- Table View
- List View
The Power of Context: How to Manage Our Bias and Improve Our Understanding of Others
by Daniel R. StalderA social psychologist focuses on a very common yet rarely discussed bias called the "fundamental attribution error," showing how being aware of this bias can improve our day-to-day understanding of others.Social life involves making judgments about other people. Often these snap judgments turn out to be wrong when we overlook context. Social psychologists call this pervasive bias the "fundamental attribution error." This book explores the many ways in which this error creeps into our social interactions, frequently causing misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and negative treatment of others.Psychologist Daniel R. Stalder examines common examples of this error, from road rage and misinterpreting facial expressions to "gaydar," victim blaming, and prejudice. The common denominator in these diverse examples is that we falsely assume inherent traits or intentions while overlooking situational factors that might explain a person's behavior. Conversely in the actor-observer bias, we explain our own sometimes questionable behaviors by appealing to situational factors. For example, when you tailgate others, there's always a good reason, but when others tailgate you, they are obviously in the wrong.Stalder also reveals little-known information about classic studies of context, considers both the upsides and downsides to bias, and shares numerous strategies to reduce bias. Filled with interesting examples, new insights, and an abundance of research, this informative and entertaining book will help us understand each other and reduce conflict.
The Power of Culture in City Planning
by Tom BorrupThe Power of Culture in City Planning focuses on human diversity, strengths, needs, and ways of living together in geographic communities. The book turns attention to the anthropological definition of culture, encouraging planners in both urban and cultural planning to focus on characteristics of humanity in all their variety. It calls for a paradigm shift, re-positioning city planners’ "base maps" to start with a richer understanding of human cultures. Borrup argues for cultural master plans in parallel to transportation, housing, parks, and other specialized plans, while also changing the approach of city comprehensive planning to put people or "users" first rather than land "uses" as does the dominant practice. Cultural plans as currently conceived are not sufficient to help cities keep pace with dizzying impacts of globalization, immigration, and rapidly changing cultural interests. Cultural planners need to up their game, and enriching their own and city planners’ cultural competencies is only one step. Both planning practices have much to learn from one another and already overlap in more ways than most recognize. This book highlights some of the strengths of the lesser-known practice of cultural planning to help forge greater understanding and collaboration between the two practices, empowering city planners with new tools to bring about more equitable communities. This will be an important resource for students, teachers, and practitioners of city and cultural planning, as well as municipal policymakers of all stripes.
The Power of Cute
by Simon MayAn exploration of cuteness and its immense hold on us, from emojis and fluffy puppies to its more uncanny, subversive expressionsCuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokémon, the works of artists Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum and E.T.—all reflect its gathering power. But what does “cute” mean, as a sensibility and style? Why is it so pervasive? Is it all infantile fluff, or is there something more uncanny and even menacing going on—in a lighthearted way? In The Power of Cute, Simon May provides nuanced and surprising answers.We usually see the cute as merely diminutive, harmless, and helpless. May challenges this prevailing perspective, investigating everything from Mickey Mouse to Kim Jong-il to argue that cuteness is not restricted to such sweet qualities but also beguiles us by transforming or distorting them into something of playfully indeterminate power, gender, age, morality, and even species. May grapples with cuteness’s dark and unpindownable side—unnerving, artful, knowing, apprehensive—elements that have fascinated since ancient times through mythical figures, especially hybrids like the hermaphrodite and the sphinx. He argues that cuteness is an addictive antidote to today’s pressured expectations of knowing our purpose, being in charge, and appearing predictable, transparent, and sincere. Instead, it frivolously expresses the uncertainty that these norms deny: the ineliminable uncertainty of who we are; of how much we can control and know; of who, in our relations with others, really has power; indeed, of the very value and purpose of power.The Power of Cute delves into a phenomenon that speaks with strange force to our age.
