Colin McConnell/Getty Images We all know how important it is for an organization’s leaders and employees to empathize with its customers. Evidence shows that when people understand and care about those they serve, they solve problems more creatively and...

Thomas Janisch/Getty Images This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the Lehman Brothers collapse, the prelude to the worst global financial crisis since 1929. As we pass that mark, we are also approaching the 20-year anniversary of the launch of the Euro. And when...

INTI OCON/Getty Images When Vontae Davis walked off the field at halftime, the Buffalo Bills were down 28-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers. But instead of huddling with teammates, the Bills cornerback quit football entirely, right then and there. Later that evening,...

Tim Hawley/Getty Images \ The average lifespan of a U.S. S&P 500 company has fallen by 80% in the last 80 years (from 67 to 15 years), and 76% of UK FTSE 100 companies have disappeared in the last 30 years. In stark contrast, organizations in other sectors...

Tim Hawley/Getty Images \ The average lifespan of a U.S. S&P 500 company has fallen by 80% in the last 80 years (from 67 to 15 years), and 76% of UK FTSE 100 companies have disappeared in the last 30 years. In stark contrast, organizations in other sectors...

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI /Getty Images When thinking about how to develop in our careers, most of us tend to focus on promotions, projects, courses, certifications. We seek out expanded roles, more senior titles, extra money. We overlook one very key piece of the learning...

Peter Mason/Getty Images Fintona Financial (not the company’s real name) had a problem. Interviews with their financial advisors revealed something disturbing: When dealing with Fintona’s Customer Support, many advisors followed a three-call rule saying,...

emyerson/Getty Images Words matter. And the words we use to describe men versus women differ in significant ways that can affect their careers. This starts early on. Research finds that girls who are described as “bossy” are viewed negatively in ways that...

emyerson/Getty Images Words matter. And the words we use to describe men versus women differ in significant ways that can affect their careers. This starts early on. Research finds that girls who are described as “bossy” are viewed negatively in ways that...

Kelly Bowdon/Getty Images Two news stories speak to how companies are facing criticism for the ways they shape their workforces. First, former IBM employees have initiated a class action suit against the company for age discrimination. The suit accuses IBM of...

Thomas Jackson/Getty Images As the sexual assault allegations by Professor Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Brett Kavanaugh have played out, too few men — but especially male politicians — have publicly supported an open and respectful hearing of her...

Thomas Jackson/Getty Images As the sexual assault allegations by Professor Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Brett Kavanaugh have played out, too few men — but especially male politicians — have publicly supported an open and respectful hearing of her...

Kelly Bowdon/Getty Images Two news stories speak to how companies are facing criticism for the ways they shape their workforces. First, former IBM employees have initiated a class action suit against the company for age discrimination. The suit accuses IBM of...

Charlie Cordier/Getty Images If you’re like most people working in an organization today, you’re probably on multiple teams at the same time. Most employees have multiple assignments and projects that they must constantly juggle and prioritize. In fact,...

Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images “I’d like to work for a manager I can learn from.” This phrase has come up again and again in interviews I’ve conducted for my team at the World Economic Forum and from more junior folks who I’ve met through...

Daniel Grizelj/Getty Images According to popular stereotypes, women are better multitaskers. In fact, a quick Google search leads to many press articles claiming a female advantage. For example, women came out as better multitaskers when researchers used fMRI scans to...

Mike Ovitz, a cofounder of Creative Artists Agency and former president of The Walt Disney Company, says there are many parallels between the movie and music industry of the 1970s and 1980s and Silicon Valley today. When it comes to managing creatives, he says you...

Adam Pretty /Getty Images It can be challenging to synchronize complex tasks across multiple functions. Rather than cooperating, too many functions end up competing for power, influence, and limited resources. And such rivalry is more than a nuisance: It’s...

William Andrew/Getty Images When companies expand into foreign markets, they need to gain the trust of local business partners and prospective customers in order to succeed. The most common ways of doing this are to send executives to build personal relationships with...

