Organizations

Nepotism Can Be a Good Thing in Family Business—If You Get These 4 Things Right

Here’s a cautious promotion of strategic nepotism in the family business.

Organizations

The Upside of Recruiting Your Rivals

Teams that acquire players from their competitors gain an advantage that goes beyond pure skill.

Finance & Accounting

No Credit History? No Problem.

A new type of score looks at people’s shopping behaviors and utility payments to determine their eligibility for loans and credit cards.

Finance & Accounting

The AI Tidal Wave Doesn’t Have to Drown Workers

As AI replaces job responsibilities, it creates just as many opportunities, new research shows.

Leadership

The Powerful Lesson Pope Leo XIV Can Teach Leaders

Leaders across industries can learn from Pope Leo XIV’s balanced perspective.

Strategy

When Experts Pivot, They Pay a Price

“It’s not like we can’t enter a new area and hit a home run, but there’s just a far, far lower chance of that happening.”

Healthcare

Podcast: When a Healthcare Expert Becomes a Patient

In this bonus episode of our series, “Insight Unpacked: American Healthcare and Its Web of Misaligned Incentives,” a healthcare economist must make critical decisions with partial information.

Leadership

Podcast: Preventing a Potential Culture Clash at Work

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: when Fuyao Glass opened a U.S. factory, it underestimated the importance of translating company culture.

Marketing

Meet Mr. Treadmill, Your Workout Buddy

Need some extra motivation to reach your fitness goals? Anthropomorphizing objects can help, new research shows.

Organizations

When Put to the Test, Are We Any Good at Spotting AI Fakes?

For the most part, yes! And the more we look, the better we get.

Organizations

Do Gut Feelings Change Over Time?

New research challenges the long-held belief that unconscious attitudes are set in stone.

Strategy

How Higher Pay Incentives Can Backfire

While increasing bonuses and commission rates might seem like a good idea, doing so can inadvertently harm the quality of an organization’s workforce.

Careers

How to Keep Your Network Warm

A three-pronged approach—and a generous mindset—can be a huge boon for your career.

Policy

Policymakers Are Relying on Science More Than Ever

But there’s little common ground in the research that Republicans and Democrats cite.

Economics

What Trump Wants From Tariffs … and What the U.S. Might Get Instead

The administration hopes to bring back manufacturing and reduce trade deficits. But renegotiating trade may damage global trust in the U.S.

Policy

A New Era for Antitrust Enforcement

After the Biden administration’s broader approach to regulating competition, expect more-targeted enforcement in the years ahead.

Organizations

Our Colleagues’ Decisions May Influence Us More Than We Realize

The effect of peer influence “raises some interesting and potentially troubling questions about the nature of expertise and decision-making.”

Leadership

Podcast: Workers Are Stressed Out. Here’s How Leaders Can Help.

On this (rerun) episode of The Insightful Leader: You can’t always control what happens at work. But reframing setbacks, and instituting some serious calendar discipline, can go a long way toward reducing stress. 

Operations

The Hidden Cost of Successful Experiments

As companies innovate, the resulting complexity makes further growth more challenging.

Organizations

Why That “Follow-Back” on Social Media Is Not Guaranteed

Regardless of their political ideology, people are less likely to follow back users from certain racial groups.

Strategy

How America’s News Diet Went from Local to National

While many view the internet as the death knell of local print journalism, the unraveling started decades earlier—with the rise of television.

Finance & Accounting

The Ripple Effect of an Uneven Credit Market

From freelancers to independent contractors, people who rely on temporary work are less likely to get loans and achieve life milestones.

Leadership

How First-Time Managers Can Make the Successful Jump to Leadership

A former Fortune 500 CEO offers advice on arguably the most difficult career transition in business.

Leadership

The Case for Muting the Boss

When discussing business strategy, leaders should leave room for new voices, who could spur the next big idea.

Entrepreneurship

Build a Successful B2B Business by First Engaging Consumers

Take the backroad to a B2B business model by stimulating demand from the bottom up.