The Power of Difference: Where the Complexities of Diversity and Inclusion Meet Practical Solutions
by Simon FanshaweGood intentions are not enough - real diversity is about change. This book explains why it's our differences and how we combine them that creates true diversity and generates innovation, fresh thinking and ultimately, success. With clarity and wit, The Power of Difference brings together the author's own experiences with the latest research to explain why inclusion is more than just being nice to people, why unconscious bias training isn't the fix we need and why listening to all individual voices, not just assuming that one viewpoint represents a group, is key. Offering insight, analysis and practical solutions, The Power of Difference is a must read for all managers, leaders and HR professionals as well as anyone looking to engage with the topic, who doesn't know where to start. Exploring how to confront bias, question assumptions and avoid generalizations, this book illustrates why diversity should be part of the overall business strategy, not separate from it. It shows how for innovation and diversity to flourish, we must create spaces that are safe for disagreement, not from disagreement. Written in an engaging yet practical style, this book courageously tackles some of the most significant issues at work today.
The Power of Economists within the State
by Johan ChristensenThe spread of market-oriented reforms has been one of the major political and economic trends of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Governments have, to varying degrees, adopted policies that have led to deregulation: the liberalization of trade; the privatization of state entities; and low-rate, broad-base taxes. Yet some countries embraced these policies more than others. Johan Christensen examines one major contributor to this disparity: the entrenchment of U. S. -trained, neoclassical economists in political institutions the world over. While previous studies have highlighted the role of political parties and production regimes, Christensen uses comparative case studies of New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, and Denmark to show how the influence of economists affected the extent to which each nation adopted market-oriented tax policies. He finds that, in countries where economic experts held powerful positions, neoclassical economics broke through with greater force. Drawing on revealing interviews with 80 policy elites, he examines the specific ways in which economists shaped reforms, relying on an activist approach to policymaking and the perceived utility of their science to drive change.
The Power of Education
by Colin PowerThis book is about the power of education: the kind of education that simultaneously improves the quality of life both of individuals and the wider society. It explains why education must be viewed as a basic human right, as a value in and of itself, and reviews the evidence on how education builds the human resources that individuals and nations need to be productive, to continue to learn, to solve problems, to be creative, and to live together and with nature in peace and harmony. When nations ensure that such an education is accessible to all throughout their lives, education becomes the engine of sustainable development - economic, social, moral and cultural. The book is unique in that it covers the development of education at all levels in all countries of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, using the latest international data bases, while blending in analyses of both quantitate and qualitative research.
The Power of Employee Resource Groups: How People Create Authentic Change
by Farzana NayaniThis is the first authoritative book on building employee resource groups (ERGs) to empower underrepresented employees and positively impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within organizations and in society at large.In existence for decades, ERGs originated out of affirmative action policies and have evolved into powerful sources of employee activity and engagement. Organizations can leverage ERGs to support business goals, but ERGs can also play a critical role in creating a more inclusive work environment for marginalized individuals. ERGs represent a balance of serving company interests and empowering employees, offering the opportunity for innovative leadership within organizations. This book is a practical guide on how to manage ERGs effectively and how they inspire a deeper connection between employees and companies while helping us progress toward the DEI goals that we aim to accomplish. Participating in an ERG can help professionals of color and other historically excluded groups advance their careers, thereby increasing diverse representation in leadership. Farzana Nayani provides foundational tools for starting ERGs and outlines the five Ps—purpose, people, processes, planning, and priorities—needed to successfully operate them. Unlike other ERG handbooks, this book is people-centric and socially conscious and thoughtfully takes into account the experiences of employees and leaders during current times. It also serves as a deeper call to action around how ERGs can foster authentic change within organizations, creating transformative impact in the surrounding world.
The Power of Energy Justice & the Social Contract (Just Transitions)
by Raphael Heffron Louis FontenelleThis open access book focuses on the energy sector and will make a significant contribution to its continued evolution. For many years, the energy sector has been missing a raison d’etre and now finally there are increased calls for that to be justice. Hence, this book will develop the concept of energy justice and how it needs to be formalised in a new ‘social contract’ with all stakeholders in society. The focus will be on improving legal systems at local, national and international levels while ensuring that justice is a core issue within energy law, the legal system and more broadly in society.
