Group items tagged

Recommended by Ryan Smerek, MSLOC Faculty Book Description: Unlock your mind From the bestselling authors of Thinking, Fast and Slow; The Black Swan; and Stumbling on Happiness comes a cutting-edge exploration of the mysteries of rational thought, decision-making, intuition, morality, willpower, problem-solving, prediction, forecasting, unconscious behavior, and beyond. Edited by John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org ("The world's smartest website"-The Guardian), Thinking presents original ideas by today's leading psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers who are radically expanding our understanding of human thought. Daniel Kahneman on the power (and pitfalls) of human intuition and "unconscious" thinking * Daniel Gilbert on desire, prediction, and why getting what we want doesn't always make us happy * Nassim Nicholas Taleb on the limitations of statistics in guiding decision-making * Vilayanur Ramachandran on the scientific underpinnings of human nature * Simon Baron-Cohen on the startling effects of testosterone on the brain * Daniel C. Dennett on decoding the architecture of the "normal" human mind * Sarah-Jayne Blakemore on mental disorders and the crucial developmental phase of adolescence * Jonathan Haidt, Sam Harris, and Roy Baumeister on the science of morality, ethics, and the emerging synthesis of evolutionary and biological thinking * Gerd Gigerenzer on rationality and what informs our choices

By Bea La O', MSLOC 2014 Capstone Research "This study seeks to understand how managers make strategic decisions through the lens of three approaches proffered by Mintzberg and Westley (2001): "think-first," procedural rationality, "see-first," insight and intuition, and "do-first," sensemaking. Through interviews with six leaders on strategic decision issues that range from changing the growth strategy of a large healthcare firm to redefining the talent management framework of a large quick service restaurant company, the study finds managers switch between the three approaches over the course of considering a decision issue. It also finds managers manage the inherent tension between "thinking-first," "seeing-first," and "doing-first," and socialize decision issues with stakeholders using "think-first," procedural rationality, and "do-first," sensemaking. "

By Eric Jaffe Shared by Keeley Sorokti, MSLOC alumna "By now we're all familiar with the stereotypes of different generations in the workplace. Boomers are workaholics who respect authority and have a lifelong loyalty to their company. Generation X employees prize a work-life balance. Millennials float from job to job and flaunt managerial authority and are too busy texting to care what you think of that. Given the popular consensus about office generational gaps--and the abundance of advice columns on bridging them--you'd think evidence for these traits would be strong. That's not at all the case, says management scholar John Bret Becton of University of Southern Mississippi. "We're always looking for a reason why people are different," Becton tells Co.Design. "But at least half of the research shows there's really not a lot of difference.""

By Maria Konnikova March 8, 2014 Shared by Jeff Merrell, MSLOC Associate Director ""I HATE quotation. Tell me what you know," Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his journal one spring day in 1849. He was talking about a very specific tendency. When we're faced with an issue that's meant to be thought provoking (in this particular case, immortality), we reach for the easy way out. "I notice," he writes, "that as soon as writers broach this question, they begin to quote." Quotation becomes a way not to add depth to your thinking, but to avoid thinking in the first place. Welcome to the world of the Internet. What would Emerson have made of it? Examined from one perspective, it's a place that provides endless fodder for the type of anti-thought he despised. He would have shuddered to find himself quoted and requoted millions of times (make that millions plus one), often with little understanding of who he was or what he stood for. Decontextualized knowledge - snippets that stream past as links, tweets, posts, memes - dominates. "

Debate about the definition of Design Thinking. Great resources/ideas shared in the comments too.

In This Issue Think Differently: How can organizations prepare change leaders for VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity)? Community Buzz - The power of being mindful in the workplace - Talent Management: Looking beyond the resume MSLOC Community Snapshots - People on the Move

In This Issue Think Differently: How can organizations prepare change leaders for VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity)? Community Buzz - The power of being mindful in the workplace - Talent Management: Looking beyond the resume MSLOC Community Snapshots - People on the Move

Using meditation in the classroom to improve focus. Summarizes research on multi-tasking with technology. Includes reading recommendations.

Article by Robert Kabacoff February 7, 2014 Shared by Amber Barger, MSLOC Student In study after study, strategic thinkers are found to be among the most highly effective leaders. And while there is an abundance of courses, books, articles and opinions on the process of strategic planning, the focus is typically on an isolated process that might happen once or twice per year. In contrast, a true strategic leader thinks and acts strategically every day.

Author: Kathryn Heath February 25, 2014 Shared by: Andee Weinfurter, MSLOC Student Description: Who says women don't like office politics? Just about everyone: My clients. My colleagues. My mother. The sommelier at the French restaurant I ate lunch at last weekend. They've all complained about office politics. Some women claim they are not good at it, while others simply avoid certain hot-button business situations because they think playing politics is "sleazy."

By Jeff Haden Shared by Catherine Suer, MSLOC Student "I love setting goals. Unfortunately, my goals don't always love me back. I've tried using silence to accomplish a goal, and I've tried to sneak up on big goals, and although those strategies work, they're hardly foolproof. Fortunately James Clear, an entrepreneur and guy who thinks a lot about goals, habits, and success, has a much better approach to achieving almost any goal--and it's an approach anyone can use."

11/25/2013 by Tim Kuppler on TLNT - The Business of HR

By Beth Kuhel March 8, 2014 "If you want to get hired and stay hired you need to know how hiring managers think. Since Google is setting the standard for attracting, hiring (and paying) top talent, examining and understanding their hiring standards and practices could help you even if you have no interest in working there."

March 14, 2014 By Paul Boag Shared by Tammie Green, MSLOC Alumna "If digital is just a tool in our business arsenal, then it fundamentally alters how we approach this new medium. It will even redefine what your job should be. If digital is just a tool, we might not even need Web professionals. I can tell you now that from a certain point of view they are right to criticize me. In fact, yes, at their most fundamental level, digital technologies such as the Web and mobile are just tools like any other we work with. Like electricity or the printing press, we can use these tools to achieve a business objective. For example, to persuade prospective customers to buy a product, you might get a brochure printed. This would require both the power of electricity and a printing press. Alternatively, you could build a website, send an email or create a Facebook page. Digital is just another tool in your arsenal."

Author: Matt Palmquist March 20, 2014 Shared by: Andee Weinfurter Bottom Line: Although the forward-thinking and innovative efforts of employees drive many elements of corporate strategy and success, managers lag behind in their ability to support such creative endeavors. They must give employees the resources to take on their own pet projects, and turn them into corporate assets.

Author: Nick Tasler May 7, 2014 Shared by: Robin Bellerby, MSLOC Alum Three pervasive myths continue to make strategic thinking an elusive skill set in today's organizations.

This book by Lawrence G. Hrebiniak is recommended by BK Simerson, MSLOC 431 Leading with Strategic Thinking Instructor. It is not focused on learning and organizational change but is a very useful book.

Author: Nicole Carter Date: March 11, 2014 Shared by: Andee Weinfurter Description: It's the fourth day of SXSW Interactive, and though the throngs of geeks and enthusiasts are getting tired, it didn't stop a handful of them from lining up to see Patricia Korth-McDonnell, partner and managing director of design firm Huge, talk about chaos and creativity.

IDEO article about what "design sensibilities" are and how to develop them.