Research News
Leadership
Why Trust Can Get You Into Trouble
"Why do people trust, why can trust get us into trouble, and what we can do to protect ourselves?" asks Professor Rod Kramer of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After looking at the financial industry he was surprised by "the level of abuse of trust throughout the financial industries: its magnitude, its
pervasiveness, and its duration."
People in the Minority May Know Themselves Better
One benefit of knowing you're in the minority is a clearer sense of self, says marketing Professor S. Christian Wheeler. Business organizations, which have been shown to improve their decision making when diverse ideas are present, may therefore want to think about more structured ways for encouraging naysayers to speak up.
Nurturing Innovation and Top Talent Are Priorities
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Stanford MBA students how his leadership style has evolved. If he could change one decision he made since becoming CEO, Ballmer said he’d have pushed the company to start developing internet search products years earlier. 
Video
It’s Not About You
Leadership is not about you. It’s about the people who work for you Business School Dean Robert L. Joss says in a recent essay.
AUDIO SLIDE SHOW: Learning Leadership
Evelyn Williams, director of the Leadership Labs, narrates the new leadership component in the school's curriculum. Students will now face real-world problems through role-play exercises.
The Key to a Successful Merger of Cultures? Look at Employee
Demographics
Although it may not get a lot of lip service, the reason most mergers
succeed is that employees of the new firm coalesce into a united whole. It
sounds harsh, but Professor Glenn Carroll and his co-author say the best thing
for employees who won't or can't fit the new mold may be to encourage them to
leave. (October 2006)
Run as Fast as You Can: The Red Queen of Competition Improves Organizational Performance
Organizations that don’t keep changing eventually become punished for being really good at what used to be rewarded, according to Professor William Barnett. Like the Red Queen of Alice in Wonderland, businesses have to move fast to keep even with the competition. (October 2006)
Diverse Backgrounds and Personalities Can Strengthen Groups
Groups with diverse functional expertise, education, or personality can increase
performance by enhancing creativity or group problem-solving. In contrast, more
visible diversity, such as race, gender, or age, can have negative effects
unless it's managed properly, says Margaret Neale. (August 2006)
Introducing New Ideas—The Dangers of Mixing Foie Gras and
Arugula
Categorical boundaries are ideological fault lines in all industries, but
particularly in music, food, wine, and art. Innovators who cross those
boundaries can be seen as traitors and booed by their audience, says Professor
Hayagreeva Rao. (April 2006)
Untested Assumptions May Have a Big Effect
Many managers assume certain things in the business world. Working to uncover
exactly what leaders' assumptions are and then testing them to be sure they're
true may be the most important step in human resource management, says Professor
Jeffrey Pfeffer. (June 2005)
Admitting Missteps May Boost Stock Prices
Corporations that accept responsibility for a bad financial year rather than
blame external forces may see rewards from the stock market, according to recent
research. (August 2004)
When First Impressions Flop: The Power of Getting a Second Chance
Many people can overcome a bad first impression if they're given a second
chance. But, says professor Jerker Denrell, human nature and many corporate
environments make it very hard to get that second chance. (June 2004)
Better Decisions Through Teamwork
The U.S. Supreme Court benefits from differences of opinions among the
justices. Research that included studying how teams make decisions says
when a narrow majority exists, pressure of the minority forces the
majority to make think with more complexity and to consider diverse
evidence. (April 2004)
Failure Is a Key to Understanding Success
Studying success has become almost a cottage industry for writers and
consultants. Jerker Denrell warns that by not studying failure too, these
pundits may present a very skewed picture of what it takes to succeed. (January
2004)
When the CEO Leaves, Do Others Follow?
The departure of the CEO doesn't necessarily mean the entire top
management is in jeopardy, says Prof. Paul Oyer. What really matters when
top corporate leadership changes is how much the CEO and the top-level
executive have invested in their relationship. (October 2003)
Don Quixote's Lessons for Leadership
Drawing on classical literature and contemporary film, Professor James
March creates a movie produced in Europe and America based on the idealism
in Cervantes' novel. (May 2003)
Issues in Leadership
Promotion by pedigree, or even potential, can be a fast track to failure.
The best leaders prove themselves by performance—every step of the
way. (February 2002)