BusinessDay 22 May 2018

Tuesday 22 May 2018 C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 17
Harvard
Business
Review
Tips
&
Talking Points
TALKING POINTS
Rapid Code Deployment at Facebook
2: Last year, it took about 3.5 hours for an
engineer’s code to be put into production
at Facebook, down from 14 hours
in 2016. This year, the company’s goal
is two hours.
+
Don’t Work Too Many Hours
50-55: Research has shown that work
engagement and skills connected with
problem-solving decline when people
work more than 50-55 hours a week.
+
Our Personality Roots
40-50%: Based on studies of twins, researchers
have posited that about 40-50%
of our personalities can be attributed to
our genes.
+
Doctors Say Health Care Is Too Expensive
in the US
89%: About 89% of doctors surveyed in
a University of Utah study said that they
believed the cost of health care in the U.S.
was too high.
+
Few Black Women Are Running
Companies
1.3%: Black women represent 12.7% of
the U.S. population, but just 1.3% of senior
management and C-level executive
positions at S&P 500 firms.
Opt out of that networking event
We’re all familiar with networking events.
They start out as promising, careerboosting
meetups, but tend to end with
you in the corner talking to someone you
already know. This scenario of being stuck
in your comfort zone is challenging for
introverts and extroverts alike. So how
can you overcome it? The answer may
be to stop trying to make new contacts
at events. Here’s why: Mixers are limited
to low-stakes conversations with people,
and we’re more likely to forge relationships by
participating in shared activities. In order words,
we need to look beyond social events to grow
our networks. Opt for higher-stakes activities
such as organizing charity events or playing in
an amateur sports league. Look for hobbies that
attract diverse people. You may find you’re better
off sharing activities than schmoozing.
(Adapted from “Go Ahead, Skip that Networking
Event,” by David Burkus.)
Consider 0nline memos
for board meetings
A common issue in board
governance is lacking the information
to make strategic decisions.
Netflix overcomes this
with an online memo system
that makes board communication
between directors and employees
more transparent, and
meetings more efficient. The
quarterly memos take a narrative
format — they emphasize
discussion within the document
and enable the reader to
access business performance,
industry trends, among other
company insights. By focusing
on shared discussion over presentation,
Netflix has allowed
information to flow more freely
between its board and the company’s
day to day — ultimately
allowing managers to face challenges
with confidence.
(Adapted from “How Netflix
Redesigned Board Meetings,”
by David Larcker and Brian
Tayan.)
Set boundaries to work more
productively with perfectionists
If you have
a perfectionist
on
your team,
you may
find that his
rigid standards
hinder
productivity
and cause
unwanted
conflict. His
inability to
put the larger
goal before the details
can even result in missed
deadlines. So how can you
collaborate with perfectionist
colleagues to be more
productive as a team? Setting
clear boundaries is one place
to start. Perfectionists tend
to send numerous emails
detailing questions or helpful
suggestions, especially
when they are feeling over-
whelmed. Don’t ignore the
emails. Instead, try limiting
your responses to one per
day. Or you can decide not
to respond to emails that a
perfectionist colleague sends
over the weekend. These
boundaries will help both of
you be more productive.
(Adapted from “How to Collaborate
with a Perfectionist,”
Alice Boyes.)
c
Invest in your global team
to keep it engaged
With global teams
comes the potential
for organizations
to tap new markets
and create relevant
brand experiences
for customers from
different cultures.
But in order to reap
the benefits, your organization
will need to
ensure that global team
members are integrated
in the broader company.
Keep in mind that employees
who work away
from headquarters must
deal with a lack of access
to their leaders, communicate
in non-native
languages, and accommodate
the schedules
of colleagues at the company’s
center — all of
which can make a global
team feel removed from
the picture. Managers can
remedy this by scheduling
off-site meetings to bring all
teams together. Try personally
checking in with remote
employees to develop crosscompany
norms. You can
even take a trip to visit global
teams where they are. The
effort will send the message
that you care.
(Adapted from “How to Keep
a Global Team Engaged,” by
Andy Molinsky.)
2017 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate
CEOs should see shareholder activists
as opportunities, not threats
Many companies view shareholder
activists as a shortterm
presence that will leave
after turning a profit. Firms
are also often wary of activist
intervention because CEOinvestor
tensions can arise
early on and put constructive
dialogue out of reach. Consider
activists who push for the
sale of firms and the removal
of CEOs. However, research
shows that the holding period
of a median activist is over a
year. Most importantly, firms
should remember that activist
shareholders are there to help
undervalued companies boost
their worth. If an activist does
approach your firm, the best
initial strategy is to be clear
about strategic goals and balance
any input with your interests and
those of other stakeholders.
(Adapted from “What CEOs Get Wrong
About Activist Investors,” by Frank
Partnoy and Steven Davidoff Solomon.)