by Gianpiero Petriglieri
One late afternoon last spring I received a visit from a former student and budding entrepreneur. I usually schedule these meetings at the end of the workday. It feels like a treat, witnessing aspiration and insight blend into leadership to create something new.
Luis (not his real name), however, had not come to see me for leadership advice. He had come to pitch his tech startup and ask for my involvement. Continue reading
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Corporate CEOs who exhibit narcissistic personality traits are more likely to embrace discontinuous or disruptive technologies than their less narcissistic counterparts, according to research by Donald Hambrick of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and colleagues from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and IMD International.
The researchers describe discontinuous technologies as “contradicting the prevailing mindset in an industry, rendering existing organizational structures and processes obsolete, and diminishing the value of existing knowledge.” As such, existing firms are often seen as resistant, based on the risk and the high level of resources that would be needed for implementation.
But not all existing firms eschew adoption of these technologies, according to the researchers. Their study shows that CEOs with narcissistic personalities are more likely to take the associated risks. The researchers examined investments in biotechnology made by large pharmaceutical firms from 1980 to 2008 and found considerable support for their hypothesis.
Narcissism, as a personality dimension on which everyone can be arrayed, refers to traits such as a “strong sense of superiority,” a drive to “dominate their environments,” a “high degree of restlessness,” a “lack of empathy” and a “strong need for attention and applause,” the researchers wrote.
CEOs who exhibit more narcissistic traits, then, are seen as more likely to adopt discontinuous technologies for several reasons. Their sense of superiority gives them the confidence to take big risks. Their tendency toward restlessness makes them more open to change — even the radical sort that discontinuous technologies can bring. And they lean toward more dramatic decision-making with the understanding that their bold moves will garner attention among peers and in the press.
To this, researchers add two moderating factors: audience engagement — “the degree to which observers view a domain … as noteworthy and provocative” — and managerial attention — the level of focus that a firm’s senior managers place on a certain phenomenon.
“Bearing in mind that audience enthrallment with a technology can ebb and flow, and envisioning that managerial attention to a technology can similarly rise and fall, we anticipate that the narcissistic CEO will press for more attention at those times when a respected audience considers the technology as provocative and noteworthy,” wrote the researchers.
“CEO Narcissism, Audience Engagement, and Organizational Adoption of Technological Discontinuities” appears in the June 2013 issue of Administrative Science Quarterly. In addition to Hambrick, who is Smeal Chaired Professor of Management, authors include Wolf-Christian Gerstner and Andreas Konig of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Albrecht Enders of IMD International.
Source: Penn State University News
Businesses must find the right people to fill four distinct types of leadership roles.
Companies spend billions of dollars each year on leadership development. And there is an urgent need to ensure that the next generation of executives is prepared to lead. But the overwhelming number of leadership theories and programs are confusing. What criteria should businesses use to judge whether someone is ready to lead? And how can decision makers know if someone is likely to succeed in a leadership role? Continue reading
by John Beeson
You’ve just received word that you’ve been fired. Or perhaps the company has gone through a re-structuring and eliminated your job — and you’ve been told that none of the managers you’ve worked with over the years have a position for you on their team. This comes as a shock to your system, especially if you’ve enjoyed a record of success up to this point in your career. While there are some practical things to attend to — negotiating your severance, signing up references, and agreeing with the company on a storyline about the reason for your exit — your most important action item is managing your own attitude to the situation. Continue reading
by Dorie Clark
Shifting careers is often hard to explain. Whether you’re moving from one department to another in your own company or starting over in an entirely different field, you’re likely to face a litany of rejoinders: Why would you want to do that? Isn’t that a little risky? Are you really qualified? Others won’t raise any outward objections, but privately, you can tell they’re skeptical.
The most important step in getting others onboard with your career transition is crafting a compelling narrative. It’s a tool often overlooked by “professional reinventers,” but it can be a critical determinant of success in winning others’ support for your professional goals and vision for the future. Continue reading
