December 2020
Leadership
Emotional Intelligence Is Key to Strong Leadership. Here’s How to Sharpen Yours.
A professor and executive coach offers tips for developing different components of EQ.
Finance & Accounting
How an Advice Hotline Is Making Farmers in India More Productive
Previous efforts to provide farmers with guidance fell short. But this venture went further.
Marketing
4 Keys to Effective—and Honest—Data Visualizations
Here’s how to make sure you are conveying your argument faithfully when designing charts and graphs.
Innovation
Why Do Some People Succeed after Failing, While Others Continue to Flounder?
A new study dispels some of the mystery behind success after failure.
Marketing
Personalized Marketing Can Be Ineffective—and Creepy. Here Are 3 Research-Backed Tips for Getting It Right.
Simply having a compelling message isn’t enough.
Organizations
Don’t Let Your Company Culture Falter During the Pandemic
Changes to work routines offer opportunities to rethink and shore up your organization’s ethos.
Finance & Accounting
Should Local Governments Be Offering Tax Credits to Angel Investors?
New research casts doubt on whether these incentives actually spur innovation and economic growth.
Social Impact
How Racism Discouraged Volunteer Enlistment Immediately after Pearl Harbor
New research examines what happened when Black and Japanese men, who were battling discrimination at home, were asked to fight injustice abroad.
November 2020
Healthcare
Is Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine the Next Blockbuster Drug?
Investors are keeping a close eye on the drug firm’s vaccine advances. But the company’s longer-term fortunes may lie elsewhere.
Innovation
Meet Adam, the “Scientist” Who Never Sleeps
An excerpt from the book The Science of Science shows how robots may soon be able to run their own experiments—from start to finish.
Leadership
Podcast: Feeling Stuck? Here’s How to Move Your Career Forward
On this episode of The Insightful Leader, get practical advice for detecting your blind spots—and pushing past them.
Economics
How Auctions Help Solve Some of the World’s Most Complicated Problems
Whenever you turn your lights on, query Google, or stream a video on your phone, it’s likely an auction happened in the background. Our faculty discuss the decades of research that helped make auctions so ubiquitous.
Organizations
One Way to Create Better Workplace Incentives and Protocols: Codesign Them with Your Employees
New practices are more likely to be embraced if they aren’t dictated from the top.
Marketing
Feeling Down? Simply Daydreaming about Something Fun Won’t Help.
But taking action could lift your spirits.
Policy
One Key Trait That Predicts How Much People Will Socially Distance
This new research could help policymakers deliver more effective COVID-safety messaging.
Data Analytics
Video: How Bias Creeps into AI when Businesses Aren’t Looking
A quick explainer on what happens if you aren’t thoughtful about the data you use.
Economics
Meet the (Surprisingly Rational) COVID Consumer
Research on initial consumer spending shows that those at higher risk were making safer choices.
Marketing
How the Specter of Contagious Disease Changes What We Want to Eat
Consumers turn to old standbys like Campbell’s Soup and Oreos. Here’s why.
October 2020
Finance & Accounting
Airlines and COVID-19: The Turbulence Ahead
With demand still down and debts mounting, the industry looks ahead.
Leadership
How to Develop a Leadership Mindset for Uncertain Times
For one, take a page from the hero’s journey to find transformation in adversity.
Politics & Elections
The Political Divide in America Goes Beyond Polarization and Tribalism
These days, political identity functions a lot like religious identity.
Economics
What Is “Auction Theory,” and What Kinds of Questions Can It Answer?
The recent Nobel put the field of auction theory in the spotlight. An economist explains how it works, using his own research as a guide.
Healthcare
Choosing the Right Health-Insurance Plan Could Add Years to Your Life
New evidence suggests that certain Medicare Advantage plans increase life spans more than others. Here’s what the best plans have in common.
Policy
Unpacking the Federal Reserve’s Aggressive Response to COVID-19
A Kellogg professor spent the past year at the Fed. He explains the bank’s “guns-blazing” response—and the limits to these interventions.
Organizations
What Companies Can Do to Encourage Compliance with COVID Safety Measures
Tips for thinking through “friction points” and making new habits stick.
Finance & Accounting
What’s Next for Real Estate Markets?
As the pandemic continues to upend how we live, work, and play, the future of residential and commercial markets remains very much in flux.
