Now, … More Listening to Innovation
MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” winner, Sendhil Mullainathan, uses behavioral economics to show us that convincing people to change behavior is about much more than giving people data and information. His work examining the topic of persuasion has made a remarkable impact examining some critical social challenges in India and around the world. In the corporate sector we, … More Going the Last Mile
Erik Van Slyke 