Meet the New Board — Same as the Old Board

Jud Guitteau/theispot.com The Research The authors interviewed 12 directors involved in 51 director selection and hiring processes across 51 U.S.-based public companies in a range of industries. They also interviewed a recruiter who was involved in 20 additional selections. Interviews were conducted first in 2015 and again in 2019 to identify...

19h

Every (Repurposed) Product Has a Story

Davide Bonazzi/theispot.com Turning trash into treasure through repurposing and recycling can be a very sustainable materials sourcing strategy. But marketing the products that result can be a challenge, particularly for upcycled items with visible traces of their past, like bags made from old bicycle inner tubes, tables made from decommissioned...

5d

Five Articles for Building Resilience When Facing a Recession

Is the U.S. in a recession? As I write this article, the answers, forecasts, and models vary — considerably. While economic output in the U.S. fell for the second consecutive quarter, the job market — typically an indicator of a recession — continued to post strong numbers through June. As Jon Hilsenrath at The Wall Street Journal put it, “If the U.S....

6d

AI-Based Innovations at Mayo Clinic

In a previous AI in Action column, we argued that in the world of health care, administrative applications of artificial intelligence were the low-hanging fruit. Sometimes, however, it is reasonable to reach for higher branches of the tree, and clinical applications of AI fall into that category. We expect that someday many important diagnosis and treatment...

1w

The Four-Step Process for Redesigning Work

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve expanded our workplace skills, workplace assumptions, and workplace habits. But after the initial excitement of discovering new ways of working, deep fears are emerging. One executive in a major food company asked me, “Is it fair that office workers are now experimenting with working from home three days...

2w

Multinationals Need Closer Ties as Globalization Retreats

Chris Gash/theispot.com Globalization is in retreat, and multinationals are on the defensive. Across the world, countries rich and poor have erected trade barriers and set up outright export bans to cope with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In 2020, respirators, surgical gowns, medicines, and other lifesaving equipment were hard to come by....

2w

Dump Traditional Reviews to Better Measure Performance

Employees have been complaining about performance reviews almost as long as HR has, yet most organizations are still doing the classic “you’re a 4, but I can only give you a 3” performance reviews. We expect the traditional performance management process to provide good data and inspire our employees to perform better, but no matter how much we try,...

2w

Disrespected Employees Are Quitting. What Can Managers Do Differently?

The Research We asked 100 managers and 100 employees working in hybrid or remote arrangements how they give and receive respect. We asked employees to describe how their managers show respect, provide examples of when they felt a lack of respect or disrespected, and how they wish their managers would show them respect. We asked managers to describe...

3w

How to Evaluate the Impact of Corporate Purpose

Brian Stauffer/theispot.com Confronted by employees seeking meaningful work, customers demanding sustainable and traceable products, and investors who want companies to do both well and good — while inequality is rising and climate change is an increasingly dire threat — business leaders are redefining the purpose of their organizations. These days,...

3w

The Trust Problem That Slows Digital Transformation

Pick up any industry or professional publication and you’ll be deluged with articles extolling the value of digital transformation. Supporters tout new capabilities as do-or-die. “All companies must become tech companies” is a common refrain. “Organizations that speed their decision intelligence capabilities will survive, and those that don’t will fail”...

3w