April 2019
Strategy
For Companies Worried About a Trade War, the Time to Act Is Now
A lot of companies are “holding tight and hoping it all just goes away.” Don’t be one of them.
Finance & Accounting
Three Quarters of Americans Aren’t Putting Enough into Their 401(k)s
With employers shifting away from pensions, there’s an urgent need for improved financial literacy.
Entrepreneurship
You Just Bought a Small Business. Now It’s Time to Lead.
Four tips for tackling the unique challenges of entrepreneurship through acquisition.
March 2019
Organizations
Climate Change Is Transforming the Economy. How Will Your Company Adapt?
“Until organizations learn to internalize the threat, they’re in danger of falling behind.”
Leadership
Podcast: Great Leaders Ask, "What Really Matters?"
Former Fortune 500 CEO Harry Kraemer discusses how knowing and acting on your values can guide you through a crisis.
Organizations
Take 5: How to Build a Collaborative Workplace
Simple strategies for reaping the benefits of collaboration.
Marketing
Good Brand Design Appeals to Consumers on an Unconscious Level
An excerpt from “Kellogg on Branding in a Hyper-Connected World” uses an iconic brand—Coca-Cola—to illustrate the power of design thinking.
Organizations
Podcast: Revenge of the Customer Service Rep
Why employees sabotage customers, and what companies can do about it.
Marketing
How Tech Giant SAP Built Its Brand with Help from Employee Stories
A conversation with CMO Alicia Tillman.
Organizations
Worried Your Employees Are Slacking? Rethink How You Pay Them.
A new study reveals the optimal incentive system, and it’s surprisingly simple.
Operations
Why First Come, First Served Isn’t Always the Best Approach to Customer Service
Is it time to give impatient people their own line?
Data Analytics
How to Build Artificial Intelligence that Everyone Can Trust
Experts from IBM Watson and Kellogg discuss how to remove bias and increase transparency in machine-learning algorithms.
Careers
Four Ways to Influence Your Bosses without Alienating Them
Here’s how to make your manager look good and become indispensable in the process.
Innovation
How Much Does Innovation Drive Economic Growth?
A study of millions of patents lifts the veil on how new ideas influence productivity.
Marketing
How (Not) to Change Someone’s Mind
Psychologists have found two persuasion tactics that work. But put them together and the magic is lost.
Careers
To Land Top Jobs, Women Need Different Types of Networks than Men
Simply being well-connected is not enough.
February 2019
Organizations
Want to Revolutionize Your Field? You May Need to Rethink the Size of Your Research Team.
Large and small teams produce different types of breakthroughs, according to an analysis of 50 million patents, software products, and academic papers.
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.
Organizations
How to Make Inclusivity More Than Just an Office Buzzword
Tips for turning good intentions into actions.
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
Policy
Podcast: Two Surprising Ways to Predict How Supreme Court Justices Will Vote
Here’s what a half century of data can tell us.
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.
Finance & Accounting
Which Businesses Are More Likely to Get a Loan During a Credit Crunch?
Banks get picky when cash dries up.
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.”
Marketing
Are You a Different Person at Work Than at Home? Compartmentalizing Like This Can Lead to Unethical Decisions.
New research examines how self-perception affects moral behavior.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
