Ideas to Action

Search

How to Be Cool

What makes a product or person “cool”? Darden Professor Lalin Anik presents a theory of coolness and explains four traits that contribute to coolness.

Entitlement and Effectiveness: How Upbringing Affects Leaders

Growing up rich or poor has a tremendous impact on your life — studies show it affects health, prospects, confidence — what about the quality of your leadership? Darden Professor Sean Martin discusses the ripple effect that means childhood affluence may prove a liability in the workplace.

A Hard Bargain: Race and Salary Negotiations

Diverse companies produce higher financial returns, yet the pay gap persists. Research from Professor Morela Hernandez examines the fact that racially biased hiring managers offer lower salaries to black candidates who negotiate. So what can organizations do to mitigate the impact of racial biases?

Agile in 3 Easy Chunks

Done right, "agile" is what every organization wants: a workhorse for applied innovation. Darden's Alex Cowan breaks down the process by which teams can determine which agile practices will best help them innovate.

The Rise of Artificially Intelligent Agents: AI’s Growing Effect on the Economy, PART 2

One of the biggest challenges for humanity: Artificial Intelligence and limited resources may lead to an existential race between smart machines and humans. Some elites may re-engineer themselves thanks to technology, but others will likely become economically irrelevant. How can we ensure humans have a fair share of resources?

Teamwork: UVA Basketball Coach Tony Bennett’s 5 Pillars of Success

A method in the March Madness: Coach Tony Bennett has built the UVA men’s basketball program on “five pillars.” There may be something to this foundation: With a 29-3 record, the team earned a No. 1 seed for the 2018–19 season. Here, Darden professors elaborate on the pillars and why they work for high-functioning teams on and off the court.

How the Portland Trail Blazers won back their fans

What does a formerly popular NBA franchise do when it sees a sheer drop in attendance and more than half its luxury suites go empty? It employs this technique to determine how much fans value different perks … and refills the arena with a strategic and inexpensive promotion.

Micromanagement: Misunderstood?

“Micromanagement” can have negative connotations. Employees may see it as controlling and demotivating, and superiors may see those accused of it as lacking strategic vision. But whether these detail-oriented behaviors are negative or positive actually depends on context.

The Many Names and Global Reach of Socially Responsible Investing

What is socially responsible investing? Is its increasing momentum sustainable? And are international commitments to ESG practices making an impact? Darden Professors Mary Margaret Frank and Pedro Matos discuss issues related to this popular phenomenon.