CATEGORIES

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT: The Link Between Worker Ownership and Workplace Safety

WHAT DOES EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP IN A COMPANY HAVE TO DO WITH workplace safety? A lot, according to a new study published in the journal Management Science.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT: M&As AND TECHNOLOGY

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS ARE A KEY growth strategy for companies - and we may see an uptick in such activity, given expectations of less-stringent antitrust regulation from the new U.S. administration.

Four Leadership Loads That Keep Getting Heavier

You dreamed of being an inspiring leader, but you're fighting fires every day instead. Here are no-nonsense tips for managing the stress of leading in “interesting” times.

Consumers Are Gaining the Right to Repair Are You Ready?

Manufacturers must begin to design for repairability and prepare for a more competitive services aftermarket.

Break Down Silos for Visibility Into Enterprise Risk

Companies today must manage an increasingly complex array of risks, including cybersecurity threats, the impact of geopolitical tensions and major weather events on supply chains, and economic volatility — among others. Many businesses are challenged to marshal sufficient resources, personnel, and advanced technology to fully understand potential threats. But few recognize that their efforts are also hindered by the silos within their risk management functions that leave their teams with visibility into only select pieces of the overall threat matrix.

The Way to Net Zero: Reducing Emissions Takes Teamwork

As chemical sector giants BASF and Henkel pursued transformations to make good on net-zero pledges, they unlocked new strategies by collaborating.

What Leaders Get Wrong About Employee Motivation

Flawed assumptions about what motivates people to work can lead to counterproductive management tactics. Research points to a better way.

Building One KPI to Rule Them All

Here's how an online travel company set out to develop a complex metric to keep decisions made by the business development team aligned with strategy.

How to Embed Purpose at Every Level

Leaders must find ways to execute on sustainability aspirations throughout the organization, including prioritizing investments and optimizing operating plans.

How Remote Work Changes Design Thinking

Replacing onsite design-thinking sessions with virtual ones fundamentally changes the innovation process and outcomes.

Leaders' Critical Role in Building a Learning Culture

By taking a deliberate, thoughtful role in facilitating learning, leaders can propel change and build employees' problem-solving skills.

How Chinese Companies Expand Globally Despite Headwinds

Understanding Chinese companies' place-based strategies for growth can be valuable to companies everywhere.

The Case for Lean Cybersecurity Leadership

More complex hierarchies can lead to overconfidence that exacerbates risk.

MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE: Taking Open Source Into the AI Era

Mark Surman is president of Mozilla, where he oversees a portfolio of organizations working to keep the internet open and accessible to all. After joining the organization in 2008, he spent over a decade building out its philanthropic arm. Since 2021, he has led the nonprofit's transformation for the AI era, while maintaining its values of privacy and user empowerment. MIT Sloan Management Review> spoke with Surman about managing a mission-driven technology organization through major transitions. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A New Machine Learning Approach Answers What-If Questions

Causal ML enables managers to explore different options to improve decision-making.

Ask Sanyin: How Can We Shift the Return-to-Office Conversation?

It’s been five years since the start of the pandemic, and we’re still debating a return to the office. I know that being together physically is important for communication and connection. How can I bring employees back to the office in a way that responds to their needs rather than being seen as “command and control”?

Who's Making Your Talent Decisions?

Talent management software promises efficiency and objectivity, but in practice it can limit company-specific talent strategies.

The New Challenges of Brand Management

In the digital age, brand is signaled by marketers, but meaning is cocreated with consumers.

The Hidden Battle for IP Protection in Alliances

Predatory partners can extract valuable intellectual property and learn the practices companies use to protect it. Here's why companies need a multilayered defense.

Lessons Learned From Outside Innovators

Outsiders can spark new thinking by challenging norms and spotting overlooked opportunities.

Ask Sanyin: How Do You Build for an Unpredictable Future?

While the pandemic was a wild ride of uncertainty for me and many of my peers in leadership, it feels like we never regained our footing.

What You Still Can't Say at Work

Most people know what can’t be said in their organization. But leaders can apply these techniques to break through the unwritten rules that make people self-censor.

Make Character Count in Hiring and Promoting

Most managers focus on competencies when evaluating candidates but it’s character that will transform the DNA of the organization. Here’s how to assess it.

Why Influence Is a Two-Way Street

Managers achieve better outcomes when they prioritize collaborative decision-making over powers of persuasion.

Know Your Data to Harness Federated Machine Learning

A collaborative approach to training AI models can yield better results, but it requires finding partners with data that complements your own.

How Integrating DEI Into Strategy Lifts Performance

Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices into core business planning can provide a competitive edge.

The Myth of the Sustainable Consumer

Companies that understand the different kinds of consumers for sustainable products can market to them more effectively.

A Practical Guide to Gaining Value From LLMs

Getting a return from generative AI investments requires a systematic approach to analyzing appropriate use cases.

Improve Workflows by Managing Bottlenecks

Understand whether process or resource constraints are stalling work.

Craft Schedules That Work for Everyone

Business leaders can improve retention and business performance with schedules that make sense for workers’ lives.