Gary Hamel, professor of strategic and international management, discusses why the notion of leadership should be expanded to include all the members of a workforce. (McKinsey, 2:50 minutes). According to Gary Hamel, the concentration of decision-making power in the hands of a few top executives compromises business effectiveness. The complexity and uncertainty of today’s environmentRead more…

Based on Un million de révolutions tranquilles by Bénédicte Manier (Les Liens qui Libèrent, November 2012). Cooperative housing, micro health insurance schemes, repair workshops run by ordinary citizens, green energy cooperatives, exchanging goods and services… what if the solutions to the current crisis are not to be found in the world of business and doRead more…

Thumbelina By Michel Serres (Éditions Le Pommier, 2012). Our selection He doesn’t look the same, doesn’t communicate the same way, and doesn’t live in the same space anymore. A new kind of human is born out of the growth of new technologies — one who writes with both thumbs and talks in code. Michel SerresRead more…

by Adam Grant (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2013). What if the key to success was altruism? In his book Give and Take, Adam Grant, a management professor at Wharton, challenges conventional wisdom and paints an optimistic portrait of leaders that is far from the stereotype of a businessman who is ready to destroy everything in hisRead more…

Initially conceived of as a means to fight discrimination and thereby protect against legal risks, then as ethical measures, social and ethnic diversity policies are increasingly viewed as performance drivers. What are the major challenges to this particularly sensitive aspect of diversity? Social and ethnic diversity as a performance factor Beyond the legal and ethicalRead more…

Sebastian Dieguez, a researcher in neuroscience at the University of Fribourg, opposes those who criticize new technologies (The Lift Conference, 2013, 33:04 minutes) New technologies are often blamed for a variety of ills: intellectual laziness, loss of analytical and systematic thinking skills, narcissism, addiction, and even loneliness. However, Sebastian Dieguez, a neuroscientist at the UniversityRead more…

Lane Becker and Thor Muller divide businesses into two categories: companies that are lucky and companies that aren’t… just yet. According to them, luck doesn’t strike at random: it smiles first and foremost on people who are prepared for it. The authors’ advice to leaders is to develop their abilities to unearth new opportunities andRead more…

Prasad Kaipa, coauthor of From Smart to Wise and Roger Lehman, professor of entrepreneurship at INSEAD, share their vision of wise leadership in “The Wise Leader” (INSEAD, January 2013, 11:05 minutes). How can brilliant, effective leaders create truly global value? According to Navi Radjou and Prasad Kaipa, coauthors of From Smart to Wise (Jossey-Bass, MarchRead more…

Why is it so difficult to have a clear strategic vision? Nate Silver says information overload is a major obstacle to accurate prediction today. The challenge for you as a business leader is finding “the signal in the noise” by honing your critical thinking skills and leveraging the company’s collective intelligence. 1. More information meansRead more…

How do leading companies leverage social media networks to attract talent and boost recruitment campaigns? Starbucks: Promoting the work environment on Instagram Former head of employer branding Jeremy Langhans (now with Expedia) started using Instagram to attract job candidates in 2011. A firm believer in Instagram’s engagement potential, Langhans had in-house recruiters post pictures ofRead more…