Nancy Rothbard - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

Limited Seating: Mixed Results on Efforts to Include More Women at the Corporate Board Table

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:21:51 EST

Although women have been steadily gaining ground for years in the workforce, both in the U.S. and abroad, they still occupy a very small number of board seats in big companies. Some countries have responded by passing laws requiring that a certain percentage of seats on a company's board of directors be held by women. But experts warn that the issue of greater board diversity calls for more than a "one-size-fits-all" solution.

From Freelancers to Telecommuters: Succeeding in the New World of Solitary Work

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:57:22 EST

As the economy flirts with a double-dip recession and cost-conscious companies hesitate to re-hire, the workplace for many Americans has shifted away from crowded offices to a new world of solitary work. From freelancers to telecommuters to laid-off workers making do with temporary jobs, an increasing number of Americans are reporting to work each day from a corner of their home, a space in the garage or even a table at the local coffee shop. For some, it's a dream come true. But the transition isn't smooth for everyone.

A Recession for Perks? What Companies Offer and What Employees Want

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:58:47 EST

Until recently, most discussions of perks focused on what high-tech companies in Silicon Valley were offering their employees, from free gourmet meals and yoga classes to massage therapy and auto detailing. But these days, many companies are simultaneously trying to shake off the recession, keep costs low, retain valued employees and recruit talented new ones. Perks, if designed well, can help achieve these goals.

Is Business-centric Social Networking a Revolution -- or a Ruse?

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:47:44 EST

Programs like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have become a popular way for families and groups of friends (or groups of strangers) to share information and organize their lives. Now corporations are hoping they can tap into those capabilities as a way to improve employee productivity, collaboration and communication on the job -- and a long line of software vendors are hoping to position themselves as the ones to help make the integration of social networking and business a reality. Is it worth the effort?

You've Come a Long Way, Baby ... or Maybe Not: Why Women are Losing Ground on Wall Street

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:14:17 EST

Consider these recent reports in the financial press: Even though women hold a minority of financial sector jobs, five times as many women as men were laid off after the start of the recession. Meanwhile, the pay gap between men and women in the industry actually widened between 2000 and 2007. The result is that while women in the broader work force have made significant progress toward pay and opportunity parity, they have actually lost ground on Wall Street. Is the financial services industry just an inhospitable place for women, or are there better opportunities elsewhere? Wharton faculty and others weigh in.

Europe's Migrants: 'The World Is a Smaller Place'

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:48:17 EST

France expels Roma Gypsies; a prominent German economist says migrants are destroying the country; a far-right party with an anti-immigration platform wins its first parliamentary seats in Sweden. Few countries in Europe have escaped the recent heated debates about immigration within their borders. Against this backdrop, a growing body of research is helping Europeans understand whether, and under what conditions, immigration is economically and socially beneficial. As one Wharton expert notes, "It's not a zero-sum game."

So You Want to Live to 100? More of Us Will, and Here Is What Life Might Look Like

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:18:52 EST

If your children happened to be born since the year 2000 in developed countries, they will most likely live to be 100, and they will be healthier than elderly people in previous generations, according to a recent article in the medical journal The Lancet. The implications are enormous for everything from retirement planning and health care costs to new models for the workplace and innovative approaches to education. As one Wharton professor says: "This is a demographic revolution the likes of which we have never seen before on earth." What challenges will individuals, organizations and governments confront due to increases in life expectancy that show no signs of slowing down?

Available All the Time: Etiquette for the Social Networking Age

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:48:04 EST

As social networking sites and 24-hour Blackberry access blur the lines between business and personal lives, managers and employees are struggling to develop new social norms to guide them through the ongoing evolution of communications technology. Wharton faculty and other experts say the process of creating rules to cope with the ever-expanding reach of modern communications has just begun, but will be shaped largely by individuals and organizations, not top-down decrees from a digital Emily Post.

'Locals,' 'Cosmopolitans' and Other Keys to Creating Successful Global Teams

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:37:02 EST

Global teams are like oceans: Depending on how they are navigated, they can link the world together or split it apart. When global teams work, they tap into a company's top talent, exploit local expertise, unite far-flung groups and ramp up worldwide production. When they don't, they are divisive, spark massive miscommunication and drive global projects into the ground. Knowledge@Wharton offers a best practices guide for global teams.

