Management Journey Carnival – 2013 Year End Edition

Originally published December 2013.

Welcome to the 2013 Year End Edition of the Management Journey Carnival! For this month’s carnival, I’ve selected articles from Dartmouth School of Tuck, Wharton School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, Harvard Business Review, and INSEAD University.

Topics this month include strategy, performance management, entrepreneurship, cross-cultural leadership, organizational development, organizational culture, and innovation. From my blog, I also share some of my leadership insights on how NOT to give performance feedback in the age of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

First, I’ll share my selections for this month’s Carnival. I’ll start with my classic post selection.


 A Classic Article: Because Good Sense Never Gets Old!

Earlier this year, Michael Blanding of Dartmouth Tuck School of Business wrote an interesting article on strategy. As Michael states, many believe that the best way for leaders to secure a competitive edge in their industry is to identify their company’s unique capabilities and then build incrementally upon them (as opposed to identifying game-changing innovations). There’s value in this widely accepted approach but it can be limiting too. As Michael explains in his article, The Psychology of Strategy, business leaders need to be more like bees.  Instead of competing for a limited supply of nectar, find a new flower that other bees cannot find! — Strategy, Leadership


Featured Video: What is Disruptive Innovation?

What is disruptive innovation and why do you need to understand this change dynamic? This is the subject of my selection for the featured video for this month’s Carnival. This video from Harvard Business Review explains why disruptive innovation is changing the way we do business. — Innovation, Change, Entrepreneurship

 


Featured Articles: Insights Worth Reading!

man typing on a laptop

Articles

I’ve selected several articles for my last Carnival of 2013. They provide insights on cross-cultural leadership, organizational culture, performance feedback and emotional intelligence.

One size fits all does not make a good fashion statement. It does not make for effective cross cultural leadership either. As Caroline Rook of Insead explains, in her article, How Different Cultures Perceive Effective Leadership, cross cultural leadership is a balancing act between paying attention to culture and treating your team members as individuals.  — Cross-Cultural Leadership

Some employees are like a bull in a china shop. They come at all levels. They might be the CEO (a real difficult problem), a middle manager, or an employee. These individuals are toxic employees who destroy the social fabric of your organization. They’ll burn the bridge down as long as it benefits them. The problem is they are probably bright people who have certain skills, the ability to get results, or technical knowledge that is helpful to the organization. Wharton School of Business discusses the downside of keeping these employees in your organization in its article, Havoc in the Workplace: Coping with Hurricane Employees. — Organizational Culture, Emotional Intelligence

Organizational culture (also known as the way we do things here) is becoming important again! Organizational leaders are identifying the core values to which they expect their managers and employees to align themselves. Integrity and trust are common words that leaders identify as important corporate values.  Are these efforts worthwhile? As the Kellogg School of Management explains in its article, Corporate Culture—Not Lip Service—Counts, establishing a bona fide “culture of integrity” can be costly for a corporation, but the economic returns are real. — Organizational Culture, Leadership

One of the most important jobs you have as a manager is to give performance feedback to your employees. It’s easier to give feedback when you want to tell your employee that he has done a good job. It’s more challenging when you need to address an area of improvement with him. As the Stanford Graduate  School of Business explains in its article, Carole Robin: Feedback is a Gift, very few of your employees will arrive at your doorstep fully developed. “If you do it right, the other person also feels cared for, valued and closer to you.” — Performance  Feedback


From Management is a Journey: A Strategy for Turning Adversity into Opportunities

Road JourneyIn an age where anyone can have a national and global audience via social media, YouTube, and other means, managers need to manage their emotions appropriately. What a manager says in the heat of the moment to an employee could become a viral video via an unhappy employee. As I explain in my article, the AOL Firing Lesson: Praise in Public, Correct in Private, when you have to take the tough actions that your role requires remember that your approach is everything! — Performance Feedback, Social Media, Emotional Intelligence

I hope you enjoyed my selections for the 2013 Year End Edition of the Management Journey Blog Carnival.

Regards,

Robert

Written by Robert Tanner | Copyrighted Material | All Rights Reserved Worldwide

This article is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge.
Content is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional advice in business, management, legal, or human resource matters.

Robert Tanner, MBA

Welcome to my leadership blog. I'm the Founder & Principal Consultant of Business Consulting Solutions LLC, a certified practitioner of psychometric assessments, and a former Adjunct Professor of Management. As a leadership professional, I bring 20+ years of real world experience at all levels of management.

Expert Interview

Wall Street Journal

Expert Presenter

Association of Talent Development

Expert Interview

Society for Human Resource Management

Expert Author

Digital Analytics Association