Topic: Management

A cube of hundred dollar bills wrapped in a blue bow Research Brief / Productivity

Trying Out Bonus-Pay Theory on Unsupervised, Low-Skill Tasks

Incentives boost output, but benefits level off at a fairly low point

An illustration of the outlines of a group of men and women, multicolored Research Brief / Gender

The Art of Selling Corporate Gender Equity Initiatives

Workforce doesn’t identify as feminist? Maybe don’t use that word

A firefighter in gear carries a fire hose as they walk past a fire truck Research Brief / Management

A Bottom-Up, Instead of Top-Down, Path Away from Sexist Bosses

Encouraging the rank-and-file to value feminine traits reduces the implicit endorsement of a biased supervisor

A color illustration of various faces Research Brief / Diversity

Inviting White Workers to Join Diversity Initiatives May Increase Buy-In

Absent such a call, white workers may doubt they have a role

Two staffers wearing face masks hand dishes to women in the senior living center Research Brief / COVID-19

More Staffers: More COVID-19 Exposures and More Nursing Home Deaths

Reliance on part-timers raises headcounts and dangers to patients

A hospital hallway full of mediical personnel and patients Research Brief / Health Care

Exhausted Doctors Less Likely to Prescribe Pain Meds

At the end of a night shift, empathy for patients’ hurting seems diminished

Workers in a factory Research Brief / Management

Cause and Effect in the Complex World of Corporate Decision Making

As with scientific research, it’s hard to distinguish correlation from causation

A military cargo airplane taxis on a n airbase runway Research Brief / Operations

Improving Airlift Schedules with Algorithms

Splitting complex problems into parts simplifies and greatly speeds the task

Two man fist bumping as they sit in front of a computer at a desk Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Matching Incentives with the Right Relationship

The kind of reward matters less than the type of connection between giver and recipient

Overhead view of a group of workers gathering around desks to confer Research Brief / Organizational Culture

American and Chinese Perceptions of Having a Say at Work

It’s generally a positive in both cultures, but buy-in is more tentative in China

Illustration of car outline made of parts Research Brief / Manufacturing

Mass Customization Makes Forecasting Parts Purchases a Manufacturer’s Nightmare

A method that establishes a range of needs — and then tightens the range — works better

Quiz

Mute Your Zoom Call and Take This Quiz

Zara’s excess inventory, why California housing seems more reasonably priced and the right amount of free time

Research Brief / Data Analytics

Old Ways of Thinking Cause Managers to Disregard Analytics

Highlighting the right data and making it relevant can help overcome resistance

remote worker using technology Research Brief / Workplace

Technology Alone Won’t Decide the Future of Remote Work

Social and institutional forces ultimately enable — or stifle — change

Surgeon thoroughly washes his hands at a sink Research Brief / Health Care

A Scheduling Tool that Considers Employee Preferences

A model for staffing O.R.s incorporates the costs of worker dissatisfaction and idle time

Manager disapprovingly looks down at a distressed employee's work Research Brief / Workplace

Why Unloved Workers Don’t Share Productivity Tips with the Boss

Concept of attachment theory, born in developmental psychology, applied to the workplace