If you’ve ever been to a party, you know that awkward dilemma: When should you leave? Bail out too early and you may miss out on fun and meaningful connections. Stick around and you may end up overstaying your welcome—often without realizing it. Knowing the right time to head for the exit at a job…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Imagine a world where organizations don’t just ask, “How do we attract young talent?” but also, “What do people who’ve managed multiple economic cycles think?” What if we thought of older workers as being in a distinct career stage, where their perspectives and continuity were recognized as especially valuable?…
Imagine you’re a Democrat who’s begun questioning your party’s position on immigration, or a Republican rethinking the party line on gun control. In today’s highly polarized political climate, the thought of voicing that dissent to fellow partisans can feel socially risky—an act that might brand you as disloyal or invite sharp backlash. But this fear,…
Stephan Schmitz/theispot.com Pamela, a senior strategy consultant at a professional services firm, was reviewing an AI-generated market analysis for a retail client. The numbers looked off, so she asked the generative AI tool to double-check its calculations. The large language model (LLM) doubled down on its position. Pamela’s screen began to fill with a surge…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images It is more fun to lead an organization where people are inspired by the impact they are making than one where money is the main reason — or, worse still, the only reason — people show up. At least that was our experience as business school deans (Richard, of…
There’s only so long that you can keep a customer waiting. Whether it’s for a food order or a doctor’s appointment, “as customers wait in a queue, there comes a point when they eventually get so bored or frustrated that they leave,” says Achal Bassamboo, a Kellogg professor of operations. This problem of customers leaving…
As 2026 dawns, headwinds are multiplying for many of the world’s economies, and even China hasn’t been able to shake off the uncertainty. The world’s second-largest economy has been one of the great success stories of the last 50 years, growing at the astonishing pace of 10 percent per year and becoming a dominant player…
Bargaining is a fundamental part of doing business, whether it’s for an everyday interaction like buying used furniture on Facebook Marketplace or a high-stakes negotiation involving wages or trade agreements. “Bargaining is everywhere,” says Caio Waisman, an economist and an associate professor of marketing at the Kellogg School. It’s been a focal point for businesses…
For more than a century, the effect of technology on jobs followed a clear trend: as machines took over manual tasks, blue-collar professions suffered, while white-collar occupations enjoyed gains. But AI seems poised to follow the opposite trend. The ability of AI to handle office tasks, such as copywriting and data analysis, seems more likely…
Matt Harrison Clough/Ikon Images How can recent advances in generative AI tools be applied to transform pricing decisions? By lowering technical and financial barriers, such tools democratize access to sophisticated pricing capabilities, empowering even small businesses to benefit from artificial intelligence without the need for costly, bespoke solutions. There are fundamental differences between GenAI-driven approaches…