Organizations
How Family Business Owners Can Step Up During a Crisis
In uncertain times, businesses need to adapt. Their owners may have to as well.
Entrepreneurship
Immigrants to the U.S. Create More Jobs than They Take
A new study finds that immigrants are far more likely to found companies—both large and small—than native-born Americans.
Politics & Elections
When Executives Donate to Politicians, How Much Are They Keeping Their Companies’ Interests in Mind?
A new study looks at the motivation behind these donations, which make up nearly a fifth of all political giving.
Finance & Accounting
Tesla’s Stock Offering: Not Their First nor Their Last
Here’s why they’re at it again.
Careers
There Are 168 Hours in the Week. Are You Spending Them on What Matters?
A former CEO on how to budget time for what you value most.
Economics
Does Requiring Food-Stamp Recipients to Work Actually Increase Economic Self-Sufficiency?
The answer is increasingly urgent as politicians debate whether to reinstate the requirement, which was paused during the COVID-19 recession.
Social Impact
Researchers Designed an Algorithm to Save Schools Money and Improve Equity. The District Loved it. Then Things Got Messy.
A tale of bus routes in Boston shows the promises and pitfalls of using new technology to change entrenched systems.
September 2020
Careers
How to Sell in a Virtual World
From a “pre-flight checklist” to handwritten thank-you notes, here’s how to sell both your products and your ideas via video.
Entrepreneurship
Family Businesses Are Experiencing the COVID-19 Crisis in Unique Ways
Lower debt, diversified portfolios, and longer-term horizons may be shielding family firms from the existential threats facing many other businesses.
Innovation
Could a Small City Become the Next Silicon Valley? It’s Unlikely.
New research suggests that there’s a population tipping point for supporting a booming tech industry.
Healthcare
Pharma Companies Argue That Lower Drug Prices Would Mean Fewer Breakthrough Drugs. Is That True?
Probably not, a new study suggests—as long as the price decreases are modest.
Finance & Accounting
How Credit Ratings Are Shaping Governments’ Responses to Covid-19
To fund pandemic-related spending, governments around the world will need to take on more debt. If they can.
Economics
White Americans Overestimate Racial Progress. But Certain Attempts to Remedy That Could Backfire.
Researchers hoped that having white participants read about racism would help them grasp the true extent of racial gaps in wealth and income. They were wrong.
Policy
How Did School Desegregation Shape the Political Ideology of White Students Later in Life?
A new study suggests that, more than four decades later, the impact of these policies on political leanings is apparent.
Marketing
How Anticipation Warps Our Sense of Time
Here’s why that trip to Disneyland—or to the dentist—seems to take ages, but the return trip feels much faster.
August 2020
Economics
We’re Several Months into the COVID Economy. What Have We Learned?
From household spending to the strength of the dollar, an economist sees some clear trends—and signs of what’s to come.
Careers
3 Tips for Conquering Self-Doubt at Work
High achievers often worry they aren’t qualified to weigh in. Here’s how to get past those self-sabotaging thoughts.
Leadership
Podcast: Thinking about Adopting a Contact-Tracing App for Your Company? Here’s What to Keep in Mind.
The technology can help reopen workplaces—but only if your employees trust it. On this special episode of The Insightful Leader, three experts discuss how to earn that trust.
Social Impact
Why Well-Meaning NGOs Sometimes Do More Harm than Good
Studies of aid groups in Ghana and Uganda show why it’s so important to coordinate with local governments and institutions.
Operations
From PPE to Denim and Beer, Here’s What the Pandemic Is Teaching Us about Supply Chains
Five lessons from Kellogg Professor Marty Lariviere.
Innovation
3 Steps for Reimagining Your Business for a Post-COVID World
The crisis presents an opportunity to dream up new ideas, learn from others, and take bold action.
Careers
Stop Hiring for “Cultural Fit”
When you prioritize candidates you “click with,” you run the risk of discriminating against candidates from different backgrounds. Here’s how to change course.
Strategy
To Find the Best Incentives for Employees, Start with a Simple A/B Test
Keeping people motivated can be tough. New research shows that a simple experiment can lead to big productivity gains.
Data Analytics
How AI Can Help Weed Out Faulty Scientific Research
Solid science is more important than ever, yet experts often struggle to predict which studies will replicate. Artificial intelligence could do the job better.
