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Logic Trumps Gut Instinct in Peer Reviews of Decision Makers
When faced with making a tough decision do you tend to trust your gut, or do you logically review all the facts? In a recent study, psychological scientists Nicole L. Wood and Scott Highhouse of Bowling Green State University examined whether we can distinguish between “good” decision makers and “bad” decision makers by analyzing people’s go-to decision making style. Are rational decision makers seen as making better choices than people who follow their intuition? One model for looking at decision-making, the General Decision-Making Style (GDMS), identifies five major styles that people use in making decisions: rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, and spontaneous.
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A “Green” Office May Beat a “Lean” Office
A widely held design philosophy in the businesses world stipulates that a “lean office” with clear desks and plain walls will help streamline business operations and maximize productivity. However, a new study from an international team of researchers has found that sprucing up the office with a little greenery may actually enhance employee engagement and could even boost performance at the office.
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The Face of Fortune: When CEO Appearance Predicts Company Success
Can we predict how successful a company will be just by looking at the CEO’s face? Several studies have shown that people are surprisingly good at judging a leader’s success based just based on a photo. For example, researchers have found that CEOs with masculine facial features that connote dominance and aggression tended to lead companies with greater annual net profits. But a new study suggests that this relationship between CEO appearance and company profitability may depend on the broader economic climate. Psychological scientists Nicholas O. Rule and Konstantin O.
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Just a Job or a ‘Calling’? Passion and Meaning at Work Tied to Life Satisfaction
The number one reason people stay at a job isn’t because of the pay, benefits, or even the chance for a promotion. According to a 2012 survey on workforce retention, the top reason people stay at a job is because they enjoy their work. But some people are so passionate about what they do for a living that they could be said to have a “calling” rather than just a job that’s a good fit. In a new article, psychological scientists Tamara Hagmaier and Andrea E.
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Number Crunching May Make People More Selfish
In the 1970s, the Ford Pinto became synonymous with unethical management decisions. Although it was known that the car had an unfortunate tendency to explode in rear-end collisions, Ford went ahead with production after a cost-benefit analysis predicted savings of $11 per car, at a cost of only 180 burn deaths. As a result, several dozen people were injured or killed before the design flaw came to light. New research suggests that even basic math calculations may significantly increase people’s likelihood of engaging in selfish and unethical behavior. Researchers Long Wang (City University of Hong Kong) Chen-Bo Zhong (University of Toronto), and J.
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Which Personality Traits Are Most Important to Employers?
While most employers evaluate job candidates on their skills and experience, many companies are increasingly using personality measures to determine whether a candidate is a good fit. According to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, nearly 20% of employers say they use some type of personality test as part of the hiring process. In a new study published in the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science, psychologists Paul R. Sackett and Philip T. Walmsley of the University of Minnesota analyzed several large data sets of hiring and job performance information to find out which personality attributes companies value most.