The Power of Ethics: How to Make Good Choices in a Complicated World
by Susan LiautaudThe essential guide for ethical decision-making in the 21st century. It&’s not your imagination: we&’re living in a time of moral decline. Publicly, we&’re bombarded with reports of government leaders acting against the welfare of their constituents; companies prioritizing profits over health, safety, and our best interests; and technology posing risks to society with few or no repercussions for those responsible. Personally, we may be conflicted about how much privacy to afford our children on the internet; how to make informed choices about our purchases and the companies we buy from; or how to handle misconduct we witness at home and at work. How do we find a way forward? Today&’s ethical challenges are increasingly gray, often without a clear right or wrong solution, causing us to teeter on the edge of effective decision-making. With concentrated power structures, rapid advances in technology, and insufficient regulation to protect citizens and consumers, ethics are harder to understand than ever. But in The Power of Ethics, Susan Liautaud shows how ethics can be used to create a sea change of positive decisions that can ripple outward to our families, communities, workplaces, and the wider world—offering unprecedented opportunity for good. Drawing on two decades as an ethics advisor guiding corporations and leaders, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and students in her Stanford University ethics courses, Susan Liautaud provides clarity to blurry ethical questions, walking you through a straightforward, four-step process for ethical decision-making you can use every day. Liautaud also explains the six forces driving virtually every ethical choice we face. Exploring some of today&’s most challenging ethics dilemmas and showing you how to develop a clear point of view, speak out with authority, make effective decisions, and contribute to a more ethical world for yourself and others, The Power of Ethics is the must-have ethics guide for the 21st century.
The Power of Experiments: Decision Making in a Data-Driven World (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Michael Luca Max H. BazermanHow organizations—including Google, StubHub, Airbnb, and Facebook—learn from experiments in a data-driven world.Have you logged into Facebook recently? Searched for something on Google? Chosen a movie on Netflix? If so, you've probably been an unwitting participant in a variety of experiments—also known as randomized controlled trials—designed to test the impact of different online experiences. Once an esoteric tool for academic research, the randomized controlled trial has gone mainstream. No tech company worth its salt (or its share price) would dare make major changes to its platform without first running experiments to understand how they would influence user behavior. In this book, Michael Luca and Max Bazerman explain the importance of experiments for decision making in a data-driven world. Luca and Bazerman describe the central role experiments play in the tech sector, drawing lessons and best practices from the experiences of such companies as StubHub, Alibaba, and Uber. Successful experiments can save companies money—eBay, for example, discovered how to cut $50 million from its yearly advertising budget—or bring to light something previously ignored, as when Airbnb was forced to confront rampant discrimination by its hosts. Moving beyond tech, Luca and Bazerman consider experimenting for the social good—different ways that govenments are using experiments to influence or “nudge” behavior ranging from voter apathy to school absenteeism. Experiments, they argue, are part of any leader's toolkit. With this book, readers can become part of “the experimental revolution.”
The Power of Feedback: Giving, Seeking, and Using Feedback for Performance Improvement (Applied Psychology Series)
by Manuel LondonThis follow up to the 2003 edition of Job Feedback by Manuel London is updated to cover new research in the area of organizational management. This edition bridges a gap in research that now covers cultural responses to employer feedback, feedback through electronic communications, and how technology has changed the way teams work in organizations. The Power of Feedback includes examples of feedback from friends, family, colleagues, and volunteers in non-profit organizations. In this new book, both employers and employees will learn to view feedback as a positive tool for improving performance, motivation, and interpersonal relationships. Managers, human resource professionals, and students who will one day oversee teams will benefit from the research and advice found in The Power of Feedback.
