Jackson Library

Library friend Michelle Gutman, Program Manager for Global Center & Corporate Governance Research, brings two new corporate governance cases to our attention: Attention Shoppers: Executive Compensation at Kroger, Safeway, Costco and Whole Foods 2008 and Say on Pay: Does the Buck Stop Here? 2008, both authored by GSB Professor David F. Larcker and GSB Alum / case writer Brian Tayan. Members of the GSB community can download these for free; others should contact Case Services.

'Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't'. That was GSB Professor Robert Sutton's aim in writing his bestselling book The No Asshole Rule (it is also the book's subtitle). Sutton will be speaking on the topic at Noon, Thursday May 15 in the first floor conference room of Mariposa House on campus. The talk is free and open to all Faculty and Staff of Stanford University, LPCH and Stanford Hospital. Space is limited. To RSVP, call the Faculty Staff Help Center at 3-4577 or email helpcenter@lists.stanford.edu

GSB Professor Bob Sutton writes in his blog about the 'rollicking interview' he and colleague Professor Hayagreeva "Huggy" Rao did at Pixar recently with Oscar winning director (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) Brad Bird. Apparently Bird was brought in to Pixar, among other things, to mix it up -- to keep the firm from resting on its laurels. Sutton promises more about the interview later, but notes that Bird explicitly told the company "Give me your black sheep". In addition to seeking out those employees who had been dissatisfied with the direction of the firm, Bird threw in other radical ideas to keep the pot bubbling, ideas found in Sutton's book Weird Ideas That Work. Apropos, one piece of advice from the book: 'Forget the past, especially your company's successes'.

We are pleased to report that two books by GSB Faculty were listed on the CIO Insight Ten Best Books of 2007 list. What Were They Thinking? by Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer and The No Asshole Rule by Professor Robert Sutton were both recognized. Congratulations to Jeff and Bob! Also on the list, Competing on Analytics -- just mentioned yesterday on this blog as suggested holiday reading.

Corporate governance is a topic of intense interest here at the Graduate School of Business. Michelle Gutman, Program Manager of the Global Center and Corporate Governance Research Program, recently reminded us of the corporate governance page of the GSB's Center for Leadership Development and Research, a showcase for the rich Stanford research in this area in the form of books and papers. Among other resources, note the cases developed by Prof David Larcker and case writer (and GSB Alum) Brian Tayan. Recent examples include Corporate Governance Ratings: Got the Grade ... What was the Test? and Sovereign Bancorp and Relational Investors: The Role of the Activist Hedge Fund. Got your interest? Read more.

GSB Professor Bob Sutton on his blog asks the perennial question "Do You Believe That You Can Raise Your IQ?" He highlights the work of Stanford colleague Carol Dweck, and her book Mindset, and relates it to the question of perception and IQ. Also coming in for honorable mention is Malcolm Gladwell's essay on the 'Talent Myth'. Sutton ponders how much intelligence is actually constrained by our pre-established notions about IQ and its fixity. Gee, maybe you are smarter than a 5th grader ... !

Wal-Mart is no longer on the defensive when it comes to environmental issues. In 2005, President and CEO Lee Scott announced to employees and suppliers a strategy to reduce their impact on the global environment. Declaring "being a good steward and being profitable are not mutually exclusive," Scott committed Wal-Mart to three ambitious goals: to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain the environment. He recognized this new 'green' philosophy would need to be embedded in Wal-Mart culture and operations to meet these goals, so in 2005 he hired Blue Skye Sustainability Consulting to help with the process. They in turn built a network of stakeholders including environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club and others. Such groups felt torn between working with a traditional antagonist and the advantage of collaborating with the retail giant. In the July / August 2007 Issue of Supply Chain Management, GSB Professor Erica Plambeck takes Wal-Mart’s environmentalist temperature in 'The Greening of Wal-Mart’s Supply Chain.'

On July 18 we blogged about GSB Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer's new book What Were They Thinking? We are happy to announce that a video interview of Prof Pfeffer talking about his book is now available on the Jackson Library page dedicated to the book.

