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February 2019

Operations

Podcast: How Do Those Valentine’s Day Roses End Up in Your Bouquet? It’s Complicated.

Millions of blooms. Two continents. One day. And a very busy airport.

Leadership

Take 5: How to Build Trust in the Workplace

Trust is a powerful motivator. Here’s how to foster it among employees in your organization.

Finance & Accounting

How Chinese Businesses Establish Credibility with Foreign Investors

Where contract law is lax, investment banks step in to vet companies.

Operations

What’s the Best Way to Learn a New Skill—by Doing or by Viewing?

An analysis of eBay coders shows that studying a colleague’s work can pay off. Just be careful whose shoulder you’re looking over.

Careers

How to Feel Authentic While Building Your Personal Brand

Get beyond clichés like “adaptable” or “self-starter,” and learn to tell meaningful stories about yourself.

Careers

Podcast: Knock Your Next Business Presentation Out of the Park

From eliminating surprises to setting up the room, the best presenters do a lot more than practice.

Innovation

Looking to Innovate? Ditch the Startup Mentality and Adopt a Venture Capitalist Mindset

Rather than cultivating one great idea, bet on as many as you can.

Strategy

Who Gets Blamed When a Group Project Goes Wrong?

Here’s why consequences stick to some team members more than others, according to a new study of retracted academic papers.

Marketing

Should You Ignore What Your Customers Want? The Great Winemakers Do.

Rather than follow consumer taste, they push it in a new direction.

January 2019

Policy

Podcast: How the Boston Marathon Bombing Created a Rorschach Test for Perceptions of Race

And how a Kellogg professor found himself unexpectedly involved in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Politics & Elections

Which Gold Medalists Do We Tweet About? Liberals and Conservatives Differ

New research explores how political ideology can affect whose accomplishments we celebrate.

Policy

Which Voters Want to Expand Medicaid? Maybe Not the Ones You Think

4-year degree-holders tend to be big supporters—even though they are personally unlikely to benefit.

Organizations

How to Navigate a Vertical Merger after the AT&T and Time Warner Ruling

Here’s what companies can do to minimize antitrust concerns in an uncertain regulatory environment.

Not Everyone Benefited from Lower Interest Rates During the Great Recession

The Fed wanted to help struggling homeowners. But new lending rules undermined its efforts.

Innovation

Three Steps to Help Innovation Teams Succeed at an Established Company

A former Target executive shares how to move fast within organizations that are slow to evolve.

Politics & Elections

Politicians Vote Differently When Journalists Aren’t Watching

During natural disasters, the media spotlight shifts—and special interests benefit.

Operations

There’s a Better Way to Manage Your Inventory

Using data from a drug-store chain, a new model finds opportunities to prevent shortages and boost profits.

Marketing

Why We Can’t All Get Away with Wearing Designer Clothes

In certain professions, luxury goods can send the wrong signal.​

Careers

Take 5: How to Take Charge of Your Professional Development

Kellogg faculty offer advice for every stage of your career.

December 2018

Marketing

Take 5: How to Build Customer Relationships That Last

Getting—and keeping—customer’s attention can be tough. Kellogg faculty offer tips.

Organizations

Are Women More Ethical at the Negotiating Table? It’s Complicated.

Plus, how women are judged differently when they break the rules.

Innovation

Sure, Industry Outsiders Can Bring Fresh Ideas. But Are They Better Entrepreneurs?

New insights from a definitive study on what successful startup founders have in common.

Economics

What Google Is Teaching Economists About Unemployment Insurance

Search data can tell policymakers whether extending unemployment benefits delays job-seeking.

Organizations

Customers Can Be Jerks. Here’s Why Some Employees Retaliate.

But take heart, companies can curb that instinct for revenge.

Strategy

Why Do Trainees Get Stuck with So Much Grunt Work?

There must be faster ways to get them up to speed. Yet grueling apprenticeships persist in medicine, law, and the trades.

Innovation

Why Family Businesses Sometimes Make Decisions That Seem Bad for the Family

Even non-family firms can benefit when they think beyond their immediate self-interest.

Organizations

Organizational Change Is Often a Tough Sell, but Encouraging Peer Interactions Can Help

A study of teachers offers lessons on how to get employees on board with reforms.

Entrepreneurship

4 Qualities Venture Capitalists Look for in an Entrepreneur

A serial investor explains why you need more than just a cool idea.

November 2018

Leadership

Video: How to Restore Trust When It’s Been Broken

Plus, a way to encourage ethical behavior to avoid breaches in the first place.

Entrepreneurship

Podcast: Why It’s Crucial for Startups to Define Their Identity Early

Plus, dispelling a pervasive myth about successful entrepreneurs.

Leadership

Take 5: Fine-Tuning Your Powers of Persuasion

From understanding power dynamics to telling a memorable story, here’s how to sell your ideas.