The Power of Fifty Bits
by Bob NeaseEven with the very best of intentions, people often fail to make wise choices for themselves--whether for their health, their finances, or their business decisions. Yet it doesn't have to be that way--thanks to the science behind fifty bits design, a set of principles that helps close the gap between intentions and actual behaviors.Of the ten million bits of information our brains process each second, only fifty bits are devoted to conscious thought. This means that humans are wired for inattention and inertia, so we often choose without thinking and act against our own interests. Understanding this is the key to any behavior change, from increasing charitable donations to reducing unintended pregnancies.As the former chief scientist of Express Scripts, a Fortune 25 health care company, Bob Nease is an expert on applying behavioral sciences to the health care industry. He realized that providing financial incentives and tools--an approach that assumes patients will act rationally--was not having the outcome that he expected. Instead, he had to reengineer patients' environments in order for their natural inclinations to lead them to the best decisions. In a nod to the brain's fundamental cognitive limitation, he called this approach "fifty bits design," and now he applies his knowledge to the wider world, offering important, practical solutions that marketers, human resources professionals, teachers, and even parents can use to improve the behavior of others around them and get the positive results they want.Nease offers a set of powerful and effective strategies for change:* Require Choice: compel people to deliberately choose among options* Lock In Good Intentions: allow people to make decisions today about choices they will face in the future* Let It Ride: set the default to the desired option and let people opt out if they wish* Get in the Flow: home in on where people's attention is likely to go naturally* Reframe the Choices: set the framework people use to consider options and choices* Piggyback It: connect the desired choice or behavior with something people already like or are engaged in* Simplify...Wisely: make the right choices frictionless and easy; make the wrong choices more difficultThe Power of Fifty Bits is the first how-to guide that provides step-by-step instructions for helping customers, employees, co-workers, and clients get the results they truly want.Advance Praise for The Power of Fifty Bits"In many ways, this book is yet another one of Bob's cleverly engineered systems, expertly designed to hook you with an enigmatic title, hold you with delightful stories and deep ideas, and ultimately leave you better than you were before--wiser about people in general, and about yourself in particular."--from the foreword by Daniel Gilbert"Want to learn how to design approaches that spur others to achieve their goals--and that do the same for you and your own goals? With clarity, eloquence, and humor, The Power of Fifty Bits shows you how."--Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence"If you want to understand how the environment you live in can be reshaped so that your intuitions, fears, hopes, and dreams can best be managed and aligned with your best intentions, I recommend you read this fun, challenging, and useful book."--Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics, NYU Langone Medical Center"The Power of Fifty Bits shows you how to produce outcomes that have both high financial effectiveness and high acceptance by employees."--Bob Ihrie, SVP of Compensation and Benefits, Lowe's Companies, Inc."The Power of Fifty Bits is a great resource for creating state-of-the-art programs to promote well-being. Combining evidence for effective behavior change with practical advice, this book will transform your thinking and put you on a path to a much better life."--Helen Darling, strategic advisor, National Business Group on Health"Bob Nease is a pioneer of implementing social science in business and healthcare, and we are lucky to have him share his expertise."--Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational"This book proves ...
The Power of Framing
by Fairhurst Gail T.Praise for The Power of Framing "The primary work of leadership involves managing meaning through framing. Fairhurst shows that the way leaders use language to frame people, situations, and events has important consequences for the way individuals make sense of the world and their actions. The Power of Framing is an accessible and inspirational read for leaders who want to shape their organizations in ethically responsible ways. "-J. Kevin Barge, professor, Texas A&M University "An ideal book for MBA students and business professionals who are interested in specific tools for constructing leadership in their professional worlds. By focusing on the language toolbox of leadership, the book empowers anyone to construct leadership through talk and interaction. " -Jolanta Aritz, associate professor, Center for Management Communication, USC Marshall School of Business "Building on her earlier acclaimed work, and written in a highly accessible style, Fairhurst's thoughtful study provides us with a practical and highly relevant analysis of the power of framing language from a leadership perspective. This is a must-have book. " -David Grant, professor of organizational studies, University of Sydney "Communication is the most important element of leadership, and framing of the subject and situation is one of the most powerful tools available to leaders. Gail Fairhurst has created the handbook to help leaders do this right. A must-read for anyone in a leadership capacity. " -Rich Kiley, venture capitalist, and retired Procter & Gamble marketing and HR executive "To be an effective global manager, there is nothing more critical than understanding how to frame an issue so that you are effectively communicating and motivating in a culturally sensitive manner. This book will tune you into these issues and show you how to make certain your communication is properly interpreted by your audience. " -Olga Jacob, general sales manager (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), American Airlines
The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go
by Matthew Barzun&“This book is a breakthrough. It&’s beautifully written, perfectly timed and heralds a new way forward. I&’m buying a dozen copies to share with friends and colleagues.&” -Seth Godin, Founder of altMBA and author of The Practice If you let go of hierarchy, chaos will reign...or so many leaders believe. But when leaders find the courage to distribute rather than hoard power, creativity multiplies, trust deepens, and inclusivity expands... and a new kind of order emerges.A few rare leaders have learned to embrace a new organizational shape and mindset: Constellations. Organizations designed as constellations are dynamic and flexible networks of distinct yet interwoven individuals. Each member of the team feels like a singular star and is also connected to others to form something greater. That is how Visa reimagined how we pay for things, how Wikipedia beat the richest company in the world and how Barack Obama and his grassroots team revolutionized political campaigning. These leaders did what most leaders dread – they gave away power. Barzun brilliantly layers lessons across history and industries with his own experiences as an internet entrepreneur, political organizer, and US ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden. The Power of Giving Away Power shows how the Constellation mindset shines in some of the most impactful organizations and innovations the world has ever known. And it encourages us all to recognize, as Barzun writes, "the power we can create by seeing the power in others" — and making the leap to lead. Together.
