• Meaning – or Efficiency?

    Meaning – or Efficiency?

    In a knowledge economy, where quality is not readily measurable and time no longer a measure of efficiency, Dan Ariely asks what matters more? Meaning? Or industrial revolution-style perceptions of efficiency? Get out your legos!

  • Teens, Want Those Car Keys?

    Teens, Want Those Car Keys?

    Wait ‘till after dinner to ask. Israeli judges’ parole decisions made before and after lunch were tracked. The verdict? Better hope your case comes up after lunchtime. Chances of being granted parole before lunch were slim. Today’s Economist notes that judges are susceptible to cognitive biases, just like you and me. If they roll the… Continue reading →

  • Happy Anniversary Akiyoshi!

    Happy Anniversary Akiyoshi!

    Akiyoshi’s illusion pages are celebrating their tenth anniversary. So here is some Friday fun in celebration of Akiyoshi’s pages, and the fun that initially sparked my interest in neuroscience as a business science applicable to improvements in decision-making. Now there I go ruining all the fun!

  • Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy

    Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy

    If you show us a company where the planners are different from the doers, we will show you a company where what gets done is different from what was planned. A.G. Lafley, Robert Martin, Jan Rivkin and Nicolaj SiggelkowHarvard Business Review’s Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy

  • Advice is like snow

    Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. Samuel Taylor ColeridgeBritish poet, critic and philosopher

  • Connection As The Driver of Innovation

    From Steven Johnson, author of Where Good Ideas Come From, The Natural History of Innovation.

  • Offices versus Cubicles, Round 2

    Just when you thought the debate between offices and cubicles was closed, new evidence emerges. Despite the happy talk about collaboration and interaction, the collateral damage of cubicle and open seating arrangements often outweigh the limited advantages. These ideas, intended to be cost-saving, have created an army of management minnions oblivious to the distinctions between intellectual inspiration and coffee-klatch blather, and infinitely expanded the… Continue reading →

  • Equal to 2,000 Bars of Chocolate? $25,000? 7 More Years of Life?

    Ron Gutman Recaps Research On The Value Of Your Smile

  • Remember if you reward fire fighting

    Remember: If you reward fire-fighting, you’ll create an organization of pyromaniacs. Michael Watkins

  • What If You Were Wrong?

    Get the facts first. You can distort them later. Mark Twain Mark Twain was a prescient humorist, especially when it came to politics. But even Twain might have been surprised to learn that the more misinformed we are, the more likely we will use facts proving us wrong to convince ourselves we are even more right.   Unfortunately it’s true: Facts… Continue reading →

  • Pithiatism

    pithiatism(noun) The treatment of certain disorders by persuading the patient that all is well Concise Medical Dictionary from Oxford University Press

  • The Return of an Ancient Management Secret

    It has the power to bridge gaps, to boost confidence, and to give you the courage to risk greater achievement. In all likelihood your mother did it, your grade school teacher did it, and your school teammates did it. But your manager is probably terrified to try it. What is this highly-effective, ancient management secret?… Continue reading →