Future of Work Briefs

If shareholders think a CEO has done something good to boost profits, they reward the boss with a pay increase amounting to 48.9% (on average) of the perceived contribution to higher profits. But when the CEO is seen as causing a profit decline, there's a zero effect on his or her pay.

Just 9.8% of chief executives can be categorized as highly risk-averse, compared with 64% of the (similarly aged) general population, according to a survey of about 1,000 top leaders in the U.S. by John R. Graham, Campbell R. Harvey, and Manju Puri of Duke University.

The U.S. Supreme Court held the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. This ruling will have many impacts on employee benefits, and extend to same sex married couples the rights of married couples as required by Federal law.

In our 2012 book, Management Reset, Chris Worley and I argue that one key to making the human capital side of organizations more agile is adopting what we call a “travel light” talent management philosophy.

People will continue to debate Procter & Gamble's move to replace CEO Bob McDonald with his immediate predecessor A.G. Lafley, but for us the most compelling and determinative part of this story lies with the board.

There is evidence that say-on-pay votes have led British companies to make executive paychecks more sensitive to poor performance. Say-on-pay votes do have an impact. The question is, what kind of impact?

In recent weeks both J.C. Penney and Procter & Gamble replaced a sitting CEO with his predecessor. This back-to-the-future approach to succession isn't common — and surely most company boards aren't seeking to make it so

What is top of mind for corporate boards worldwide? In one of the most comprehensive global surveys of corporate directors to date, we found that they were very worried about developing and enacting strategic plans that will enable their organizations to succeed.

P&G's board has been under a great deal of pressure from an activist investor who has made his views on the pace of the restructuring clear and vocal. Regardless of the merits, that begins to wear everyone down.