The Power of Global Teams
by Elisabeth MarxThis highly practical book explains how executive teams in global companies can work together to successfully drive change, enable fast growth or restructure the business. It demonstrates a clear correlation between team development and business results and even deals with special issues for teams in the not-for-profit sector and emerging markets.
The Power of Guidance: Teaching Social-emotional Skills in Early Childhood Classrooms
by Dan GartrellChildcare providers and teachers in preschool and primary grade settings will greatly value the collection of writings in The Power of Guidance: Teaching Social-Emotional Skills In the Early Childhood Classroom. The writings provide a concise yet multi-faceted overview of the guidance approach used with this age group. The book examines the differences between patience and understanding and between misbehavior and mistaken behavior, important distinctions that must be made in order to understand and deal with various behaviors using the guidance approach. Readers also will learn the components of an encouraging classroom and strategies for maintaining it, leading to non-punitive approaches for classroom management. One chapter puts particular focus on intervention strategies with boys, a topic readers often seek out. The book has the distinction of being selected as a comprehensive member benefit for the NAEYC for 2003.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Playaway Adult Nonfiction Ser.)
by Charles DuhiggA young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed. Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern--and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year. An untested CEO takes over one of the largest companies in America. His first order of business is attacking a single pattern among his employees--how they approach worker safety--and soon the firm, Alcoa, becomes the top performer in the Dow Jones. What do all these people have in common? They achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives. They succeeded by transforming habits. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. Along the way we learn why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. We visit laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. We discover how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. We go inside Procter & Gamble, Target superstores, Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, NFL locker rooms, and the nation's largest hospitals and see how implementing so-called keystone habits can earn billions and mean the difference between failure and success, life and death. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. Habits aren't destiny. As Charles Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.From the Hardcover edition.
The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back
by Kevin Salwen Hannah SalwenIt all started when 15-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic, but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe "You know, Dad," she said, pointing, "If that man had a less nice car, that man could have a meal." This glaring disparity let the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to stop talking and start doing. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together, deciding to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. At first it was an outlandish scheme. "What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. "We are TOTALLY doing this." It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. In the end they found a needy village in Ghana where their commitment of funds and their unwavering follow through would change the lives of hundreds, for good. It would also alter irrevocably the lives of four normal Americans who learned together that half could be so much more. With deft prose, an unassuming tone, and an endearing sense of humor, The Power of Half chronicles this remarkable, unlikely journey, this reimagining of the American dream, one family at a time. It also offers readers a very accessible road map to employ the power of half to their own lives, no matter one's means or resources. In that way, it shows readers, how to connect their families through a unifying purpose, an antidote to the splintering of American families in this era of iPods, video-gaming, and other solo activities.