Guy Kawasaki on his blog asks his 10 Questions of our own GSB Professor Jeff Pfeffer. Pfeffer, an internationally recognized authority on organizational behavior, answers questions about his latest book, What Were They Thinking? The book targets many of the dumb, self-defeating things companies do, and advice on how to turn things toward the positive.

Stay tuned for a video interview with Prof Pfeffer about his book, to be announced on this blog.

Stanford President emeritus Donald Kennedy and GSB Faculty member Margaret Eaton have co-authored a new book on medical ethics and practice titled Innovation in Medical Technology: Ethical Issues and Challenges. Watch these two distinguished scholars tease out some of the more interesting aspects of their work, as well as fascinating anecdotes in modern medical history, in a lively video session co-produced by Jackson Library and GSB Instructional Technology.

For those of you tracking the progress of the bestselling book The No Asshole Rule, author Professor Bob Sutton offers us an update on his blog. The ripples from the initial impact continue to widen, Sutton reports, as his evangel of decent management calls him to various venues to present his ideas and his book. His current busy-bee schedule includes an invitation from fellow GSB Professor George Foster to speak to his class of executives from the NFL this June, a chance to write occasional pieces on politico (politica?) Arianna Huffington's Huffington Post blog, and an interview on May 5 at CNN. A while back this author jokingly reminded Bob that his blog was in danger of becoming engulfed by 'all things asshole' -- but hey, he's riding the crest, having a great time, and making a positive impact to boot.

A new study by Stanford Professor Mark Z. Jacobson suggests that pollution from ethanol could be even more harmful to health than traditional gasoline.

Jacobson ran a series of simulations of atmospheric conditions around Los Angeles in the year 2020 comparing two scenarios: all vehicles running on gasoline versus all vehicles running on E85 (an 85:15 mixture of ethanol and gasoline). The finding is that "E85 vehicles reduce atmospheric levels of two carcinogens, benzene and butadiene, but increase two others - formaldehyde and acetaldehyde... as a result, cancer rates for E85 are likely to be similar to those for gasoline. However, in some parts of the country, E85 significantly increased ozone, a prime ingredient of smog." The increased ozone would result in more respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations.

Read more about Professor Jacobson's study, go to Environmental Science & Technology Online, Chemistry World, or listen to NPR's interview with Jacobson.

As noted by GSB Professor Bob Sutton on his blog ( Is Your Future Boss an Asshole? ), he has teamed with Guy Kawasaki and the staff of LinkedIn to produce a checklist to assess whether one's prospective boss is a, well, you know. Quoth Sutton: "I focus here on the ten 'reference check' questions that you can ask people who have worked with and for your prospective boss -- or perhaps had him or her as a client -- to help determine if you are at risk of going to work for an asshole." The list builds on the ideas in Sutton's book ( The No Asshole Rule ), and can be used in concert with LinkedIn tools. Read more, and save yourself a lot of grief.

GSB Alum Alvaro Fernandez (GSB '01), CEO of SharpBrains, blogs about an interview of one of his favorite teachers, GSB Professor Emeritus Michael Ray, on 'How To Reach Your Highest Goal'. In the interview in Motto magazine, Ray, who taught a legendary class on creativity and innovation at the Stanford Business School, offers advice on exercising one's own special brand of creativity. "Virtually all people who say, 'I'm not creative,' are getting into a very bad habit of comparison. They are not seeing that their own creativity is worth something," Ray admonishes. "The point is, creativity is a way of life. It’s not a media event."

'How Nonprofits Get Really Big' is the title of an article in the Spring 2007 Stanford Social Innovation Review. As the article points out, since 1970 more than 200,000 nonprofits have opened in the U.S., but only 144 of them have attained $50 million in annual revenue. The list includes AmeriCares Foundation, Elderhostel, The Trust for Public Land, Family Health International, Mercy Corps, and many more. How did they grow so big? Authors William Foster and Gail Fine describe the two main reasons, and in the process cite many fascinating examples.

