Alumni Association

Is "Thinking" or "Feeling" More Persuasive?
Identical messages can have different impacts depending on whether they are couched as "I think" or "I feel," says GSB Professor Zakary Tormala. Is "Thinking" or "Feeling" More Persuasive Details and Related Blog

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

CalPERS and CalSTRS: Moving Beyond 'Male, Pale, Stale'
"California's two big public pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS, are taking steps to break up the old-boy club at the top of corporations, pushing for more women and minority directors on boards, some say tend to be 'male, pale and stale'." The conference, "Diversity on Corporate Boards: When Difference Makes a Difference," was sponsored by CalPERS, CalSTRS, Stanford Law School and The Rock Center for Corporate Governance. Capitol Weekly, September 17, 2009 Moving Beyond 'Male, Pale, Stale' Details

Professor Sarah Soule Explains Effective Social Movements
Social movements have their greatest effect in the early stages of policy debate on a given issue, before the debate becomes too broad and acrimonious and before cause supporters become too outspoken, according to research by GSB Professor Sarah Soule. Effective Social MovementsDetails

Seeking Common Ground in Conversations Can Stifle Innovation
and Reward the Wrong People
The best baseball players don't always get elected All-Stars. Researchers say people try to find a common ground when talking to others, which can mean the wrong people become famous or the most innovative ideas don't get discussed. Seeking Common Ground Details

Time to Detox the Work Environment
The concept of "sustainability" must be expanded to include consideration of whether workplaces are good, not only for the environment, but also for people, says GSB Professor Jeff Pfeffer. Time to Detox the Work Environment Details

Self-Identified Multiracial Individuals Realize Real Benefits
Individuals who identified with multiple ethnic or racial groups reported either equal or higher psychological well-being and social engagement than those who identified primarily with a single group, says GSB Post Doctoral Fellow Kevin Binning and other researchers. Self-Identified Multiracial Individuals Details

Voting by Mail May Have Unintended Effects on Elections Absentee ballots have made voting easier and more accessible to millions of Americans, but the process may have unintended effects on election outcomes, says GSB Assistant Professor Neil Malhotra. Voting by Mail Details

Can Polling Location Influence How Voters Vote?
Where you cast your ballot - whether it's in a church, a school, or an auto garage - can have an effect on the outcome of elections, says GSB Professor Christian Wheeler. Can Polling Location Influence How Voters Vote? Details

How Good Are Commercial Corporate Governance Ratings?
A Stanford research study casts strong doubt upon the value and validity of the ratings of governance advisory firms that compile indexes to evaluate the effectiveness of a publicly held company's governance practices, according to GSB Professor David Larcker and Stanford Law School Professor Robert Daines. How Good Are Commercial Corporate Governance Ratings? Details

Ask and You're Likely to Get Help
New research shows that people who ask for help are likely to get it. GSB Professor Frank Flynn is coauthor of studies showing that subjects seriously underestimate how many people will be willing to help them if asked and that asking directly is the best approach.  Ask and You're Likely to Get Help Details

Elections May Make Candidates Ideologically Rigid
Politicians want to assure the electorate that they share the political leanings of voters. This attention to the electoral process, says GSB Professor Kenneth Shotts, means that politicians are more rigid and less likely to change their positions based on new information, particularly when voters may not share that insight. Elections May Make Candidates Details

Mimicking Produces Better Negotiated Outcomes
Subtly imitating mannerisms, gestures, etc., of the other partner during a negotiation can lead to greater success for both parties in a negotiation, according to recent research by GSB Assistant Professor Elizabeth Mullen. Financial Incentives Can Create Bad Employee Behavior Details

Compaq and HP: Ultimately, the Urge to Merge Was Right
The controversial merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq ultimately was a good idea, but failure to focus on long-term corporate strategy actions meant it wasn't smooth sailing to the finish line says GSB Professor Robert Burgelman. Affirmative ActionDetails

New Take on Affirmative Action
Individuals who oppose affirmative action may do so because they're more worried about disadvantaging their group than about benefiting a minority group, says GSB Associate Professor Brian Lowery who is developing a new take on affirmative action. Affirmative ActionDetails