DanielSambraus/EyeEm/Getty Images Most professionals use email every day for business — in fact, it’d be hard not to, with 281 billion messages sent and received on a daily basis. But when it comes to marketing, much of the attention gets focused on social...

  Diversity and inclusion are key factors attracting and engaging the kind of workforce that will build your company’s future. But research shows there can be a disconnect between what companies say they do and how people really experience inclusion in the...

Spencer Platt/Getty Images It is hard to overstate the sheer economic cost of the 2008 financial crisis. The combination of increased expenditures and decreased revenues resulting from the crisis from 2008 to 2010 is likely to cost the United States government well...

joshlaverty/Getty Images When we think about productivity at work, we often think about how to motivate ourselves — or the people on our team. But sometimes the people who are struggling to stay focused and engaged are our peers. And while it may not be an...

From the Women at Work podcast: Listen and subscribe to our podcast via Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS Download the Discussion Guide for this episode Download this podcast Having a baby is exciting — and exhausting. Figuring out how...

From the Women at Work podcast: Listen and subscribe to our podcast via Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS Download the Discussion Guide for this episode Download this podcast Having a baby is exciting — and exhausting. Figuring out how...

Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images Going back to work after having a baby is tricky stuff. After all, the new parent is simply not the same person they were before. This personal struggle, combined with a misguided workplace view of what a parent was actually...

UpperCut Images/Getty Images Nestled in the Silicon Sentier district of Paris, the Villa Bonne Nouvelle (“House of Good News”), or VBN, initially appears to be another new coworking space. But what sets it apart is that only half of its 60 occupants are...

Barry Winiker/Getty Images These days, it seems, every brand wants to be a “lifestyle brand.” Peddling burritos? “Our ultimate marketing mission is to make Chipotle not just a food brand but a purpose-driven lifestyle brand,” the...

Barry Winiker/Getty Images These days, it seems, every brand wants to be a “lifestyle brand.” Peddling burritos? “Our ultimate marketing mission is to make Chipotle not just a food brand but a purpose-driven lifestyle brand,” the...

David Crockett/Getty Images One of the most overused expressions thrown around by wannabe “Wall Street Rambos” is business is war. But sometimes war tactics really can help in business. Among these tactics is CARVER, a system for assessing and ranking...

Jason Jaroslav Cook Creative/Getty Images Corporate directors and executives alike recognize that today’s pace of change continues to accelerate and that firms need to innovate to stay ahead. But are boards doing enough to support innovation, as they should? We...

adamkaz/Getty Images When the graduating classes of 2009, 2010, and 2011 hit the job market, their employment prospects were depressingly bleak. Unemployment rates were at historic highs and job openings were scarce. Nine months after graduation, only 56% of the class...

Are you looking to quit your job? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of David Burkus, a management professor at Oral Roberts University. They talk through what to do when...

Are you looking to quit your job? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of David Burkus, a management professor at Oral Roberts University. They talk through what to do when...

Brett Hemmings/Getty Images In So I Married an Axe Murderer, a wacky 1990’s parody, a police officer named Tony confides to his captain, “I’m having doubts about being a cop. You know, it’s not like how it is on TV. All I do all day is fill out...

Stars of Science, a reality TV “edutainment” competition for the Arab world, is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary, owing to its success as a show that rewards innovation above all else.   Within less than 20 years, the phenomenon commonly referred...

Danas Jurgelevicius/Getty Images Curiosity is experiencing a “Gold Rush” moment. Books, university classes, and research are popularizing the power of curiosity. Not surprisingly, organizations are increasingly, explicitly looking for curious employees....

ImageGap/Getty Images You’ve left an important task undone for weeks. It’s hanging over you, causing daily anxiety. And yet instead of actually doing it, you do a hundred other tasks instead. Or you’ve been feeling guilty about not replying to an...

Fanatic Studio/Getty Images Many people have suggested moving away from quarterly earnings reporting as a way to reduce short-termism. But such a change would probably not change how resources are allocated or businesses operate. Rather than requiring less short-term...

