The Daily Stat from Harvard Business Review

 

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser.

August 18, 2014 Incompetent Managers Don't Want to Hear Your Ideas In an experimental role-playing scenario, "managers" who were primed to feel incompetent were more likely to denigrate the competence of an "employee" who spoke up and proposed a new operational plan, according to a team led by Nathanael J. Fast of the University of Southern California. The managers who felt unable to fulfill their job expectations rated the employee more negatively than did those who were primed to feel competent. Incompetent managers who are personally threatened by employee suggestions send signals that they are unreceptive, shutting off avenues of new ideas, the researchers say. SOURCE: Managing to Stay in the Dark: Managerial Self-Efficacy, Ego Defensiveness, and the Aversion to Employee Voice

PREVIOUS STATS Why Certain Managers Thrive in Tough New Jobs When Low-Cost Competitors Show Up, Airlines' Performance Worsens Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose, and Sometimes It's Meaningless Why You Shouldn't Try to Win Over a Candidate During the Job Interview You're More Likely to Pursue Your Goals After a Birthday or the First of the Month A Firm Handshake, a Lot of Bacteria

BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials | HBR's 10 Must Reads Boxed Set | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations | HBR Guide to Better Business Writing | HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

FEATURED PRODUCT A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics, Second Edition: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know HBS Press Book In this revised and updated edition of "A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics," David A. Moss draws on his years of teaching at Harvard Business School to explain important macro concepts using clear and engaging language. This guidebook covers the essentials of macroeconomics and examines, in a simple and intuitive way, the core ideas of output, money, and expectations. Early chapters leave you with an understanding of everything from fiscal policy and central banking to business cycles and international trade. Later chapters provide a brief monetary history of the United States as well as the basics of macroeconomic accounting. Read this book from start to finish for a complete overview of macroeconomics, or use it as a reference when you're confronted with specific challenges, like the need to make sense of monetary policy or to read a balance of payments statement. Either way, you'll come away with a broad understanding of the subject and its key pieces, and you'll be empowered to make smarter business decisions. Buy Now

FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Negotiating Ebook + Tools + Video HBR Paperback Series Do you worry that you do not have the right skills to go head-to-head in a negotiation and get what you deserve, or that you'll damage your relationship with your boss, customers, or colleagues? Using the "HBR Guide to Negotiating" and the accompanying tools & video, you'll learn a collaborative and creative approach that results in better outcomes and stronger relationships for all. Buy Now

ADVERTISEMENT

HBR.ORG | THE MAGAZINE | BLOGS | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-545-7685 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7600 (outside the U.S. and Canada)