1. Appreciative Inquiry Is Only About Being ‘Positive’ ❌ On first hearing about Appreciative Inquiry, it might be tempting to dismiss the approach as ‘looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses, pretending everything is wonderful, and sweeping problems under the carpet.’ That’s a misunderstanding of the approach. Rather, Appreciative Inquiry is a way of looking
Advances in brain-imaging technology from the 1990s onwards enabled researchers to discover two networks in the brain that in some ways are in opposition to each other. The Task Positive Network (TPN) is activated when you engage in ‘cognitive’ tasks – perception, motor control, and problem-solving including logical analysis. It tends to produce stressful feelings,
Since the 1950s there’s been a perception that most of the money spent on training is wasted, because it either fails to transfer back into the workplace, or fades away over time. Most studies of training transfer suggest a transfer rate as low as 10-20%. So what factors actually make a difference in training transfer?
It’s fairly well established that coaching works. For example, a meta-analysis of studies of workplace coaching in 2015 shows a strong positive effect on individual performance, and smaller but still positive effects on skills, mood and motivation. But the term ‘coaching’ covers a wide range of approaches, from a strong emphasis on rapport and listening at
A study published in the Harvard Business Review by Leadership professor Julia Milner and management consultant Trenton Milner has revealed that most executives don’t really know what coaching is. It’s worth looking at what experts generally define as coaching. These descriptions from Perry Zeus and Suzanne Skiffington’s book The Complete Guide To Coaching At Work are
There’s a wealth of research showing that most people give more attention to threats than opportunities, for example: Negative experiences are remembered in more detail than positive ones Our attitudes are influenced more heavily by bad news than good news (research by John Cacioppo) People feel more negative emotion if they lose $100 than positive
Are people more, or less motivated when they are offered a reward for completing something well? If you’re like most people you will probably have said ‘more’ – but there’s a wealth of research dating back 45 years showing the opposite. In fact, the research shows that while external incentives like cash bonuses or performance
Or, How Power Turns You Into A Jerk – And How To Guard Against It The higher up the management ladder you get, the less you care about or even notice how other people feel. Most of us don’t have to search very far in our experience to find examples – but in recent years there
Here’s my personal selection of some podcasts in the general area of understanding how people tick – ranging from neuroscience to management tips. The common denominator is that they all feature interviews, talks or contributions from leading researchers and practitioners – people who know what they are talking about. If you haven’t tried podcasts before,
Stress is generally thought of as bad for you. But there’s some research by Alia Crum, Peter Salovey, and Shawn Achor that suggests that in some cases it can actually do you good. What makes the difference is not the amount of stress, as previously thought (psychologists used to believe some level of stress is good
Anyone interested in improving performance will have come across the Henry Ford quote “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This quote is so often repeated because it encapsulates an essential truth – that self-belief is important to performance. But it also overlooks an even more important principle discovered by
Following on from the last article about the differences in psychology and brain structure between ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’, here’s a fascinating video of a TED talk by Jonathan Haidt on the five moral values that form the foundation of our political outlook. Plus, he’s set up a site (www.yourmorals.org) where you can take an assessment to
