Leadership & management

A study in basketball, team culture, effectiveness and star power: Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan had vastly different styles in leading their teams to victory, both on the court and off. Darden Professor Sean Martin discusses what we can learn from these all-star athletes and what sports have to do with organizational behavior.

A group of prominent CEOs recently issued a statement encouraging business to create value for all stakeholders, not limited to investors. Ed Freeman and his colleagues have been working with Stakeholder Theory for decades. Here, Darden professors across disciplines offer examples of how businesses can (or already are) prioritizing stakeholders.

Confident people are seen as competent people. And people of higher social class tend to have more confidence than others — yet perceptions of their abilities tend to exceed their actual performance. Darden Professor Peter Belmi studies cycles of inequality and here explains what the phenomenon means for businesses and what to do to stop it.

The “exploding offer,” a job offer with a near-term expiration date, is a technique some hiring managers use to increase the likelihood of acceptance. But does it do what it’s designed to, and under what conditions? New research answers these questions based on game theory and mathematical modeling.

To compete in today’s complex business environment, executives must excel at making decisions with an enterprise perspective. Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss’ 9 Cs Enterprise-Perspective Model offers a useful decision-making framework.

Darden Professor Jim Detert studies courage in the workplace — the kind of courage it takes to disagree with your boss, put forth a new plan, confront a negligent co-worker or hold a difficult client to account.

To compete in today’s complex business environment, executives must excel at making decisions with an enterprise perspective. Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss’ 9 Cs Enterprise-Perspective Model offers a useful decision-making framework.

Darden Ideas to Action offers words of wisdom from six experts for graduates (and anyone else) on how real people with a real sense of purpose can make the workplace more productive, responsible and, well, happy.

Mergers and acquisitions can lead to company growth, but they’re also risky and sometimes even destroy shareholder value. Darden Professor Jay Bourgeois offers 20 questions organizations should answer before pursuing an M&A strategy.

We’re in a new era in the history of business. The old bureaucratic-machine paradigm isn’t enough for success anymore, and today’s fast-changing economy requires a new framework for the workplace. Here’s what to do to balance changing workplace culture and maintain productivity so organizations and their people can thrive.