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In 1970, Dr. John Gottman conducted an interesting experiment: He observed married couples and how they argued in conflict situations. Nine years later, he contacted the couples again. It didn’t surprise him that some of the couples had separated, while others stayed together. Dr. Gottman was eager to answer one crucial question: Is there a…
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Threatening to punish or offering a reward? Which alternative is the best? According to Daniel Pink, none. For problems that require even rudimentary cognitive skills, the introduction of pressure, in form of punishment or reward, will narrow the focus, when in fact, finding a solution to most problems demands exactly the opposite: An open mind…
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No traffic light, no traffic signs, no road markings. The example shows our great ability to self-organize. We sometimes tend to believe that a standard is needed for everything, but how many of them are really necessary? Safety and quality are certainly among the things that cannot be put at risk. But for many other…
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I set out to find a reference to confirm that positive interactions can boost performance… and I found it: on Netflix. A reality show called 100 Humans. In this well humored reality show, 100 people from different backgrounds, ages, and genders are subjected to experiments to gain insights into human psychology. In the fifth episode…
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A study published in the Harvard Business Review in 2004 shows how positive interactions are crucial for innovation. In a publication entitled, “The role of positivity and connectivity in the performance of business teams,” academic researcher Emily Heaphy and consultant Marcial Losada lay out their findings. They examined 60 strategic business leadership teams at a…
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He made his coffee of instant coffee grounds, sugar, milk, and water, just like me. He used a large mug and stirred with a teaspoon, so did I. He took around 40 seconds to prepare his coffee, me too. His coffee tasted good, mine too. But there was a fundamental difference between our two cups…
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“I hated every minute of the training, but I said don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Muhammad Ali Thinking about work as suffering now to enjoy later (during vacation or at retirement) is a world view shared by many. For the vast majority of us, it might…
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Created by Jeff Bezos, this rule states that any innovation/task force team should not be larger than eight team members—enough to be fed by two pizzas. Often this rule is misinterpreted as a mere size restriction. However, it is more about the team’s autonomy and entrepreneurial mindset. The innovation team should operate independently and quickly,…
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Whatever you are doing right now, if you believe in it, please… continue doing it. Without knowing, your ideas and actions might just be changing the world, right here, right now. Here are 3 examples of people who indeed changed the world without even knowing it. Vincent van Gogh Painter who posthumously became one of…
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A few people know that the rebellious nature of Albert Einstein as a child led to his expulsion from school. He also failed to be admitted to the Zurich Polytechnic School. But these setbacks didn’t stop him from doing his groundbreaking research and winning the Nobel prize in physics. “Failure is success in progress.” Albert…