Papers

Originally posted in our March 2022 Top of Mind Newsletter. In his fascinating paper from the Journal Intersections, Ahmed Afzaal writes about the dynamics of higher education leadership in the face of an unstable future. While obviously beneficial within his own academic sphere, the piece illuminates common errors within many human systems. These basic assumptions are, in essence, that we can return the world to a stable “normal” and that we do not need to question…

Originally posted in our January 2022 Top of Mind Newsletter. In the Edelman 2022 Trust Barometer Report, we see how globally, trust has become “the ultimate currency in the relationship that all institutions…build with their stakeholders.” Businesses lie at the intersection of public and private interests, as they hold the potential to impact the world through creating jobs, but also in myriad other ways. From climate change to the Great Resignation, businesses worldwide need to act…

Originally posted in our December 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. To close out 2021’s Top of Mind series, we thought we would highlight another system grappling with change: organizational leadership. From the largest organization to the smallest grassroots non-profit, we see a need for dynamic and adaptive leadership. Unfortunately, industrial models of schooling and working have not kept pace with the shifting markets.  Top-down, bureaucratic methods of leading have a place, but they traditionally do not…

Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. In Complexity Leadership Theory, we assume that an organization has a bureaucratic and an entrepreneurial system. But what if there isn’t a formalized system for entrepreneurship? How can leaders develop entrepreneurial skills in their teams? As suggested by a Harvard Business School working paper, one solution is to look to the previous work experience of your employees. The paper’s authors have found that who your co-workers…

Originally posted in our November 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. When we examine current Human Resource practices, we see a keen focus on competency-based, human capital initiatives. While human capital is worth developing, new research suggests we may want to emphasize another set of skills. Social capital, it seems, can have as much to do with innovation and growth in an organization as the skills of individuals. As this paper defines it, social capital is “the…