Careers

Don’t Let Complacency Derail Your Career

How to hone your learning agility and take good risks.

Operations

Attention Passengers: Your Next Flight Will Likely Arrive Early. Here’s Why.

The reason has less to do with planes and airport logistics than a strategic move by airlines.

Economics

How Closely Do Our Beliefs About Social Mobility Match Reality?

The answer differs between Americans and Europeans, and between liberals and conservatives.

Organizations

Are You Willing to Stretch the Truth While Negotiating?

It may depend on your gender and whom you are representing.

Social Impact

Does It Pay Off to Invest in Companies That Engage in Sustainable Practices?

New research helps to quantify the value of “ESG” initiatives.

October 2018

Careers

Podcast: Our Most Popular Advice on Advancing Your Career

Here’s how to connect with headhunters, deliver with data, and ensure you don’t plateau professionally.

Marketing

How to Empower Customers to Tell Your Company’s Story

Their “experience with your product carries more weight than any marketing message you can come up with.”

Politics & Elections

Take 5: Election Rules and Campaign Tactics That Sway Voters

A look at whether celebrity endorsements matter, why the top spot on a ballot is coveted, and more election research from Kellogg faculty.

Operations

A Counterintuitive Way to Keep Shelves Stocked and Prices Down

New research suggests how to improve supply-chain efficiency and avoid “inventory runs.”

Strategy

The Blockchain Revolution Has Reached a Crossroads. What’s Next?

Bitcoin and its ilk need to become more efficient without losing their trademark decentralization.

Social Impact

How Peer Pressure Can Lead Teens to Underachieve—Even in Schools Where It’s “Cool to Be Smart”

New research offers lessons for administrators hoping to improve student performance.

Marketing

How Marketing Leaders Can Thrive Amidst “Tectonic” Shifts in Expectations

Four experts discuss CMOs’ unique opportunity to drive growth and collaboration across their companies.

September 2018

Policy

Supreme Court Justices Become Less Impartial and More Ideological When Casting the Swing Vote

A new study suggests that justices may treat cases differently when given a chance to shape policy.

Careers

Podcast: How to Be a Great Mentor

Plus, some valuable career advice that applies to just about everyone.

Marketing

A New Way to Persuade Kids to Drink More Water and Less Soda

Getting children to make healthy choices is tricky—and the wrong message can backfire.

Innovation

How Can Social Science Become More Solutions-Oriented?

A conversation between researchers at Kellogg and Microsoft explores how behavioral science can best be applied.

Careers

Take 5: Tips for Widening—and Improving—Your Candidate Pool

Common biases can cause companies to overlook a wealth of top talent.

Innovation

Buying a Company for Its Talent? Beware of Hidden Legal Risks.

Acquiring another firm’s trade secrets—even unintentionally—could prove costly.

Healthcare

Video: How Open Lines of Communication Can Improve Healthcare Outcomes

Training physicians to be better communicators builds trust with patients and their loved ones.

Careers

4 Key Steps to Preparing for a Business Presentation

Don’t let a lack of prep work sabotage your great ideas.

Innovation

Everyone Wants Pharmaceutical Breakthroughs. What Drives Drug Companies to Pursue Them?

A new study suggests that firms are at their most innovative after a financial windfall.

Operations

Here’s a Better Way to Schedule Surgeries

A new tool could drive savings of 20 percent while still keeping surgeons happy.

Voters who do not trust each other.
Politics & Elections

Why Economic Crises Trigger Political Turnover in Some Countries but Not Others

The fallout can hinge on how much a country’s people trust each other.

August 2018

Marketing

Building Strong Brands: The Inside Scoop on Branding in the Real World

Tim Calkins’s blog draws lessons from brand missteps and triumphs.

Economics

How the Coffee Industry Is Building a Sustainable Supply Chain in an Unstable Region

Three experts discuss the challenges and rewards of sourcing coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Conspiracy theorists wear tinfoil hats.

Conspiracy Theories Abound. Here’s How to Curb Their Allure.

A new study shows how feeling more in control can limit conspiratorial thinking.

Social Impact

Take 5: The Science of Back-to-School Season

Why sending your kid to the “best” school may backfire, and other education research from Kellogg faculty.

Militaries defend themselves against cyber attacks.
Policy

How Governments Can Better Defend Themselves Against Cyberattacks

The threat of retaliation can keep the peace. But that assumes you know who is attacking you.

Careers

Podcast: What Veterans Can Bring to Your Organization

A discussion of how former soldiers make loyal employees and trustworthy CEOs.

A person faces a moral choice.
Politics & Elections

Why a Choice Doesn’t Feel Like a Choice When Morality Enters the Picture

A new study explains why heroes always say, “I just did what anybody would do.”

Leadership

Can Cutting CEO Pay Help a Faltering Company Rebound?