Racial Stereotypes Can Be Unconscious but Reversible
GSB Associate Professor Brian Lowery's work moves the dialogue on racism beyond simple dichotomies that divide people into categories of "good" and "bad" according to their views on people of a different race or ethnicity. "The situation is much more complex," he says. Even people who consciously disavow prejudice can fall into racist traps. Racial StereotypesDetails

Demystifying the Implications of U.S. Supreme
Court Appointments
Despite alarmist press, GSB Professor Keith Krehbiel's study finds that most Supreme Court appointments have little or no immediate effect on policy. Demystifying the Implications of U.S. Supreme Court AppointmentsDetails

The Key to a Successful Merger of Cultures -
Look at Employee Demographics
A merger can fail for any number of reasons, according to research by GSB Professor Glenn Carroll, but cultural differences are increasingly thought to be a major cause of post-merger dysfunction. the Key to a Successful Merger of CulturesDetails

Diverse Immigration Patterns Change Church Communities
GSB Professor Glenn Carroll's key finding is that the most important factor spurring church attendance was a great and sudden influx of immigrants of different denominations or faiths. Professor Carroll studies the social dynamics of local communities throughout the United States. Diverse Immigration Patterns Changing Church CommunitiesDetails

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 GSB Professor Margaret Neale. Strengthening GroupsDetails

Bureaucracy Contributed to the 9/11 Attacks
Prior to 9/11, intelligence information was often stalled or simply ignored because of bureaucracy, says GSB Professor Roderick Kramer. The failures of interagency cooperation described in the 9/11 Commission Report are the same kinds of breakdowns observed in other large and complex bureaucracies. Bureaucracy Contributed to the 9/11 AttacksDetails

Even the Furniture Can Affect Business Attitudes
GSB Professor Christian Wheeler says objects, whether it's a briefcase or a flower pot, can affect the behavior of individuals. Objects that seem to represent a business setting will prime people for a different reaction than more everyday things. More Details about Even the Furniture Can Affect Business AttitudesDetails

Keep Main Street Safe for Local Opinions
Can grassroots movements be noticed in this era of corporate control and background noise? GSB Professor Hayagreeva Rao studied the emergence of low-power FM radio stations as an example and says when local organizations offer a rich variety of opinions, they can indeed make a dent in the control of larger corporate organizations. Keeping Main Street Safe for Local OpinionsDetails

Good News and Bad for Women's Careers
Women across the board seem to be enjoying greater parity with men—except in "good-old-boy companies," where a woman's personal style and needs for work/family balance may clash with organizational expectations, values, and demands, according to GSB Professor Charles O'Reilly. Good and Bad News for Women's CareersDetails

Discredited "Mozart Effect" Remains Music to American Ears
Scientists have discredited claims that listening to classical music enhances intelligence, yet this so-called "Mozart Effect" has actually exploded in popularity over the years according to GSB Associate Professor Chip Heath. Discredited "Mozart Effect"Details

The GSB Then and Now
Faculty that were at the GSB in the late 1970's and still teaching here today talk about the changes to the School over the last 25 years. Moderator is GSB Professor David Kreps.

Faculty Panel Discussion Video Faculty Panel Discussion Video (48:47 minutes)

Panel Discussion Q&A Video (26:57minutes)

Citizens Get Satisfaction from Voting
Individual voters stand a better chance of being hit by lightening on the way to the polls than of having their single vote determine an election. Yet, says GSB Professor Jonathon Bendor, we continue to vote because we get satisfaction from seeing the outcome. Citizens Getting Satisfaction from VotingDetails

Ignoring Failure Is No Formula for Success
Companies often turn a blind eye to failure, which can potentially lead to riskier behavior and dramatic flops in the future, warns Jerker Denrell, an assistant professor of organizational behavior in the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Ignoring Failure Is No Formula for SuccessDetails

Better Decisions Through Teamwork
Recent research by GSB Associate Professor Deborah Gruenfeld suggests that teams encompassing at least two separate points of view on a particular question make better decisions because the pressure of the minority forces the majority to think more complexly and consider diverse evidence. Gruenfeld gained some of her evidence by analyzing decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court. Better Decisions Through TeamworkDetails