Innovation
Recessions Can Stifle Product Innovation for Years
To keep companies innovating through the current recession, they will need greater access to credit.
Organizations
Here’s the Best Way to Rotate Workers (or Students) into Buildings to Curb the Spread of Covid-19
Should groups be staggered daily? Weekly? Monthly? A new model helps organizations decide.
Organizations
Why Are Social Media Platforms Still So Bad at Combating Misinformation?
Facebook, Twitter, and users themselves have few incentives to distinguish fact from fiction.
July 2020
Leadership
Podcast: How a Century-Old Family Business Is Adapting to the Pandemic
On this special episode of The Insightful Leader: a conversation with the chairman and the CEO of Griffith Foods about leading with purpose during the crisis.
Organizations
What Astronauts Can Teach Us about Working Remotely
Space: the final frontier—for learning how to keep your team motivated during extended periods of isolation and confinement.
Policy
A Look Inside Chicago’s Economic Recovery Plan
Attracting HQ2s. Expanding mental-health care. A member of the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force explains how the city can emerge both stronger and more equitable.
Social Impact
Black-Owned Businesses Often Struggle to Access Capital. Here’s How Financial Institutions Can Change That.
Banks and investors need to redefine creditworthiness, diversify their boards, and think more about social returns.
Leadership
Looking for “5 Quick Tips” to Build an Inclusive Organization? You’re on the Wrong Track.
Two experts discuss why corporate diversity initiatives so often fall short, and what it will take to produce real change.
Innovation
The Pandemic Has Slashed Scientists’ Productivity
The extent varies a good deal by field, but the single biggest factor is whether a scientist is caring for young children.
Strategy
How to Negotiate via Email
This excerpt from Negotiating the Sweet Spot: The Art of Leaving Nothing on the Table offers three tips for writing emails that engage and persuade.
Social Impact
Does Social-Media Use Increase Xenophobia?
A recent study investigates, using data from a popular Russian social-media platform and information on regional hate crimes.
Politics & Elections
Why We Know So Little about Disparities within the Federal Court System—and How That’s Finally Changing
Millions of hard-to-obtain public court records shed new light on the fairness of the U.S. judiciary.
Careers
What’s the Secret Ingredient to Great Mentorship?
It’s not just subject-matter expertise, according to a new study.
Leadership
How to Build Resilient Habits into Your Daily Life
Life today is complicated. Here are some simple ways to stay energized and motivated.
Leadership
You’ve Worked Hard to Earn Your Team’s Trust. What Happens If Layoffs Are Necessary?
Layoffs are brutal. But the news is easier to accept from leaders who consistently display honesty, competency, and concern for their employees.
Marketing
Is Now the Time to Transition to Personalized Marketing?
Budgets are strapped. There are a million other things to do. But the risk of ignoring AI-powered modern marketing is dire.
Entrepreneurship
Podcast: “This Is a Time for Management Teams to Earn Their Stripes.”
On this special episode of The Insightful Leader, veteran venture capitalist Woody Marshall discusses the investment landscape and the importance of leadership through the pandemic.
Organizations
How to Do Design Thinking Better
Experts from Kellogg and IDEO explain the psychology behind this creative approach to problem solving.
June 2020
Entrepreneurship
Amid the Pandemic, Entrepreneurs Can Still Find Opportunity
The crisis provides fertile ground for startups in spaces like telehealth and touchless payment. Other startups will need to get creative.
Strategy
Podcast: Wayfair Has Seen a Spike in New Customers. Here’s How It Plans to Keep Them.
On this special episode of The Insightful Leader, a conversation with the company’s chief merchandising officer about adapting for an unprecedented future.
Finance & Accounting
How to Secure Credit During a Financial Crisis
The key? Don’t tap your best collateral in good times.
Economics
Why the Next Round of COVID-19 Aid Should Target Industries That Can’t Work from Home
A new study pinpoints which sectors—and which workers in those sectors—suffered the most. Congress should take note.
As the Crisis Drags On, Here’s How Leaders Can Maintain Momentum
The adrenaline has faded. All-nighters are not sustainable. A retired Navy admiral explains what needs to happen now.
Policy
How Is the Pandemic Affecting Antitrust Enforcement?
Deals will be ramping up again soon. Companies shouldn’t expect a free pass from regulators.
