Why Firms Should Care About the Career Stage of China’s Officials
Xiaowei Rose LuoFebruary 8, 2021
By Xiaowei Rose Luo Tasked with a broad range of objectives, government officials will prioritise different ones depending on their career stage and mobilise firms accordingly. Governments typically set a wide range of goals. This is reasonable and expected: For a society to grow sustainably, social stability-related targets are just as critical as economic ones. […]
How the Discomfort of Paradox Can Unlock Creativity
Rachael NoyesFebruary 8, 2021
By Rachael Noyes The transformative power of holding the tension of opposites and learning to live with contradiction. The Covid-19 pandemic has crammed a great deal of pressure into our lives, but it has also created an unprecedented opportunity to revisit our own assumptions about how we should live and work. Managers and leaders have […]
How Boards Can Steer Companies to “Build Back Better”
N. Craig SmithFebruary 1, 2021
By N. Craig Smith The momentum for sustainability is strong despite misgivings over current financial strains. Few businesses can afford to ignore it. When the history of the Covid-19 pandemic is written, it will no doubt note how, in one fell swoop, the bug accomplished something humanity had long struggled to do: slash global carbon […]
How the SDGs Can Change Your Organisation, From the Inside Out
Atalay AtasuFebruary 1, 2021
By Atalay Atasu Put the framework at the heart of your sustainability strategy. Start by using it to audit your internal resources. As an organisational mission, sustainability is hard to wrap your head around. Given its enormity and complexity, individuals have trouble measuring their own contributions, let alone those of their teams and departments. […]
Why Universal Basic Income Should Be President Biden’s Top Priority
Robert AyresJanuary 25, 2021
By Robert Ayres An updated system of income and taxes would alleviate the worst crises the United States faces, including climate change. What’s more, we’ve got the numbers to prove it can work. The incoming Biden and Harris team faces multiple crises requiring its immediate attention: the Covid-19 epidemic, a deep economic crisis and dangerous […]
Healing the Social Wounds of Injustice
Michael JarrettJanuary 25, 2021
By Michael Jarrett Sigmund Freud’s concept of the pleasure principle offers clarity on how to repair fragmented societies in the aftermath of destructive populism. A violent insurrection at the very heart of American democracy. Stubborn rejection of life-saving public health guidance during a surging pandemic. Polarisation. To an appalled observer, the contemporary social landscape appears […]
How Technology Threatens Mental Health – Especially if You’re Inauthentic
Pawel KorzynskiJanuary 18, 2021
By Pawel Korzynski When the personality you show the world doesn’t match your true self, it can sap the energy you would otherwise need to deal with technostress. The word technostress is often credited to Craig Brod, an American psychologist who authored a book about the stress brought on by rapid changes in technology. It […]
What Fuels Rumours and How to Put Them Out
Enver YücesanJanuary 18, 2021
By Enver Yücesan Unfounded rumours can be spread far and wide by anyone who knows their way around social media. We can’t stamp it out but we can – and should – fight fire with fire. As a spikey virus raced around the world this year, another insidious contagion of misinformation, conspiracy theories and rumours […]
Why Putting Your Phone Away Isn’t the Answer
Alixandra BaraschJanuary 11, 2021
By Alixandra Barasch Interaction on social media during an event increases our enjoyment in the moment and beyond. The admonition to “Put your phone away!” while attending an event is universal. We all have the sense that if someone is fiddling with their phone or texting during an experience, their attention isn’t where it […]
How Start-ups in Emerging Markets Succeed Despite Scarcity
Bala VissaJanuary 11, 2021
By Bala Vissa When the going gets tough, bring on improvisation and learning. 2019 was a record year of venture capital funding for start-ups in emerging economies from Latin America, Africa to Southeast Asia. This year, well, it’s safe to say the money is not exactly sloshing around, and the pace is likely to remain […]