Topic

Leadership & management

‘All Strategy is Emergent’: How Eastern Philosophy Enhances Rational Planning

Something happens on the way from a strategy’s creation to its execution: the unpredictable, which can leave many a carefully crafted plan in tatters. Eastern philosophy offers paths to confronting inevitable uncertainty.

A Quick Guide for Allies After a Mega-Threat

Too often, the world sees mega-threats: violent events that target marginalized identity groups and see with massive media coverage. These events arise from racism, bias and systemic oppression. How can one be a supportive ally if one is not part of the identity group that’s been attacked?

5 Tips (Plus) for Leaders to Effect Change in DEI

You’ve stepped into a leadership position, and leading diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts is a priority. Where do you begin? How do you set yourself up for success? How do you effect positive change and tackle DEIB challenges?

How Changing the Connotation of ‘Quiet Quitting’ Can Benefit the Workplace

For more than 50 years, organizational scholars have been documenting why employees are disengaged, why they “quit on the job,” and why they actually do quit. Only 32 percent of employees reported feeling engaged with their work in 2022. One way to improve the trend? Call “quiet quitting” what it often is: “calibrated contributing.”

Darden Ideas to Action: Most Read Stories of 2022

Darden Ideas to Action insights draw from faculty expertise, books, research, cases and white papers. Here: the most read stories of 2022. How can one build a brand? What happens when buzz turns to backlash? How does a strategist prepare for the unforeseeable? What inequalities to women face in feedback? And why is storytelling an essential skill?

The Stakeholder Podcast: Leadership, Inequality and Power

Is power inherently bad? Why do social class disparities emerge in organizations, and how can those organizations mitigate inequality — do they change hearts and minds or internal structure? Darden Professors Ed Freeman and Peter Belmi discuss power, leadership and inequality on The Stakeholder Podcast.

How Process and Practice Can Combat Bias

Human beings are inherently biased. Our biases come from certain heuristics — shortcuts we take that help us distill information and make fast judgements. To combat this, organizations can implement standardized procedures that minimize the discretion that managers use in evaluating people. How?

The Gift of Gratitude

The power of a simple “thank you”: New research from Darden Professor Ayana Younge shows how expressions of gratitude reap social and professional benefits — for the thanked, the thanker and those who witness a grateful exchange.

Weirdness at Work: Diversity of Perspective

“Positive weird” needs to be another focus as we seek to understand how to create better organizations and communities that bring out the best in both marginal and dominant members.

Ethical Decisions, Character and Your Personal Vision

In an examination of the role of character in leadership and decision-making, Darden Professor Jared Harris offers guidance on creating a personal vision, defining one’s values, preparing for the defining moments of a professional career, and how to actively pursue one’s best self.