Social Impact
“This Is What It Means to Be Black in America and Black in Corporate America”
As the nation reckons with structural racism, a Kellogg professor and a Google diversity recruiter discuss what credible leadership looks like for business leaders.
Social Impact
Podcast: “I’m Looking for Systemic, Permanent Change Right Now”
Anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in corporate culture. On this special episode of The Insightful Leader, Professor Nicholas Pearce and Google’s Ginny Clarke discuss the moral responsibility of leaders to finally address that.
Marketing
How Have Top Marketers Responded to the Pandemic? With Rapid Innovation.
Leaders in industries from healthcare to casual dining are fast-tracking changes to the customer experience. Here are four of their stories.
Social Impact
What Will It Take to Alleviate Global Poverty?
We asked Kellogg experts what they wish NGOs and policymakers knew about poverty reduction. Their answers touched on everything from climate change to local bankruptcy laws.
Social Impact
Some Companies Actually Do See Financial Returns on Their Social Investments. Here’s What They Have in Common.
A new study finds that ESG investments—when paired with high employee satisfaction—boost stock performance.
Careers
Exhausted by Working from Home? Anxious about Going Back?
Tips from a clinical health psychologist on managing the work-related stressors that may be affecting your mental health.
Careers
How to Coach Your Sales Team through the Pandemic (and Beyond)
The founder of the Kellogg Sales Institute offers tips for adapting to this high-stakes moment.
Innovation
Want Your Employees to Innovate? Trust Them.
R&D teams take more risks—and do better work—when their CEOs have faith in them.
Strategy
Tired of People Invading Your Six-Foot Bubble? Game Theory Has a Solution.
Well, not exactly. But it does offer a new way of thinking about the problem.
Careers
Your Professional Development Doesn’t Need to Be Put on Hold
You can still seek out ways to stretch yourself or test out a new career path—even during a pandemic.
Careers
Younger Workers Lose Out When Their Coworkers Delay Retirement
But at fast-growing companies, the outlook is more promising.
Marketing
A New System for Getting Your Kids to Eat Healthier Foods
They tend to prefer variety. Here’s how to use that instinct to get more fruits and veggies on their plates.
May 2020
Policy
The Wrong Way to Ramp Up COVID-19 Testing
Robust testing is key to safely reopening the economy. But a new model shows that if testing is not paired with “smart containment,” it could backfire.
Leadership
Podcast: Now’s the Time to Hone Your Moral Decision-Making Skills
Dilemmas are rarely black-and-white. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear what fictional characters can teach us about today’s real-world quandaries.
Leadership
Easy Hacks to Improve Your Virtual Meetings
From “speed-storming” to building a team charter, these ideas boost creativity and comfort on video calls.
Operations
Having a Far-Flung Supply Chain May Lead to More Product Defects
When firms have to collaborate over long distances, the final product suffers.
Innovation
3 Strategies to Transform Your Business for the Pandemic Economy
You know you need to adapt. But how?
Organizations
Too Much Cross Talk. Too Little Creativity. How to Fix the Worst Parts of a Virtual Meeting.
Six tools from an unlikely place—improv comedy—to use on your next Zoom call.
Economics
The Treasury’s Former Chief Economist Takes Stock of the Pandemic’s Economic Impact
Kellogg’s Janice Eberly zeroes in on a few data points that demonstrate the massive challenge policymakers face.
Innovation
The U.S. Is Full of Innovative Thinkers. The Government Needs to Marshal All of Them to Fight Covid-19.
Here’s how we can accelerate efforts to reduce the spread, develop treatments, and find a vaccine.
Policy
What Can the Federal Government Do to Get the Economy Back on Track?
A former White House economist weighs the pros and cons of job-retraining programs, aid for states, and universal basic income.
Finance & Accounting
Taking on Debt Can Help a Company Grow—Until a Crisis Hits
A new study shows how highly leveraged companies have less flexibility to innovate in a downturn.
Economics
Here’s How Americans Are Spending Their Stimulus Checks
Real-time data pinpoints what we’re buying, and who’s spending the fastest.
Organizations
This Isn’t Their First Crisis: Many Family Businesses Are Uniquely Prepared for the Looming Recession
Even so, one of their core strengths could become a liability.
Healthcare
How to Craft Public-Health Messages That Work
The key? Understanding how fear and confidence shape healthy choices.