Peter Dazeley/Getty Images We’ve heard for decades that we should only hire A players, and should even try to cut non-A players from our teams. But not only do the criteria for being an A player vary significantly by company, it’s unrealistic to think you...

Veronica Grech/Getty Images As banks rush to digitize their operations, many have found that closing their local branches can help maintain a high return on an otherwise pricy transformation. European banks, for example, closed over 9,000 branches in 2016, which...

HIDEKI KUWAJIMA/Getty Images A friend recently returned to his parked car to find it had been sideswiped. Now, every time he calls the insurance company, he hears a message saying: “Can’t take your call right now. Leave a message. All calls will be...

HIDEKI KUWAJIMA/Getty Images A friend recently returned to his parked car to find it had been sideswiped. Now, every time he calls the insurance company, he hears a message saying: “Can’t take your call right now. Leave a message. All calls will be...

Jeff Schear/Getty Images I often forget I am straight.  I just don’t think about it much.  When asked what I did this weekend, or when setting family photos on my desk at work, I have no reason to wonder if what I say will make someone uncomfortable,...

Eric Frommelt/Getty Images Ten years on from the financial crisis, stock markets are regularly reaching new highs and volatility levels new lows. The financial industry has enthusiastically and profitably embraced big data and computational algorithms, emboldened by...

Beth Comstock, the first female vice chair at General Electric, thinks companies large and small often approach innovation the wrong way. They either try to throw money at the problem before it has a clear market, misallocate resources, or don’t get buy in from...

Eric Frommelt/Getty Images Ten years on from the financial crisis, stock markets are regularly reaching new highs and volatility levels new lows. The financial industry has enthusiastically and profitably embraced big data and computational algorithms, emboldened by...

Dirk Anschutz/Getty Images The Q&A or fireside chat has become a popular format at events like conferences and employee town-halls, replacing more-formal presentations and panels. The one-on-one format can create a more conversational, interesting, and intimate...

Gina Pricope/Getty Images In the start-up world, the disruptor is the cool kid on the block, the one who’ll change the world — or at least the products you’ll buy and how you buy them. She takes on the grown-ups in suits and shows us all how...

Paula Daniëlse/Getty Images Body language varies significantly across cultures. What is considered rude or foolish in a Nordic country may be welcomed as warm and friendly in an African one. What a Canadian businessperson would perceive as arrogant, an American...

Paula Daniëlse/Getty Images Body language varies significantly across cultures. What is considered rude or foolish in a Nordic country may be welcomed as warm and friendly in an African one. What a Canadian businessperson would perceive as arrogant, an American...

From the Women at Work podcast: Listen and subscribe to our podcast via Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS Download the Discussion Guide for this episode Download this podcast Women are expected and asked to do thankless tasks — order...

From the Women at Work podcast: Listen and subscribe to our podcast via Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS Download the Discussion Guide for this episode Download this podcast Women are expected and asked to do thankless tasks — order...

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Development economists over the ages have puzzled about why some emerging economies perform much better than others over the long term. We have been looking at the same issue in our latest research, and find one element that others...

Simon McGill/Getty Images A new study out of Virginia Tech University confirms something that just about every knowledge worker already knows: Dealing with after-hours emails produces anxiety that is damaging not only to the worker, but to their family. One...

Simon McGill/Getty Images A new study out of Virginia Tech University confirms something that just about every knowledge worker already knows: Dealing with after-hours emails produces anxiety that is damaging not only to the worker, but to their family. One...

KAZUHIRO NOGI/Getty Images Businesses are constantly vying to capture the attention of potential customers. It’s not easy to do. People are inundated with different brands as they stroll through the streets, scan through their social media newsfeeds, and binge...

Bloomberg Creative Photos/Getty Images In 2016, the International Monetary Fund estimated that corruption amounted to roughly 2% of global economic output — between $1.5 and $2 trillion globally. Consider that in India in 2016, nearly seven in 10 citizens...

Mitch Blunt/Getty Images Do we lie to get what we want out of negotiations? That depends, according to forthcoming research I conducted with  Jason Pierce of the University of North Carolina, Greensborough. We found that the likelihood of engaging in...