Caught in the Middle: Rising Unemployment Takes Its Toll on Older Managers

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:18:09 EST

U.S. recessions since the oil crisis in the early 1970s each had their own special causes and victims, but they also had something in common: They were over relatively quickly. The current downturn, however, is deeper and already longer than any since World War II. This spells trouble for one especially vulnerable group -- managers in their 40s and early 50s. What can they do when the industry they made their career in downsizes or goes bust? And how should they go about picking themselves up and getting back into the game? Wharton faculty and employment counselors weigh in.

Hiring from Outside the Company: How New People Can Bring Unexpected Problems

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:03:03 EST

Rather than hire experienced people from outside, many companies might be better off training fresh recruits with little experience in the industry. That approach can give the firm more control over how the new workers adapt to their employer's corporate strategy and culture, according to a research paper by Wharton management professor Nancy Rothbard titled, "Unpacking Prior Experience: How Career History Affects Job Performance."

'Don't Touch My Perks': Companies that Eliminate Them Risk Employee Backlash

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:40:28 EST

Earlier this summer, when employees first learned of a Google plan to upgrade and dramatically raise the price of its day care program, they wept. According to Wharton faculty and compensation experts, that reaction shouldn't come as a big surprise. Trying to eliminate any perk, they say, can cause feelings of betrayal and even retaliation against the company on the part of employees. With the current economic slump, more 'de-perking' could be on the way.

Perk Place: The Benefits Offered by Google and Others May Be Grand, but They're All Business

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:21:30 EST

Free gourmet food, 24-hour gym, yoga classes, in-house doctor, on-site haircuts, dry cleaner, nutritionist, swimming pool ... .These are just some of the perks Google -- and many other organizations -- offer employees. Companies have their reasons, of course: They want to attract and retain the best knowledge-workers they can, help them work long hours by feeding them gourmet meals on-site and handling time-consuming personal chores, and show them that they are valued members of the team. But, as Wharton faculty point out, there may be a potential downside to all this largesse.

More Confident, Less Careful: Why Office Romances Are Hard to Manage

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:21:30 EST

If everything you knew about office life came from NBC's serial mockumentary "The Office," you would be forgiven for thinking romance is the main spice of workplace life. Yet the hit show confirms with satire what recent studies have demonstrated with numbers: Romances shape office life, and human resource departments don't have much to say about it. But given the potential fallout from workplace relationships, companies retreat on this issue at their own risk, suggest a number of experts. As one HR professional puts it: "There is a feeling of resignation among HR people. Mostly they close their eyes and hope for the best."

Plateauing: Redefining Success at Work

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 14:39:32 EST

It's not work/life balance and it's not career burnout. Instead, some employees are starting to set career paths based on their own needs, values and definitions of success. They are otherwise talented and energetic workers who are "plateauing" -- setting boundaries around their ambitions rather than striving to climb the next step up the corporate ladder. Some companies are beginning to take notice, providing new options and opportunities in the ongoing war for talent.

Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Desk: The Effect of Mood on Work Performance

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:03:13 EST

While a lot of research has been done in the past two decades on work-family conflicts, few studies have looked closely at how mood affects workers' performance. Wharton management professor Nancy Rothbard and co-author Steffanie Wilk wanted to find out which mood-altering events have the biggest effect, if any -- those that influence one's outlook at the start of the day, or those that nudge one's mood up or down as the workday advances. The results of Rothbard and Wilk's study are reported in their paper, "Walking in the Door: Sources and Consequences of Employee Mood on Work Performance." Among their key findings: The mood you bring with you to work has a stronger effect on the day's mood -- and on work performance -- than mood changes caused by events in the workplace.

Reluctant Vacationers: Why Americans Work More, Relax Less, than Europeans

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:03:13 EST

As most travelers to Europe know, French workers tend to take the month of August off, shutting down many of their shops and cutting back the hours of some museums. But the French aren't alone. People in much of Western Europe can afford to check out for a month because they receive an average of nearly two months a year in paid leave, a combination of vacation and government holidays. That distinguishes them from citizens of the United States, who, despite a similarly productive economy and a comparable standard of living, enjoy about half as much paid time off. What gives? Why are Americans reluctant, or unable, to extricate themselves from their jobs and sign up for some serious vacation time?

Is Your Team Too Big? Too Small? What's the Right Number?

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:41:34 EST

When it comes to athletics, sports teams have a specific number of team players: A basketball team needs five, baseball nine, and soccer 11. But when it comes to the workplace, there is no hard-and-fast rule to determine the optimal number to have on each team. Should the most productive team have 4.6 members, as suggested in a recent magazine article? What about naming five or six individuals to each team, which is the number of MBA students chosen each year by Wharton for its learning teams? Is it true that larger teams simply break down, reflecting a tendency towards "social loafing" and loss of coordination? Or is it that the best number of people for a team is driven by the task at hand and by the roles each person plays? Research by Wharton faculty offers some insights.