Using pay cuts to motivate or discipline CEOs may have unintended consequences.

Leadership

5 Ways to Get the Most out of a Mentor–Protégé Relationship

Protégés, it’s not just about landing your next job—and mentors, there’s plenty of benefits for you, too.

July 2018

Innovation

When You’re Hot, You’re Hot: Career Successes Come in Clusters

Bursts of brilliance happen for almost everyone. Explore the “hot streaks” of thousands of directors, artists and scientists in our graphic.

Marketing

How Well Do You Understand Digital Advertising?

Test your knowledge and see how it compares to the experts’.

Healthcare

How to Solve Healthcare’s Trust Deficit

Doctors, patients, and insurers are often skeptical of each other. Three experts discuss ways to counteract that.

Careers

What Will It Take to Get More Women on Boards?

Women make up less than a fifth of corporate board members. Changing that is a business imperative.

Entrepreneurship

Three Questions All Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Ask Themselves

Running your own business isn’t for everyone. Here is how to tell if it is right for you.

Economics

Take 5: What Science Says about Your Summer Vacation

Kellogg faculty explore the psychology and economics of common travel conundrums.

Healthcare

Even for the Insured, a Hospital Stay Has Surprising Costs

The long-term financial toll extends far beyond medical bills.

Operations

How “Speed Factories” Help Companies Adapt to Capricious Consumers

For certain trendy products, these local but expensive plants can be a smart investment.

June 2018

Healthcare

Video: Three Perspectives on Trust in Medicine

Relationships among patients, providers, and medical researchers have never been more complicated—or critical.

Careers

Podcast: Our Most Popular Advice on Improving Relationships with Colleagues

Coworkers can make us crazy. Here’s how to handle tough situations.

Politics & Elections

Why Certain Types of Elections Favor Extreme Candidates

Winners can differ when voting is done by district versus at-large.

Finance & Accounting

Take 5: What's in Your Investment Portfolio?

Here’s what our faculty have to say about assessing new stocks, investing in green companies—and the benefits of benign neglect.

Careers

Stop Flailing and Start Delivering

Here’s how to gain clarity and focus when your tendency is to overcommit.

Economics

How a Genetically Modified Soybean Helped Modernize an Economy

As Brazil’s farms became more efficient, workers shifted to manufacturing.

Organizations

How Much Empathy Do You Feel When Powerful People Suffer?

What about less powerful people? Your answers likely depend on how egalitarian you are.

Leadership

Does Your Company Actually Live Its Values?

Stating corporate principles is great; embodying them is better.

May 2018

Entrepreneurship

How Old Are Successful Tech Entrepreneurs?

A definitive new study dispels the myth of the Silicon Valley wunderkind.

Social Impact

Podcast: How You and Your Company Can Lend Expertise to a Nonprofit in Need

Plus: Four questions to consider before becoming a social-impact entrepreneur.

Policy

How to Make Economic Development More Inclusive

Two finance experts discuss the need to tailor strategies to specific underserved communities.

Social Impact

The Case for Investing in Green Companies

Sustainably minded firms are more likely to withstand industry shake-ups.

Marketing

Wondering How Customers Feel about Your Brand?

A new algorithm tracks people’s perception in real time via Twitter.

Economics

How the Potato Ushered in an Era of Peace

Its arrival in Europe had consequences that went far beyond diet.

Organizations

What a Difference a Year (with a Consultant) Makes

A study in Mexico finds that consultants can help small- to medium-sized businesses expand.

Leadership

Take 5: How to Keep Your High Performers Happy

Plus, ways to prevent toxic workers from corrupting your team.

Why Bosses Cut Some Employees Slack for Unethical Behavior

The same transgression can lead to different consequences. Here’s one reason why.

Careers

Launch Your Career on the Right Trajectory

How women can maximize the post-college decade.

Leadership

Four Reasons Why Hiring Veterans Makes Good Business Sense

They’re trained to be trainable and can take criticism. Is your company overlooking these talented candidates?

April 2018

How will automation affect jobs and cities?
Careers

How Will Automation Affect Different U.S. Cities?

Jobs in small cities will likely be hit hardest. Check how your community and profession will fare.

Finance & Accounting

Why the Panic of 1907 Led to a Recession

Understanding this history sheds light on the 2008 financial crisis.

Social mobility and democracy
Economics

Is Social Mobility Essential to Democracy?

It depends on the size and assumptions of the middle class.

Data Analytics

Take 5: A Guide to Getting Started and Succeeding with Data Analytics

Kellogg faculty offer advice for business leaders to improve their analytics strategies.

Leadership

How to Fill Your Company with Rockstar Employees

Four steps to build a culture that attracts the best of the best.

Corporate climber chooses second act.
Careers

You’ve Climbed the Corporate Ladder. What’s Next?

How to create a meaningful “second act” for your career.

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