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"I hate networking." It's a familiar refrain. But in today's world, networking is a necessity-and fortunately, an aversion to it can be overcome. Drawing on laboratory experiments and on studies at a large law firm, the authors have identified four strategies that can help people become more excited about and effective at building relationships: Focus on learning. Adopt a "promotion mindset" and concentrate on the positives, and you're more likely to perceive networking as an opportunity for discovery rather than a chore. Identify common interests. Consider how your goals align with those of people you meet, and networking will feel more authentic. Think broadly about what you can give. Remember that you have something valuable to offer, whether it's knowledge, gratitude, or recognition. Find a higher purpose. Frame your networking in terms of a larger goal-the collective benefits for your company, say-and the activity will feel more authentic and will lead to connections that bear fruit for everyone.

The best-selling author of "The House of the Spirits" discusses the role of discipline in her writing process, her long-held determination to work, and her belief that every book is an offering--"You just put it on the table and see who will accept it."

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. The opportunity to use data analytics to improve city life is enormous -but cities aren't yet ready to make the transition. One city leading the way is Amsterdam, which has been working toward becoming a "smart city"for almost 7 years. The city's chief technology officer, Ger Baron, makes it clear that even this time frame is still early days: "I can give you the nice stories that we're doing great stuff with data and information, but we're very much at a starting point,"he says.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. The Bank of England, one of the world's oldest and most influential central banks, has made analytics excellence a key pillar of its mission to promote economic stability within the United Kingdom. Like other central banks, the Bank has relied on data and analytics to formulate policy recommendations. But, since 2008 when it regained its status as a regulator, the Bank has begun using its access to new forms of data to increase its insights and forecasting abilities about the British economy.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Investors see a strong link between corporate sustainability performance and financial performance -so they're using sustainability-related data as a rationale for investment decisions like never before.

Going forward, growth and prosperity in communities around the world will depend on three enablers of creativity, which the authors call 'the 3Ts of economic development': Technology, Talent and Tolerance. They share findings from their Global Creativity Index, indicating which countries are ahead of the pack-and which are falling behind. They also show that the divide between the Creative Class and the Service Class lies at the root of the growing inequality that we are seeing across advanced and developing nations alike.

Whether we admit it or not, common, everyday biases influence how we see the world. The fact is, we cannot go shopping, enter a conversation, or make a decision without a bias of some sort kicking in. The authors show that the best way to overcome common biases in the workplace is collectively. They describe five classes of common biases that all leaders should be familiar with, and show how team-based practices can be redesigned to help identify biases as they emerge, and counteract them on the fly.

Without realizing it, even well-managed companies versed in modern practices can generate an environment that is hostile to innovation. As a result, the authors argue that large companies need to have a distinct Innovation Unit, headed up by a senior executive who reports directly to the CEO. They provide a framework for designing the mission and scope for an in-house Innovation Unit, anchored by seven key tasks for the firm's innovation leader, including 'scanning for best practices' and 'designing shelter for innovations'.

Three current and former C-suite executives of thriving global companies (Magna International, Research in Motion and Manulife Financial) discuss the challenges faced by their companies in establishing global operations and key lessons learned. They also discuss current opportunities, and look to what lies around the corner for companies seeking to expand beyond their national boundaries. In the end, they agree that the biggest risk of globalization is simple: not doing it.

If your company is considering entering a new global market, why not target a wide range of consumers-from the wealthy, to the middle class all the way down to the poorest of the poor? The authors show how a wide range of for-profit healthcare organizations are experimenting with different types of smartphone-enabled services for low-income consumers. They provide several examples of how these business models work, and describe three approaches that for-profit organizations can use to serve the poor-in the realm of healthcare and beyond.

Most business leaders speak optimistically about the prospects of globalization, and for good reason. Globalization has fostered an increasingly interconnected world, with nearly $30 trillion in goods and services traded in 2013 alone. So, why do so many well-run companies fail in global markets? The author, an NYU Professor, says it's because executives fail to account for important differences between nations and to consider how those differences will generate operational risks. Using the 'cautionary tales' of IKEA in Russia, Walmart in China and Tesco in the U.S., he shows the importance of understanding the impact of 'institutional distance' when taking a business global.

Although Chinese giant Huawei surpassed Ericsson in 2012 to become the global telecom leader in terms of sales revenue and net profit, the company is still relatively unknown in the West. Many Chinese believe the blueprint for Huawei's success was created by its founder and long-time CEO, Ren Zhengfei. The authors describe seven characteristics of Zhengfei's leadership style, including 'adaptive vision', 'humble dedication' and 'winning by cooperating'. Characterized by his employees as someone who 'leads with his heart and moves with his mind', Zhengfei's purpose, inspiration and humility in leading China's most global company will provide inspiration for leaders everywhere.

Today, the world's biggest challenges-from financial (in)stability to immigration, health, the environment, terrorism and food safety- are global in nature, and their solutions demand global thinking. The authors argue that modern summitry is one of the best ways to addresses such 'spillovers'. The philosophical foundations of arrangements to achieve consensus among otherwise sovereign states as they deal with joint problems is imbued with idealism, they say, and the advance of globalization has only made such collaboration a higher imperative. While the architecture of a new global order remains a question, they maintain that one thing is certain: summitry will have a continuing and crucial role to play.