The Power of Hope: How the Science of Well-Being Can Save Us from Despair
by Carol GrahamWhy hope matters as a metric of economic and social well-beingIn a society marked by extreme inequality of income and opportunity, why should economists care about how people feel? The truth is that feelings of well-being are critical metrics that predict future life outcomes. In this timely and innovative account, economist Carol Graham argues for the importance of hope—little studied in economics at present—as an independent dimension of well-being. Given America’s current mental health crisis, thrown into stark relief by COVID, hope may be the most important measure of well-being, and researchers are tracking trends in hope as a key factor in understanding the rising numbers of “deaths of despair” and premature mortality.Graham, an authority on the study of well-being, points to empirical evidence demonstrating that hope can improve people’s life outcomes and that despair can destroy them. These findings, she argues, merit deeper exploration. Graham discusses the potential of novel well-being metrics as tracking indicators of despair, reports on new surveys of hope among low-income adolescents, and considers the implications of the results for the futures of these young adults.Graham asks how and why the wealthiest country in the world has such despair. What are we missing? She argues that public policy problems—from joblessness and labor force dropout to the lack of affordable health care and inadequate public education—can’t be solved without hope. Drawing on research in well-being and other disciplines, Graham describes strategies for restoring hope in populations where it has been lost. The need to address despair, and to restore hope, is critical to America’s future.
The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create A Better World
by Adam WaytzAn urgent yet hopeful analysis of the surge in dehumanization, and how we can reverse it. The unprecedented access to other humans that technology provides has ironically freed us from engaging with them. Thanks to social media, we can know a campaigning politician’s platform; an avid traveler’s restaurant recommendations; and the daily emotional fluctuations of our friends without ever even picking up the phone. According to social psychologist Adam Waytz, our increasingly human-free lives come with a serious cost that we’ve already begun to pay: the loss of our humanity. Humans have superpowers. More than any other psychological stimulus, our presence can make experiences feel significant, inspire moral behavior, and encourage action. Recent studies suggest that we even have power over mortality—the survival rate of individuals with stronger social relationships has been found to be twice as high as those with weak relationships. The Power of Human shows us how to rehumanize and harness these unique abilities to improve our lives, beginning with our jobs. The remedy for the dehumanized worker is twofold. Employers, Waytz argues, must instill humanity into work by capitalizing on distinctly human skills, especially sociability and variability. Meanwhile, workers need to put to rest the idea that you are what you do and instead detach their personal identities from their occupations. Waytz offers a similarly science-based method to counter the rising threat that technology poses to our humanity, outlining how we can design human-machine partnerships that optimize the strengths of both parties. Finally, he reveals how, by humanizing intimacy and conflict in unexpected ways, we can strengthen relationships with both our friends and enemies. Essential reading for individuals and institutions alike, The Power of Human explains how we can solve one of our time’s biggest problems by better utilizing the influence we have on one another.
The Power of Humility in Leadership: Influencing as a Role Model
by Franziska FrankTo many people, the words ‘leader’ and ‘humble’ are not natural bedfellows. Yet once they have grasped the definition most employees desire a humble leader, while a majority of managers believe they already are one. What appears deceptively simple is trickier than expected. Narcissism, lack of perception, fixed mindsets, and neuronal default settings are only a few of the stumbling blocks on the path to humility. What exactly is this sought-after humility? Humility consists of four key elements: 1) Seeing one’s own strength and weaknesses and revealing them where needed for the bigger picture; 2) Appreciating others for what they are, do now and can do; 3) Being open and willing to learn; 4) Understanding that we are all only a small part of a larger picture, easily replaceable and favored by luck and circumstance. Therefore, humility has nothing to do with being weak or hiding the light under the bushel. Instead, it is about clarity, taking a step back from one’s ego and thus being able to serve the greater picture. The author’s own research with more than 2,000 managers contributes to the canon of positive effects of humility that have been measured by dozens of researchers during the last decade. Humility benefits employees (ranging from better performance, more innovation, stronger resilience to better client relations, and stronger morals), the organization (ranging from better ambidextrous strategies, a better culture to fewer sunk costs) and the managers themselves (ranging from more seen leadership potential to less stress and better relationships with employees). Dozens of case studies, quotes from more than 150 interviews with top managers, lively storytelling of real-life examples, and solid research with actionable take-aways, plus personal assessments, make this an eminently readable and practical book for managers worldwide.
