Best of 2020

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.

Robyn L. Scott and Leigh Thompson

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.

Jacob D. Teeny, Joseph J. Siev, Pablo Briñol and Richard E. Petty

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.

Ivuoma Ngozi Onyeador, Natalie M. Daumeyer, Julian M. Rucker, Ajua Duker, Michael W. Kraus and Jennifer A. Richeson

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.

Lauren Rivera

Politics & Elections

The Political Divide in America Goes Beyond Polarization and Tribalism

These days, political identity functions a lot like religious identity.

Eli J. Finkel and Cynthia S. Wang

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.

Jason Abaluck, Mauricio Cáceres Bravo, Peter Hull and Amanda Starc

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.

Pierre Azoulay, Benjamin F. Jones, J. Daniel Kim and Javier Miranda

Leadership

Two Principles for Leading Your Organization Through the COVID-19 Crisis

A former Fortune 500 CEO offers a way forward during this time of unprecedented uncertainty.

Harry M. Kraemer

Operations

The Coronavirus Has Upended Supply Chains. Here’s How Companies Can Prepare for the Next Disruption.

There are strategies that both large and small companies can implement to make their manufacturing more agile.

Sunil Chopra

Marketing

Four Steps Marketers Can Take to Navigate the Pandemic

Step one: Press pause. Step two: Rethink everything.

Timothy Calkins

Policy

Containing COVID-19 Will Devastate the Economy. Here’s the Economic Case for Why It’s Still Our Best Option.

The death toll from failing to contain the virus will be far more costly to society.

Martin Eichenbaum, Sergio Rebelo and Mathias Trabandt

Economics

Here’s How Americans Are Spending Their Stimulus Checks

Real-time data pinpoints what we’re buying, and who’s spending the fastest.

Scott R. Baker, R Farrokhnia, Steffen Meyer, Michaela Pagel and Constantine Yannelis

Policy

One Key Trait That Predicts How Much People Will Socially Distance

This new research could help policymakers deliver more effective COVID-safety messaging.

John Barrios, Efraim Benmelech, Yael V Hochberg, Paola Sapienza and Luigi Zingales

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.

Alvaro Sandroni

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.

Kyle Welch and Aaron Yoon

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.