Carl Robinson, Ph.D., copyright 2004 Current research into factors that contribute to business success provides some interesting insights… some of which are surprising and ironic. “Firms going public that place high value on employee energy, corporate culture, rewards and organization structure outperform their peers on stock price growth, sales growth and size when measured as Read More >

by Carl Robinson, Ph.D., copyright 2004 Does organizational “virtuousness” pay? Does treating your employees with respect improve performance or just make them soft? Some other questions I’ve heard include, “How do you help executives change their behavior when they have been successful being a jerk?” Why would they change their behavior if it has worked Read More >

By Carl Robinson, Ph.D., copyright 2004 During a recent dinner meeting with a group of bio-tech CEOs where I was the invited speaker, one of them complained about people who she characterized as, “Yes, but-ers.” Her complaint must have resonated because the other CEOs clamored to chime in with their examples of what I will Read More >

By Carl Robinson, Ph.D., copyright 2006 Do you want your employees to be more innovative? Yes, of course. Who doesn’t? However, spurring innovative thinking and action is not easy, otherwise everyone would be creating Ipods, Google, and Post-its. In this briefing I’ll offer some tips on fostering a more innovative workplace drawn from my own Read More >

By Carl Robinson, Ph.D., copyright 2007 Bribing employees to be content and to remain your employees by giving them bonuses, stock options and other monetary incentives is the dominant retention strategy used by corporate America. Unfortunately, that works best in emerging fast growth businesses and during a rising stock market or boom as Microsoft was Read More >

Maybe we should leave this article for another time… Workplace procrastination is the worst kind of self-fulfilling prophesy. It’s de-motiving, demoralizing, and cripples the culture you’ve worked so hard to build. If you are actively procrastinating then you may find you do your best work with the clock ticking down to the final seconds as Read More >

We’ve begun another long business year. Many employees will be stuck in the work week cycle until the forth of July rolls around, so it’s no wonder faces tend to get longer during the early months. It’s tempting for bosses looking to spark productivity to tighten the bolts, pressuring employees with hard and fast goals, Read More >

Various management techniques and styles are evident in any workplace. Some managers rely on their own skills to create, implement and control the workplace from the top down. Other managers are more comfortable in a team approach to management where everyone has responsibility and input. This second type of manager has a strong preference for Read More >

Marketing is like sex, writes Steve Tobak of CBS. He explains his analogy further, writing, “Everyone thinks they’re good at it.” The “cut-and-paste” style of marketing made possible by emails, recorded telephone calls and old-fashioned postal mail completely misses the point, he laments. Customers recall businesses that communicate with them on a personalized basis, and Read More >

“What kind of manager do you want to be?” This is a question that’s becoming increasingly popular with hiring and HR managers during the interview process. The reason is simple: They want to get a feel for how in-touch the candidate is with the expectations of employees, and they’re looking for fit within their corporate Read More >