The Power of Identity: Economy, Society, And Culture (Information Age Series #14)
by Manuel CastellsIn this second volume of The Information Age trilogy, with an extensive new preface following the recent global economic crisis, Manuel Castells deals with the social, political, and cultural dynamics associated with the technological transformation of our societies and with the globalization of the economy. Extensive new preface examines how dramatic recent events have transformed the socio-political landscape of our world Applies Castells’ hypotheses to contemporary issues such as Al Qaeda and global terrorist networks, American unilateralism and the crisis of political legitimacy throughout the world A brilliant account of social, cultural, and political conflict and struggle all over the world Analyzes the importance of cultural, religious, and national identity as sources of meaning for people, and its implications for social movement Throws new light on the dynamics of global and local change
The Power of Identity Claims: How We Value and Defend the Self
by Dale T. MillerThis book draws on research in psychology and behavioral economics to show how striving to live up to our identity claims profoundly affects our daily lives. The author argues the claims we make about who we are and what we stand for powerfully influence us, and our social world. Asking questions such as: Why do people resist the temptation to cheat when cheating would benefit them greatly and no one would find out? Why do people express different beliefs about climate change when they are first reminded of their political affiliation? Why do people prefer to be compensated for donating blood with cholesterol screening than with money? Miller puts forth a novel and compelling argument regarding how strongly our identity claims affect our daily lives. The book provides explanations for many forms of puzzling behavior, such as why people sometimes act against their economic self-interest, how they avoid situations that test their moral identities, and how they respond to failures to live up to their moral identities. It paints an intriguing picture of people’s investment in their identity claims by showing how they seek opportunities to demonstrate their validity, avoid actions and circumstances that challenge their legitimacy, and employ psychological defenses when others challenge their legitimacy. Based on extensive research in the fields of psychology, economics, and political science, this book is fascinating reading for students and academics interested in identity and the self. It also provides an expanded tool kit for those who seek behavioral change in their organization or community.
The Power of Labelling: How People are Categorized and Why It Matters
by Rosalind Eyben Joy MoncrieffeWhat does it mean to be part of the mass known as ?The Poor?? What visions are conjured up in our minds when someone is labelled ?Muslim?? What assumptions do we make about their needs, values and politics? How do we react individually and as a society? Who develops the labels, what power do they carry and how do such labels affect how people are treated? This timely book tackles the critical and controversial issue of how people are labelled and categorized, and how their problems are framed and dealt with. Drawing on vast international experience and current theory, the authors examine how labels are constituted and applied by a variety of actors, including development policy makers, practitioners and researchers. The book exposes the intense and complex politics involved in processes of labelling, and highlights how the outcomes of labelling can undermine stated development goals. Importantly, one of the book?s principal objectives is to suggest how policy makers and professionals can tackle negative forms of labelling and encourage processes of ?counter-labelling?, to enhance poverty reduction and human rights, and to tackle issues of race relations and global security. The Afterword encapsulates these ideas ands provides a good basis for reflection, further debate and action.
The Power of Love: How Kenneth Jernigan Changed the World for the Blind
by National Federation of the Blind<P>The Power of Love: How Kenneth Jernigan Changed the World for the Blind shares the voices of a collection of individuals whose writings reveal the deep truth that serves as the foundation for the life and work of Kenneth Jernigan. <P>His life and their writings together speak of how Thomas Jefferson's self-evident truths imply that equality extends to embrace blind people just as surely as this country has come to understand equality's inclusion of all people regardless of the color of their skin. <P>Ramona Walhof, editor of The Power of Love and longtime friend of Kenneth Jernigan, draws together the distinctive voices of individuals who knew Kenneth Jernigan and whose lives he touched through his work with the National Federation of the Blind. Each of the reflections begins with a brief biographical sketch that introduces the chapter's author and ties his or her life to Kenneth Jernigan and his work. <P>The book concludes with a chapter, "Blindness: The Federation at Fifty," a retrospective written by Kenneth Jernigan himself in the last decade of his life. The Power of Love: How Kenneth Jernigan Changed the World for the Blind gathers a polyphonic chorus of voices that tell how the power of love, coursing through the life of Kenneth Jernigan, changed the world for the blind and, in so doing, changed the world for everyone.