Also in this issue: 'Learn to Love Lobbying'. GSB Professor David W. Brady and co-authors Fraser Nelson and Alana Conner Snibbe urge nonprofits to elbow their way to the Washington trough and start lobbying to change America for the better. Benign nonprofits cannot afford to stand by while less wholesome interests monopolize our Senators and Representatives. And as the authors say, who knows -- they may learn to love it !

Read more in Jackson Library ... or subscribe to the Review.

GSB Professor Bob Sutton on his blog revisits a pivotal interview in 2002 of GSB colleague and Intel legend Andy Grove. Clay Christensen ( Innovator's Dilemma ) was interviewing Grove at Harvard, and Sutton remarks that Grove's comments that day reinforce some of the fundamental points of the book he and colleague Jeff Pfeffer recently authored, Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense. And apropos of Sutton's newest book The No Asshole Rule, he goes on to laud Grove's personal example as a leader eager to passionately debate product excellence -- not put down people.

GSB Professor Bob Sutton notes on his blog that colleague -- and co-author of Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense, Professor Jeff Pfeffer -- recently testified before Congress on the implications of evidence-based management for Federal personnel. In particular, Pfeffer brought into focus the challenges of implementing pay-for-performance systems, with which the Federal government is currently experimenting. Evidence-based management, a major focus of Pfeffer and Sutton's work together, is now part of U.S. History -- with a capital "H".

Have you taken the ARSE yet? That's the Asshole Rating Self-Exam. GSB Professor Bob Sutton reports on his blog that almost 40,000 people have taken the exam; over 60,000 have visited the test.

And, despite its name, it's quite painless.

Sutton also informs this author that his new book The No Asshole Rule is currently # 7 at Amazon.com.

Is your success due to your IQ, or due to your belief in yourself? According to Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, an individual’s "self-theory" about intelligence can have a profound effect on his or her success. In a Stanford Report article, Dweck discusses how our mindset drives every aspect of our lives. She talks about the two mindsets – fixed, and growth. People with a 'fixed' mindset tend to believe talents and mental abilities are set from birth–either you have them or you don’t. Those with a 'growth' mindset tend to believe that practice makes perfect, and through hard work they can achieve success. An interesting article that makes you think about your mindset -- and where it has taken you.

Jim Collins is thinking big these days. At least, that's the title of the interview in the January / February issue of BizEd magazine: 'Thinking Big'. Collins, formerly of the GSB, co-author with GSB Professor Emeritus Jerry Porras of the phenomenal hit Built to Last, and author of a subsequent blockbuster, Good to Great, is keeping busy developing curricula with the University of Virginia, among other things. He's hoping business faculty today will embrace B.H.A.G.s -- Big Hairy Audacious Goals -- whether they find definitive answers or no. "The best research has to be open-ended," Collins opines. " We have to be open-minded about what we'll find. Maybe it will be relevant, but maybe it won't." Collins describes what is relevant for himself in the interview, including "Level 5 Leadership", passion, teaching, and rockclimbing. "I've been climbing since I was 13 ... For me, climbing has been the ultimate classroom."

Asshole Rating Self-Exam, that is. Stanford Professor Robert Sutton, author of the upcoming No Asshole Rule, offers the ARSE for public viewing. Sutton blogs about this device for gauging if, well, you are one. He notes that as of February 8 there have been over 9,000 responses to the ARSE. Check it out at Sutton's blog.

And lest we be accused of a posteriori reasoning, take a look at Guy Kawasaki's blog 'Is Your Boss an Asshole?'

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton, author of The No Asshole Rule, will appear on NBC's Today Show at 8:32 a.m. (PST), Wednesday, January 24th. The segment will be about how to deal with jerks -- not just in the workplace but in other aspects of life as well. Sutton, along with staff at SuccessFactors, was interviewed at the company's all-hands meeting for this segment. To catch some background, see Sutton's blog.

The authors of Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters, Stanford GSB professor Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery, and Mark Thompson published an article in winter 2007 issue of Leader to Leader magazine where they explore the nature of successful leaders who dedicate their lives to the causes that appeal to each of them, the causes they pursue with stamina and belief in its rightness. Based on hundreds of interviews the authors conducted for their book, they conclude that "success built to last" is composed of three components: meaning, thought, action.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the world's premier b-schools, with an outstanding faculty of internationally-known scholars and teachers. Their books make waves that capsize existing paradigms and re-shape business discourse across the nation. Want to have an easy introduction to their latest publications? Check out our new Featured Faculty Books page at the Jackson Library Website.

