Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Here’s something odd: We’re getting worse at construction. Think of the technology we have today that we didn’t in the 1970s. The new generations of power tools and computer modeling and teleconferencing and advanced machinery and prefab materials and global shipping. You’d think we could build much more, much faster, for less money, than in the past. But we can’t. Or, at least, we don’t.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Feb 05, 2023

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/opinion/economy-construction-productivity-mystery.html?smid=em-share

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the reasons offered that explain the lack of productivity growth in construction.
  • Do you think this is a fair assessment of the industry?
  • What are other possible explanations, as you see things?
  • What would recommend to the players involved that would allow for greater productivity?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Strategy.

Description: Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Ethan Mollick weigh in on ChatGPT and why the controversial software has limitless potential to improve education, business, and a range of industries.

Source: knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/

Date: Jan 31, 2023

Link: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/wharton-business-daily-podcast/chatgpt-passed-an-mba-exam-whats-next/?utm_campaign=KatW2023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=kw_campaign_monitor&utm_term=2-1-2023&utm_content=ChatGPT_Passed_an_MBA_Exam._What’s_Next

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key evaluation points made about the software.
  • What are the potential uses and management implications?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: We need to reconceive managerial authority for today’s business environment — not eliminate it.

Source: Sloanreview.mit.edu/

Date: Jan 25, 2023

Link: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/rethinking-hierarchy/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=speed%20in%20decision-making&utm_campaign=Enews%20Leadership%202/2/2023

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key ideas presented in this article.
  • What distinguishes Mark I and Mark II authority?
  • Do you agree with this orientation?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Leadership, Management.

Description: Entrepreneurs are the individuals who spark change and innovation in the world. But first, they must make changes within themselves.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Date: Jan 26, 2023

Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/the-best-entrepreneurs-are-experts-at-self-improvement/442228

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key ideas about self-improvement, as presented in this report.
  • What do you think about the suggestions made?
  • What would you add to this discussion?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: Just days after stepping down as CEO of Clearco, founder Michele Romanow is still at the Toronto office every day and doesn’t have much time for extra hobbies. As she puts it, she remains “incredibly active” in the e-commerce company that went from being valued at $2 billion two years ago, to laying off more than half its workforce and exiting international markets in the last six months.

Source: BNNBloomberg.ca – video report

Date: Jan 31, 2023

Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/michele-romanow-strives-to-show-up-and-take-responsibility-after-clearco-layoffs-1.1877227

Questions for discussion:

  • What were the reasons for the demise of the firm?
  • How much is the fault of management and entrepreneurial excess?
  • What do you think Michele Romanow knows now that she did not before?

Posted by & filed under International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their biggest gain since July 2022.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Feb 03, 2023

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/03/jobs-report-january-2023-.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Where were the main growth areas for employment?
  • What does this say about how the economy is recovering from the past few years of decline?
  • What does this mean for management, marketers and investors?

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: AbbVie for years delayed competition for its blockbuster drug Humira, at the expense of patients and taxpayers. The monopoly is about to end.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Jan 28, 2023

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/28/business/humira-abbvie-monopoly.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the issues related to how businesses, governments, insurance companies and consumers are connected to the drug Humira.
  • Is this an acceptable system for the industry, in your opinion?
  • How might the system be changed in order to be more fair to all parties?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Nano Tools for Leaders® — a collaboration between Wharton Executive Education and Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management — are fast, effective tools that you can learn and start using in less than 15 minutes, with the potential to significantly impact your success.

Source: knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/

Date: Jan 12, 2023

Link: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-to-use-neuroscience-to-build-team-chemistry/?utm_campaign=KatW2023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=kw_campaign_monitor&utm_term=1-25-2023&utm_content=How_to_Use_Neuroscience_to_Build_Team_Chemistry

Questions for discussion:

  • What is meant by “shared mindset”?
  • Summarize the suggestions made to promote a shared mindset.
  • What do you think about the practicality of these ideas?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: As collaborative technologies proliferate, it is tempting to assume that more sophisticated tools will engender more effective virtual communication. However, our study of globally dispersed teams in a major multinational organization revealed that performance depends on how people use these technologies, not on the technologies themselves.

Source: Sloanreview.mit.edu/

Date: Jun 13, 2018

Link: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/five-ways-to-improve-communication-in-virtual-teams/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key ideas presented in this classic research report.
  • Do you think the analysis and recommendations are still valid at this time?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Silicon Valley as we know it — with its radically transparent company cultures, empowered employees, flat hierarchies and rarefied perks like nap pods and free food — is quickly disappearing. And it’s unlikely to return.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Jan 19, 2023

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/opinion/tech-layoffs-meta-amazon-silicon-valley.html?smid=em-share

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the changes taking place in the tech-workplace, as described in the article.
  • Do you think these changes are just a movement toward the norm for most industries or something else?
  • How do you think these changes will affect employees?