Psychological research has consistently demonstrated that one of the largest influences on employee performance, satisfaction, motivation, and collaboration ability is organizational culture (Belias & Koustelios, 2014). Organizations that are warm, interdependent, and dynamic are typically healthier, more thriving organizations. Conversely, organizations that are cool, judgmental, or alienated typically have negative workplace outcomes, low retention, and low employee satisfaction.
Dynamic, vibrant organizations must be receptive to making big, necessary changes. Whether it’s undergoing a shift in goals to meet the changing nature of the economy, or altering work processes to boost productivity and other outcomes, change is essential, but difficult.
How should you as a professional go about instituting new work processes or eradicating unproductive or bad habits in your organization, team or project? We provide you some of the latest, science-supported tips for breaking bad habits and behavior change.
Bold decisions that drastically change what is taken for granted have always been traits of leaders that attract and inspire people. The rise of social media and other means of online communication such as blogs, online communities and intranets allow leaders to spread bold ideas and big plans easier than ever before to their target audience and the wider public. On the one hand, this tremendous speed of communication is a powerful lever to mobilize people and initiate change on a level and magnitude never seen before. On the other hand, change is always accompanied with unintended consequences that backfire, if not handled properly.
Is it time to reorient your organization’s outlook? Are you company’s goals too short-term and reactive, rather than far-reaching and proactive? Does it feel as though people are always scrambling to deal with emergencies and “put out fires”, when ideally your organization would be taking carefully planned steps?
The great works of drama offer a wealth of lessons for business leaders. Shakespeare’s King Lear, for example, displays the dangers of a narcissistic, erratic leadership style. Moliere’s The Misanthrope warns against excessive, untactful honesty. This blog post focuses on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Building on a previous post on social systems theory, I will look at Chekhov’s play through the lens of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of society. I will look particularly at forms of social differentiation and the obstacles to cognitive processing of social system change and its implications for business leaders.
Politics exist in all organizations but it is interesting to consider whether organizational politics can be a blessing or a curse. This blog post draws on scientific evidence to illustrate how politics can be effective for an organization through a) drawing on the political skills of the talent within the firm and b) implementing strategies that curtail ineffective organizational politics.
Management without goals? Impossible, if you believe the large number of popular science and specialized books about management topics. Goals, target agreements, and bonus systems connected to target achievement are all part of every manager’s toolbox.
Money makes the world go round? No way. Motivation makes the world go round! Motivation is an invisible force hidden in every single one of us. It’s the fire in us that determines our actions and decides where we invest our time and energy. We are motivated to a greater or a lesser extent depending on our respective daily condition, the environment, and interests. At times of high motivation, even difficult tasks can be a piece of cake and we are able to achieve incredible things. What’s behind the motivation mechanism? How can we increase motivation based on scientifically substantiated findings? We will get to the bottom of these questions in our current blog.
Strategy is a term usually connected to top management, long-term planning, goals, and consulting. This view dominated strategic management in theory and practice since the middle of the last century. Strategy as practice, SAP in short, is a new approach that questions this dominance. In this blog we present to you what’s actually behind SAP.