"What's Right -- and Still Wrong -- with Business Schools" is the title of the article written by Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer and published in Jan./Feb. 2007 issue of BizEd magazine. In 2002 Jeffrey Pfeffer and Christina Fong wrote an article which questioned the effectiveness of business schools. The 2002 article "The End of Business Schools?" created turmoil in the academic community and attracted massive media attention. Jeffrey Pfeffer continues to analyze the dynamics of business schools evolution. He states that many schools improve their curricula, offer students more experimental classes which prepare them for the hands-on world of business management; however, the still remaining challenge for b-schools is to instill the values thru the education process to build the integral character for future leadership. At the time of this posting, the article is available in print only.

Guy Kawasaki, whose blog has been noted before, has pronounced himself highly in favor of GSB Professor Chip Heath's book Made to Stick. Says Kawasaki, "My prediction for Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die is that it will join The Tipping Point and Built to Last as a must-read for business people." Recall that this hot new book is authored by Heath and his brother, Dan. Previously we noted GSB Professor Bob Sutton's high praise for the book. Included in Kawasaki's piece is an interview with the authors.

The new book Made to Stick by Professor Chip Heath and his brother Dan is now available at Jackson Library. You may find one copy in the Popular Business Books section and one copy in the New Books section. The call number is: HM1033 .H43 2007.

For information about the book and reviews, please check Featured Faculty Books: Made to Stick.

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton continues to garner praise for his book 'The No Asshole Rule'. On his blog, Sutton notes that Publishers Weekly has done a very favorable review of the book. His next target? "I want to be able to say the word 'asshole' on the Dr Phil Show" Sutton says mischievously. Whether said or not, the fact that too many offices and boardrooms in America harbor the types Sutton describes remains the proverbial 'unmentioned elephant in the room.'

For those who missed it, here is the discussion of their book Made to Stick by GSB Professor Chip Heath and his brother Dan, from this morning's NBC Today Show.

GSB Professor Chip Heath and his brother Dan, co-authors of the hot new book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, will be making an appearance on the NBC Today Show, tomorrow, Wednesday January 3. Their book is being released next week, and the Heaths hope to get in some last-minute national coverage. To catch them make their new book "stick", tune in between 7:30 and 8:00 AM PST Wednesday.

The October issue of Harvard Business Review includes an interview with Professor James March. The article is called 'Ideas as Art' (pp. 82-89). In the introductory part, the author quotes the University of Chicago professor John Padgett who once wrote: "Jim March is to organization theory what Miles Davis is to jazz." In the interview, March elaborates on the distinction he makes between the practical managerial needs and concerns and scholarly approach to new ideas. He values ideas which contain "some form of elegance or grace or surprise-all the things that beauty gives you" and not being relevant to the immediate needs of an organization manager in a short run. He also explains the essence of his rather famous and colorfully named theories: "garbage can theory", "technology of foolishness", and "hot-stove effect". The interview reveals not only a great and original scholar but also the multifaceted personality of Jim March, a man with appreciation for literature, a poet himself and an author of several books of poetry. In his own words: "What might make a difference to us, I think, is whether in our tiny roles, in our brief time, we inhabit life gently and add more beauty than ugliness."

As of the writing of this post, the online version of this article the library subscribes to is not yet available. A print copy of the October issue is available at Current Periodicals display area of the library.

Got your attention?

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton explains the justification for the title of his new book, The No Asshole Rule. Sutton notes that, surprisingly, the title has not generated as much controversy as anticipated. He admits Harvard Business School Publishing did not accept the title, but confesses that if he were in management at the Press, he wouldn't publish a book with "asshole" in the title either. He was able to insert the term 'a-hole' into a radio interview with Ron Reagan, but acknowledges that he received a critical and thoughtful comment after his book was featured in BusinessWeek that prompted him to review his own rationale in using the word so brazenly.