Future of Work Briefs

Executives tend to turn toward fellow executives for advice. Historically, best practices on hiring, manufacturing, and sales all emerge when talking to someone else who has sat in the trenches. But the ways we do business have changed dramatically over the course of the last decade, and it’s become more necessary to reach outside of your expertise – or industry — to gain perspective on your business and leadership style.

Dismissing an employee is one of the most unpleasant tasks of management. It’s likely to evoke a lot of mixed feelings: sympathy, sadness, and anxiety. Even if letting go of the employee (or employees) is in the best interest of the company, you still may feel guilty. What’s the best way to deliver the news? How do you strike the balance of being direct and compassionate? How much should you let your emotions show?

Social distance is one of the greatest barriers to effective teamwork. In the context of teams, the term denotes a lack of connection between co-workers or colleagues and is sometimes referred to as psychological distance.

What makes Huawei so successful? As the saying goes, “Success has many fathers.” But as with many great companies, we find part of the solution to this puzzle by looking at the specific values that define the culture of Huawei. Having interviewed people working for Huawei, reading articles, letters and keynotes by the founder Ren Zhengfei, and finally interviewing Ren Zhengfei allowed us to understand the foundation of Huawei’s value-driven culture.

With growing congestion a global megatrend, companies have a choice. Either accept it (and its higher costs and lower profits) or take control of your fate with strategic, game-changing actions that cut time and costs from the supply chain.

We like to think that great ideas are recognized as such from the beginning, but in fact that is rarely the case. Research shows we’re not as good as we think at recognizing the value of innovative thinking. In fact, managers might even be a bit worse.

Even if you love your job, it’s common to feel burnt out from time to time. Perhaps you just wrapped up a big project and are having trouble mustering motivation for the next one. Are some forms of rejuvenation better than others?

To grow and innovate, organizations have to come up with creative ideas. At the employee level, creativity results from a combination of expertise, motivation, and thinking skills. At the team level, it results from the synergy between team members, which allows the group to produce something greater than the sum of its parts.