Leadership

Podcast: What Rom-coms Can Teach Business Leaders

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we’ll discuss how these movies can help us navigate conflict and tackle power dynamics.

Careers

Podcast: How Should You Present Yourself at Work?

Be yourself! No, not like that. On this (rerun) episode of The Insightful Leader, we help you navigate the competing advice about how much to share and hold back.

Finance & Accounting

Why Small Firms Take a Pass on Profitable Opportunities

And how they can be encouraged to buy in.

Marketing

Does Satire Soften the Blow of Criticism?

Quite the opposite, in fact, even if it comes in the form of humorous memes, videos, or headlines.

Organizations

How to Encourage Authenticity at Work

The right conditions can help people, particularly those from marginalized groups, feel more comfortable with expressing their true selves.

Policy

Investors Are Gobbling Up Smaller Medical Practices. Should Regulators Be Concerned?

These under-the-radar transactions have driven up the price of anesthesia by about 30 percent.

Organizations

5 Ways Business Leaders Can Address Implicit Bias

“Inclusive leadership is actually an intrinsic goal that most people have, regardless of their politics.”

Finance & Accounting

2 New Indices to Measure Stock Market Volatility

Unlike the VIX, these indices—SPOTVOL and LTV—distinguish between day-to-day volatility and investor fears of a “black swan” event.

Economics

Trump’s Trade War Is about More Than Trade

Winning its trade war with China would help the U.S. negotiate better trade terms, but American consumers and businesses could pay a heavy price.

Leadership

How Relatability Promotes Mental Health for Your Team

Leaders need to model a healthy mindset to better contribute to the well-being of their teams.

Careers

Podcast: Avoiding the Likability Trap at Work

Plus: insecure employees and a flagging culture. On this (rerun) episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” a conversation with Professor Harry Kraemer.

Finance & Accounting

What Population Trends in Lisbon Tell Us about the Future of Global Cities

The region around Lisbon, Portugal, has seen a large influx of foreign residents and tourists over the last fifteen years. Here's how that affected home prices and migration patterns.

Organizations

What Happens to Communication When Part of a Team Is Relocated?

As one cancer center expanded, relocation of some clinicians led to fewer in-person interactions for all.

Marketing

Customers Will Pay More for Products That Feature Diversity in Ads

When an ad features people of different ages, races, genders, or nationalities, consumers believe the brand offers greater variety and is more creative.

Finance & Accounting

When Businesses Square Off with “Superstar” Competitors

A corporate behemoth like Apple or Amazon entering a new market is generally bad news for other firms in the space. But not always.

Organizations

When Distributing Aid, Consider Whether It Will Be Seen as a Handout or a Helping Hand

In-kind donations are often more welcome than cash, new research finds.

Leadership

How “Artifacts” Can Help a Family Business Define Its Legacy

From a framed dollar bill to an inspiring story, artifacts can transmit a company’s values across generations.

Entrepreneurship

5 Tips for Finding the Right Angels

Not all investors are created equal. Entrepreneurs should look for ones who share their vision.

Leadership

Handling Worry, Fear, Anxiety, Pressure, and Stress

No matter the situation, you will need to focus on doing the right thing. Here’s how.

Organizations

3 Questions to Ask Before Launching a New AI Tool

Like any other new technology, AI should be vetted through a strong product-development cycle.

Entrepreneurship

For Girls, Early Exposure to Entrepreneurship Can Be a Game-Changer

Being surrounded by entrepreneurs at a critical age can shape girls’ educational and career trajectories.

Organizations

Podcast: You Have an Idea for a New AI Tool. Now What?

On this episode of The Insightful Leader: two researchers offer tips on how to get AI development right.

Economics

The Cold, Cold History of Political Conflict

Sustained temperature shifts during the “Little Ice Age” led to wars, mass migration, and instability. What does this mean for our current moment?

Economics

China’s Economy Has Not Peaked

Chinese policymakers should allow for a more market-driven allocation of land, money, and labor.

Podcast: Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on Her Climb to the Top

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, Kellogg’s Ellen Taaffe interviews her mentor about success, self-belief, and supporting the next generation of leaders.

