Career & Success

Our Favorite Stories About Careers and Success in 2022

Eleven articles to help you work, lead, and collaborate better.

December 12, 2022

| by Stanford GSB Staff
An illustration of a fierce-looking t-rex standing on a board room table. Credit: Alvaro Dominguez

Sink your teeth into some new ideas. | Alvaro Dominguez

Staying on top of your professional and personal goals takes work. But Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty have you covered. Here are 11 stories from the past year that share some of their most useful and eye-opening ideas about careers, management, and success.

More Than Words

“More than just about any other leadership skill, people are fiercely criticized for poor communication,” says Francis Flynn, a professor of organizational behavior. In a recent study, he found that employees dislike their managers’ undercommunication much more than overcommunication.

Transparency Wanted

Jung Ho Choi, an assistant professor of accounting, finds that a majority of people looking for work care about their potential workplaces’ demographics. “Jobseekers were willing to forgo more than $1,000 in wages to work at a place with a more diverse employee base,” he says.

Stemming Turnover

Shelley Correll, a professor of organizational behavior, by courtesy, at Stanford Graduate School of Business, helped start an online program that offered support for women starting off in STEM careers. She found that participants who learned “soft skills” like negotiation felt more confident were more likely to stay in their jobs.

Take This Job and Love It

“It takes deliberate effort to not get stuck in the day-to-day grind at work,” says Justin Berg, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford GSB. But adopting a “dual-growth mindset” can help: People who see flexibility in themselves and their jobs are happier at work.

What Really Matters

Wealthy people may be happier. But a study of people from more than 120 countries finds that money can’t buy a sense of purpose. “People who succeed in finding meaning experience both meaning and happiness, but those who can’t find meaning aren’t happy,” says Jennifer Aaker, a marketing professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Thinking Inside the Box

The ease of gathering virtually has made widespread remote work possible, yet a study finds that on-screen meetings have a significant drawback: They hinder creative collaboration. “If your visual field is narrow, then your cognition is likely to be as well,” explains marketing professor Jonathan Levav. “For creative idea generation, narrowed focus is a problem.”

Seizing Power

“If you’re going to get anything done, you have to have power,” says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior. In his new book, distills the key lessons from his popular class, The Paths to Power, and explains why tapping into your power can help level an uneven playing field.

Think Different

People working in a group will think differently about how to do a collaborative task. That cognitive diversity can be helpful — or not. Amir Goldberg, an associate professor of organizational behavior, explores how successful teams can modulate their creative differences to get things done.

For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom.

Explore More