Is Your HR Department Friend or Foe? Depends on Who's Asking the Question

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:55:55 EST

Talk to human resources professionals, consultants and scholars who study the workplace and you will find two different views of HR: According to its critics, HR departments are needlessly bureaucratic, obstructionist, stuck in the "comfort zone" of filling out forms and explaining benefits, and too closely aligned with the interests of senior managers yet lacking the business knowledge to become their strategic partners. The more positive view of HR is that it does play a key strategic role, providing direct input into major business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions and restructurings, and improving organizational effectiveness. The truth is probably somewhere in between -- a reflection of workplace evolution, the new global economy and changing expectations on the part of employees and managers.

The Human Side of Mergers: Those Laid Off and Those Left Aboard

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:14:34 EST

The initial headlines announcing mega-corporate mergers and acquisitions typically focus on Wall Street's appreciation for improved finances, less duplication of services and staff, the ability to grow faster, and the anticipation of higher returns for shareholders. When P&G recently announced that it would buy Gillette, for example, the fact that 6,000 people would lose their jobs was all but buried in the details of a deal that would link some of the world's most well-known household brands. Yet, as Wharton professors point out, companies that fail to factor in the costs of layoffs, declining morale, and the chaos that comes from restructuring are headed for trouble.

Call Centers: How to Reduce Burnout, Increase Efficiency

Wed, 16 Jun 2004 15:47:10 EST

It’s no surprise that the front lines of a corporate call center are unusually stressful, but companies don’t always account for that when hiring and training workers for this critical customer contact role, according to speakers at a recent Call Center Industry Forum sponsored by Wharton's Financial Institutions Center. Given that an estimated 3% of the

U.S.

workforce is employed in call centers, and that such centers typically experience a 30% annual turnover, it’s clear that new approaches to call center management are needed.

Showdown in Silicon Valley: Will Fiorina or Hewlett Win the Battle for H-P Shareholders� Votes?

Wed, 13 Mar 2002 00:00:00 EST

When Hewlett-Packard shareholders vote March 19 whether or not to approve the merger of H-P and Compaq Computer, it will bring to an end one of the nastiest, noisiest and most expensive proxy fights in recent history. Whether H-P CEO Carly Fiorina wins approval for the merger, or whether dissident board member Walter Hewlett rallies enough votes to derail it, the challenges for H-P are just beginning.

Corporate Culture Can Break (or Make) a Merger

Wed, 26 Sep 2001 00:00:00 EST

Can one mega-company absorb another and still run things the way it used to? Should it even try? How large does corporate culture loom in the high-tech sector, or in any industry? Is there one type of culture that holds the key to success? Wharton faculty explore these questions and more as they look at the broader issues raised by executives intent on establishing the �right� culture for their organizations.

There�s Just One Word for Jack Welch�

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 00:00:00 EST

Jack Welch�s official retirement from General Electric on Sept. 7 caused an avalanche of news coverage, much of it attempting to analyze exactly what it was that made Welch such an effective leader. Wharton faculty size Welch up as they review the past two decades at GE.

Unemployed Dot-commers: Desirable Execs or Damaged Goods?

Wed, 09 May 2001 00:00:00 EST

In today�s tough economy, people who once worked for dot-coms now find themselves pounding real pavements in search of work. How difficult will it be for these people, especially those in top management positions, to find new jobs? Will their dot-com experience count for them or against them? If they previously worked for traditional companies, will old-economy employers be willing to hire them back? Wharton management professors and executives in the recruitment and outplacement industries offer their opinions.

Do Layoffs Mean You Actually Lose Your Job?

Wed, 28 Mar 2001 00:00:00 EST

The unemployment rate announced last week for the month of March � 4.3% - was the highest in 20 months and the number of actual jobs lost � 86,000 - was the largest since November 1991. What�s behind the constant stream of layoff announcements, and is the employment picture as dire as media reports would have us believe?

Jack Welch�s Postponed Retirement: Ego or Leadership?

Wed, 22 Nov 2000 14:28:13 EST

Did Jack Welch make the right decision when he announced that he would postpone his retirement as head of GE in order to oversee the Honeywell acquisition? Is the postponement a slap in the face to his successor, an unwillingness on Welch�s part to let go, a sign of trouble ahead in efforts to combine these two enormous companies? None of the above, according to management professors at Wharton.