Organizations

What Drives Corporate Activism?

When companies take a public stance on contentious social issues, the impetus often comes from within.

Marketing

How a Weak Sense of Self Encourages Bad Behavior

“When people don’t know who they are, they think their moral actions don’t really reflect who they are.”

Strategy

Scientists Don’t Want to Get Scooped—and It’s Hurting Science

Researchers are rewarded for being the first to discover and publish new findings. But the incentives can come at a cost.

Leadership

Podcast: How to Get Delegation Right, Part 3 of 3

On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” we finish our conversation by getting real about the emotional stakes that make delegating hard.

Leadership

Podcast: How to Get Delegation Right, Part 2 of 3

On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” our conversation continues with a discussion of which tasks and functions to delegate—and which to keep.

Leadership

Podcast: How to Get Delegation Right, Part 1 of 3

It’s a tricky skill to master. On this episode of The Insightful Leader’s “Ask Insight,” a Kellogg professor and executive coach says it begins with assessing your team members and playing to their strengths.

Leadership

How New CEOs Can Start Off on the Right Foot with Their Board

Building a constructive relationship requires setting expectations, communicating clearly, and holding each other accountable

Economics

Overnight Success? AI Has Been a Century in the Making.

For clues about the future of AI, it helps to understand the past.

Finance & Accounting

Online Sports Betting Is Draining Household Savings

Most impacted are the bettors who can least afford it, new research shows.

Organizations

When Our Work Is Disrupted, the Story We Tell Matters

Pandemic-era lab, school, and daycare closures threatened the careers of people in “up or out” professions. Employees benefited from the opportunity to frame these productivity lapses as temporary and out of their control.

Finance & Accounting

Half of All Species Might Face Extinction. Could Biodiversity Bonds Help?

Maybe. But don’t expect investors to cut governments a break.

Finance & Accounting

How Should Investors Price a Block Trade?

These off-market trades have their advantages, but the terms can be hard to manage.

Organizations

Feeling Outraged? Think Twice Before Hitting “Share.”

Misinformation fuels outrage—which in turn leads to mindless social-media shares, a new study finds.

Leadership

Podcast: The AI Risks Your Business Should Avoid

On this episode of The Insightful Leader, why your trade secrets may not be safe, and other considerations.

Strategy

The Goldilocks Approach to Searching for Something New

Whether it’s the right dosage to a new drug or the right style of tennis racket for a novice player, it’s important to get your strategy right.

Organizations

Why Firms Should Lean into Sustainability

“If companies don’t change, then they won’t exist in the future.”

Finance & Accounting

Wage Inequality Decreased Dramatically in the 1940s. But Was This “Great Compression” a Mirage?

New research offers a stress test to a seminal economic finding.

Leadership

Podcast: How Huy Fong’s Sriracha Went from Hot to Not

When missteps knocked the famous “rooster sauce” off its pedestal, a competitor seized the moment. On this episode of The Insightful Leader: why one brand sizzled and the other fizzled.

Careers

Forget Retirement. Think “Rewirement.”

A former CEO of AT&T Business offers tips for jumpstarting your next career phase.

Organizations

Why We Struggle to Hold Colleagues Accountable

Physician-led medical boards rarely took strict disciplinary action against doctors who overprescribed opioids. A new study explores why.

Marketing

It Literally Pays to Love Your Work

When products or services are also a labor of love, customers perceive them as more valuable—and are willing to pay more.

Strategy

What’s the Best Way for Large, Disparate Teams to Communicate?

Modular production has revolutionized manufacturing. But it’s critical to ensure the right information reaches the right people—without information overload.

Social Impact

Take 5: Doing Business in a Warming Climate

What should leaders understand about sustainability? A collection of the latest research and ideas from Kellogg faculty.

Leadership

Podcast: How to Grow as a Leader without Burning Yourself Out

In this episode of The Insightful Leader, a former president at Kraft Foods explains why “sometimes just working harder is a complete waste of time.”

