Society and business relations

Research reveals how activist investors help and hurt.

They’re a reminder that mastery, membership, and meaning are the best motivators.

Protections and benefits shouldn’t be based on employment status alone.

This post is part of a three-week series exploring the re-invention of the social infrastructure of cities, published in partnership with the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University. Last week, the NAACP released a report with a blunt, but sadly accurate, title — Misplaced Priorities. I could not help but think about this title in […]

If you are the leader of a large organization (or only of yourself) who cares about improving the world, here’s a question you should consider: How will you participate in the global solution networks that are increasingly managing to address the world’s problems? A global solution network is a group of independent parties that have […]

It’s a resurgence other countries should understand before copying.

Companies should to monitor progress in delivering both social benefits and business value. Here’s how Coca-Cola did it.

A king had a trusted monkey that was trained to wield a sword. As the king’s bodyguard, the monkey would go to any length to protect him. One day, while the king was sleeping, a fly started pestering him. The monkey tried to shoo the fly away but it always came back. Frustrated, the monkey […]

Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine are the authors of Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want In 2008, companies will abandon their much-hyped reliance on those Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives that seem focused more on getting social and political activists off their backs or drawing in customers than on doing any real good. Watch in 2008 for […]

Google AI practitioners argue that partnerships with social scientists and community members can deepen understanding of complex problems and lead to...

You can't establish credibility without building trust, but trust takes time to develop. What can you do if you don't have time on your side?

As societies become angrier, managers must condition themselves to respond sensitively.

No one wants their doctor using Wikipedia.

The Gulf oil spill looks like it might be capped. U.S. financial regulation is underway, plugging holes of another kind, which won't allow sub-prime mortgage...

Keeping your game face on is exhausting.

Corporations are facing growing pressure--from investors, advocacy groups, politicians, and even business leaders themselves--to reduce greenhouse gas...

Employees are constantly in motion—making sales calls or taking service trips; visiting an international office for a few days or relocating there for a few years; soaring across oceans in the corporate jet or heading across town in the company car. Typically, these activities are administered by an assortment of departments and vendors. But we […]

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Companies and countries need to prioritize collaboration and transformation over competition and disruption.

New takes on the class divide