An example: you are an expatriate manager of a multinational company in a Middle Eastern country and you have just found out that no women are allowed to even apply for certain jobs in your department. You say to yourself, “I just don’t get it.” Another example: an executive who works with Korean nationals once […]
Larry Parker (not his real name) was a marketing executive for the Asia Pacific division of a multi-national company. He would hold regular teleconferences with his marketing directors in Asia and, according to him, he found it difficult to make much progress with them. Asking for my advice, he commented, “Why is it that when I tell […]
By now, many of us have read, watched, and listened to many accounts of Steve Jobs’ many contributions can achievements. There is a passion from consumers about Apple and Steve Jobs that is rare in the corporate world. Not long ago, I walked past an Apple store in Soho and saw hundreds of Post-It notes […]
You no doubt have heard about Zappo’s, the on-line shoe retailer that offers $2000 to new employees who decide after their initial training that they no longer wish to continue with the company. A couple of years ago, Zappo’s founder, Tony Hsieh, decided to introduce a management concept called holacracy (a variation of the self-managed […]
Recently, I spoke to my class in Organizational Behavior about what I would advise Mr. Buffett after the recent incident with Mr. Sokol. Here is a summary of what I said. Number one, be aware of your cognitive biases. You like people who are like you. So do most people. But don’t let that color your judgment. […]
Some of you may remember when these management practices were in vogue: quality circles, Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering, forced rankings. Indeed, over the years, business managers have embraced certain “best practices” that have turned into fads, but then they moved on to the next best thing. A few of these practices – like 360-degree […]