In a wide ranging interview, Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos describes his leadership style, his company's little-known failures, and his approach to ongoing innovation. From his early days delivering packages to the post office, to his purchase of The Washington Post, to Amazon's forays into TV production and delivery drones, he provides a glimpse into a world of innovation and his desire to continue to delight customers worldwide.

One of the world's most influential management thinkers discusses a new model for tackling the world's 'wicked problems'-issues such as poverty, inequality and climate change: Global Solution Networks (GSNs). Collaboration among nation states-while still necessary-is now insufficient to deal with these issues, he says, describing how GSNs operate. He also discusses his latest work on the opportunities presented by blockchain technology. What if there were a next generation of the Internet, he asks, where we could conduct peer-to-peer transactions-not just to exchange information, but to exchange value and money? We can't do that yet without a powerful intermediary-like a credit card company or PayPal; but before long, the Blockchain will make it-and much more-possible. In the end, he says, the first era of the digital age has not fully delivered on its promises. Through GSNs and the Blockchain, we will have another opportunity to rewrite the economic order of things-and dramatically improve the state of the world.

Job titles usually don't generate much excitement. But at some companies, receptionists are "directors of first impressions," PR people are "brand evangelists," and theme park workers are "cast members." Research shows that all this isn't just a silly exercise in euphemisms--it can be a powerful tool for improving workers' morale and boosting recruitment. London Business School's Dan Cable studied how creative new titles improved life at a local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other organizations, and he has outlined steps for companies looking to launch retitling initiatives.

Surprising new findings on how sleep affects our mental processes.

It is possible to follow rules and commit fraud, a lesson that former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow learned the hard way. In this Ivey Business Journal Q&A, the world’s most infamous finance executive explains how a good kid from a good home, who received a good education from good schools, ended up a willing participant in one of the largest corporate frauds in U.S. history. Today, he accepts full accountability for the damage caused by flaws in his character that enabled him to justify questionable interpretations of accounting laws. He says that the media portrayed Enron as “a bunch of sinister guys sitting in a dimly lit room trying to think of ways to rip people off. It wasn’t that way. When we did these creative deals, they weren’t hidden. We had parties to celebrate them. We got awards for them…. I like to think that I wouldn’t have done what I did if it had dawned on me that my actions were potentially criminal. It just never did.” Fastow believes that many unethical business behaviours happen in a grey area, where we rationalize fraudulent behaviour because we’ve technically followed the rules. Although he still sees questionable behaviour in politics, tax avoidance, and business, he’s optimistic that improvement is possible — less through legislation than cultural change. After all, business schools did not even offer comprehensive courses on ethics when Fastow did his MBA.

Transformation is a preoccupation of corporate leaders like never before, creating a wave of multi-million-dollar organizational change programs. But as more companies decide to radically rewrite their business and operating models, as well as inject critical change into their underlying business, technology, and people strategies, the results are less inspiring. While many factors are at play, the essential elements of impactful transformation are effective leadership, vision and implementation. This article describes these principles in terms of the author’s recent change engagement with McCarthy Tétrault LLP, a 160-year-old law firm known as an industry poster child for modern customer service. <br><br> During the change initiative, the key components of leadership were quiet leadership, strong and supportive leadership, leadership that’s set up for success, and leadership that’s united as a team. Effectively establishing and communicating a new vision was broken down into balancing data and human insights; driving vision down to the details; and creating a new vision-supporting culture. Finally, the following best practices were key to implementing the change initiative: defining accountability and responsibility; introducing project management discipline; and planning to communicate and celebrate. Besides a communication plan, successful corporate transformations require a detailed celebration and recognition program to ensure that significant individual and team efforts are acknowledged. The principles of effective transformation ask three questions: What exactly do you want to accomplish? Who will lead the change program and how will they do it? How will you keep everything on track?

The Great Recession didn’t only harm financially troubled companies. After all, every time a bankruptcy is filed, shock waves travel along supply chains and often take healthy companies by surprise. In other words, when companies share suppliers, especially with major global corporations like General Motors, they share operational risks. Businesses can simply accept this risk. But with the global economy still struggling, it makes more sense for managers to consider using a group purchasing organization, or GPO, to insulate their operations from the ongoing business failures that are a natural result of any financial crisis or economic downturn. And let’s not forget the risk posed by black swan events like Japan’s earthquake/tsunami disaster in 2011. <br><br> Partnering with a GPO isn’t for everyone. Indeed, managing one’s own supply chain feels in line with the entrepreneurial spirit and enables flexible, one-on-one relationships with supplier partners. However, GPOs insulate companies against downturns and disasters and mitigate the risks associated with independent supply chain management. Other advantages include: 1) Better pricing: GPOs use the collective buying power of their members to negotiate better prices. 2) More advantageous payment terms: GPOs can negotiate better payment terms with sellers so that members can save money. 3) Greater reliability: When a supplier goes bankrupt, it can devastate a supply chain if there are no backup suppliers available. 4) Improved selection: Product development must continue even in a recession, so it’s essential that businesses can obtain the resources needed for new products and services. While GPOs have existed for a long time, they are growing in number in the post-Great Recession world because supply chain management is now more about guarding against market uncertainties than ever before.