Organizations

What Romantic Comedies Can Teach Us about Communication

From forgiving verbal gaffes to making risky overtures, these movies offer lessons that translate to the workplace.

Finance & Accounting

Why Lower Real-Estate Commissions Mean Higher Home Prices

And why that’s a good thing for most buyers and sellers.

Marketing

Podcast: Third-Party Cookies Are Crumbling. What’s a Marketer to Do?

New rules are making it harder to track customers’ online behaviors. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we look at what this means for companies large and small.

Innovation

AI Is Revolutionizing Science. Are Scientists Ready?

AI’s influence has already spread to nearly every discipline. But fully harnessing its impact will require better training for researchers.

Leadership

The Perfect Purpose Statement Is Inspiring … and Credible

In an excerpt from her new book, Lead Bigger, former AT&T Business CEO Anne Chow explains the power of defining your company’s “why.”

Finance & Accounting

Guilty as Charged—Unless the Judge Went to Your School

For firms facing securities litigation, their executives’ alma mater could mean the difference between innocence and guilt.

Operations

For Home Deliveries, Faster Isn’t Always Better

Retail customers often prioritize convenience over speed for deliveries that require them to be at home.

Strategy

Schools, Jobs, Relationships … It’s Hard to Find a Good “Fit”

A study of medical-school applicants shows how transparency can improve decision-making.

Politics & Elections

Take 5: How to Talk Politics (Constructively)

Research-backed advice for your next conversation.

Policy

When the Minimum Wage Rises, Do Men and Women Benefit Equally?

The policy is gender-neutral. The impact, less so.

Policy

Perspective: America Needs Political Age Limits

If there is a mandatory retirement age for the top officers in the U.S. military, why isn’t there one for the commander in chief?

Policy

The Plan to Pay College Athletes

A proposed settlement granting NCAA athletes a cut of broadcast revenues stands to shake up major college sports.

Organizations

The Unlikely Partners Growing the Market for Green Energy

The relationship between environmental activists and “dirty” energy companies can be contentious, but it can also benefit both sides.

Organizations

5 Telltale Signs That a Photo Is AI-generated

For one, scour for details that defy the laws of physics.

Organizations

Why We Shouldn’t Romanticize Failure

We expect people will learn from their setbacks. New research suggests the truth is more complicated.

Economics

Why Do Prices Rise Like Rockets … but Fall Like Feathers?

Behavioral psychology sheds light on a longstanding economic puzzle.

Marketing

How the Right Price Promotion Can Nudge Kids to Choose Healthier Foods

“It shows that kids are sensitive to prices.”

Marketing

How a Growing South Asian Diaspora Is Changing Retail

From Whole Foods to Patel Brothers, U.S. retailers are adapting to the group’s unique spending power.

Policy

People Want to Know Sustainable Policies Can Work. So Show Them.

Success stories about policies from other countries make people more likely to support similar policies in the U.S., new research finds.

Finance & Accounting

For Corporations, Secured Debt Is Out

The last century has seen a dramatic shift toward unsecured debt thanks to improved accounting practices and a desire for financial flexibility.

Economics

Would Trump Escalate the U.S.–China Trade War?

If former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House, he would likely impose sweeping tariffs against China. His policy agenda would harm lower-income households the most.

Economics

5 Trends in a Volatile Global Economy

“We live in an interesting world, one with much upside as well as significant downside.”

Marketing

A Troubling Trend in Nonprofit Branding

When nonprofit organizations rebrand themselves, inspiration may not be the answer.

Organizations

How Algorithms Keep Workers Under Their Control

More than ever, even highly skilled workers find themselves being evaluated, rewarded, and punished by opaque algorithms. A new book, Inside the Invisible Cage, investigates.

Organizations

Employees See Bias in the Workplace. Their Bosses Don’t.

People in positions of power are often unable to see inequities in their own organizations—even if they see it elsewhere.

Marketing

Beware the “Bad-Influencer Effect”

Content creators’ self-indulgent posts may get “likes” on social media, but research shows they might not lead to more enduring connections.