Alumni Association

How to Handle the Pessimist on Your Team
"The first step is to figure out what is causing your team member's negativity," says GSB Professor Roderick Kramer. "That it is the role of the leader to understand the underlying cause of the pessimism before acting." BusinessWeek, September 18, 2009 Pessimist on Your Team Details

Management Values that Count
Dean Bob Joss shares the eight lessons in management that he learned from his grandfather, a dairy farmer. Management Values that Count Details

The Vote is Not Tallied on Katrina Blame
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, voters can look beyond political loyalties and carry the blame for the disaster into their next voting booth, say GSB Professor Neil Malhotra and PhD Student Alexander Kuo. Gates CEO Jeff Raikes Details

The Thought of Acquiring Power Motivates People to Act
In the wake of Barack Obama's "yes we can" victory, a timely study has emerged from the GSB about what motivates people to take action. The prime mover, according to PhD student Nathaniel Fast and GSB Professor Deborah Gruenfeld, is acquiring a position of power. Acquiring Power Motivates People to Act Details

Firms Survive by Recognizing Fundamental
Industry Changes
Strong firms don't just match the competition, they also recognize fundamental changes in their industries and stay strategically ahead, according to research by GSB Professor Robert Burgelman and Lecturer Andy Grove. Firms Survive Details

At 10-Year Mark, Google's Glossy Facade Shows Cracks
Now that Google has reached its 10-year-mark, the company is facing the cultural complexities and challenges that come with the transition from hip startup to corporate giant. According to GSB Professor Charles O'Reilly, "Gravity affects all organizations and will inevitably affect Google. The question is whether they will deal with this in a productive way, or do something foolish." At 10-Year Mark, Google Details
Macworld, September 8, 2008

Underperforming CEOs Risk Being Fired in Economic Downturns
When either their industry or the overall market is doing badly, CEOs are more likely to be fired, according to a recent study by GSB Professor Dirk Jenter. But it isn't just boards looking for scapegoats. The ones who are fired tend to be the underperformers regardless of market conditions. Underperforming CEOs Risk Being Fired Details

Is Chest Beating as Good for People as It Is for Primates?
Social hierarchies and dominance displays have a valuable place in negotiating cooperation, status, and paths to power, according to GSB Associate Professor Lara Tiedens. One bit of advice: Look big and stare the other guy right in the eye. Is Chest Beating as Good for People as It is for Primates Details

Wage Imbalance Between CEO and Workers
Sends a Bad Message
Huge salary imbalances between CEOs and the people who work for them can send bad vibes throughout an organization, weakening loyalty and eroding the talent pool, according to GSB Professor Charles O'Reilly. Wage Imbalance Between CEO and Workers Details

Conradin von Gugelberg Memorial Lecture
"Good Business Karma"
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard explains why his unconventional business practices have been very profitable and at the same time minimize the harm done to the environment. Good Business Karma Details

Yvon Chouinard Video Yvon Chouinard Video (56:17 minutes)

"Leadership Lessons: The Promise and Pitfalls
of Applying Business Principles to Education"
GSB Professor Debra Meyerson points to some important and relevant ideas about leadership and organization developed by management scholars that have not yet been applied to education. This was the second Lifelong Learning multidisciplinary GSB and Stanford University School of Education seminar. (Video available) Leadership LessonsDetails

Socially Conscious Employees Can Effect Corporate Change
GSB Professor Debra Meyerson calls them "tempered radicals." They are under-the-radar rebels who lead social change from within large corporations by taking advantage of "small wins." Socially Conscious Employees Details

Include Extreme Points of View in Group Decisions
When designing a group decision-making process for potentially biased managers, intuition tells us that throwing out extreme opinions neutralizes the most severe biases among the group's members and leads to better decisions. Surprisingly, research by GSB Professor Eric Zitzewitz suggests our intuition may be wrong. Including Extreme Points of View Details

Untested Assumptions May Have a Big Effect
GSB Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has observed that numerous, often hidden, assumptions underlie the mental models or mindsets of senior leaders. These assumptions inform the design of specific business practice--the particular compensation mechanisms, performance management systems, new measurement practices, and the like-that define an organization. Untested Assumptions Details

Trust Improves Schools
Educators who want to improve academic achievement often focus on exciting new strategies for teaching reading and math according to Professor Tony Bryk, professor at the GSB and the School of Education. But without a basic atmosphere of trust—among teachers, principals, parents, and students—such reforms have little chance of success, according to the Stanford education expert. Trust Improves Schools Details