Robert I. Sutton – författare

Scaling up excellence is the key to creating a great organisation. It’s how a small enterprise expands without losing focus. It’s how a brilliant new idea or plan developed by the few goes on to be adopted by the many. And, in hard times and tough situations, it’s how pockets of smart new thinking overcome cultures of indifference or negativity. An organisation that doesn’t know how to scale up what is best within it won’t achieve long-term success. Bestselling author Robert Sutton and his Stanford colleague Huggy Rao have devoted nearly a decade to uncovering what it takes to create and spread outstanding performance, and in Scaling Up Excellence they share the fruits of their research. Drawing on case studies that range from Silicon Valley enterprises to non-profit organisations, they provide crucial insights into corporate cultures, both good and bad, and offer a road map for establishing and stimulating excellence. In the process, they show how to use ‘premortems’ when making big decisions about change. They reveal why seven is so often the magic number when it comes to team size. They examine successful and unsuccessful quests for improvement – in hospitals, schools and elsewhere. And they discuss when a single corporate mindset is best (‘Catholicism’) and when local variation is preferable (‘Buddhism’). Scaling Up Excellence is the first management book devoted to what is – or should be – a core priority for every organisation. As such it is destined to become the standard bearer.

From the international bestselling expert on dealing with assholes'With cutting-edge research and real-life examples that are thought-provoking and often hilarious, this is an indispensable resource'Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project'At last someone has provided clear steps for rejecting, dejecting, deflecting, and deflating the jerks who blight our lives. Better still, that someone is the great Bob Sutton, which ensures that the information is useful, evidence-based, and fun to read'Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-Suasion'If only Bob Sutton's book had been available to help me deal with the full complement of 1st-class assholes I've encountered in my 50-year professional life. No names shall be mentioned'Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of ExcellenceBeing around assholes, whether at work or elsewhere, can damage performance and affect wellbeing: having one asshole in a team has been shown to reduce performance by 30 to 40%, and research shows that rudeness spreads like a common cold. In The Asshole Survival Guide, Stanford professor Robert Sutton offers practical advice on identifying and tackling any kind of asshole - based on research into groups from uncivil civil servants to French bus drivers, and 8,000 emails that he has received on asshole behaviour.With expertise and humour, he provides a cogent and methodical game-plan to fight back. First, he sets out the asshole audit, to find out what kind of asshole needs dealing with, and asshole detection strategies. Then he reveals field-tested, sometimes surprising techniques, from asshole avoidance and asshole taxes, to mind-tricks and the art of love bombing. Finally, he explains the dangers of asshole blindness - when the problem might be yours truly.Readers will learn how to handle assholes - in the workplace and beyond - once and for all!

‘If every leader took the ideas in this book seriously, the world would be a less miserable, more productive place.’ Adam Grant, author of Think AgainEvery organisation is plagued by destructive friction. Lengthy and convoluted emails, inefficient processes, and antiquated procedures can all be obstacles to excellence at work.Yet some forms of friction are incredibly useful. Often teams need to slow down, struggle and develop some bad ideas to find that rare good one. And leaders who attempt to improve workplace efficiency often make things even worse.Drawing from seven years of hands-on research, The Friction Project by bestselling authors Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao teaches readers how to become “friction fixers.”Sutton and Rao will help you to:identify where to avert and repair bad organisational frictionacknowledge where to maintain and inject good frictionreframe friction troubles that can’t be immediately fixed, so they feel less threateningrepair failing organisationsThe Friction Project is the ultimate guide to making the right things easier and the wrong things harder.‘Hard to put down and easy to like, this is a business book to savour.’ Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective

Volume 21 of Research in Organizational Behavior continues the tradition of innovation and theoretical development with eight diverse papers. Most of these papers present theory and propositions that make linkages between different levels of analysis. The subjects addressed include: a multilevel theory of self-serving behavior; individual, organizational and institutional processes which lead to environmental destruction; the role of collective mindfulness in high reliability organizations; the effect of digital communications technologies on work and organizations; and organizational identification.

Why are there so many gaps between what firms know they should do and what they actually do? Why do so many companies fail to implement the experience and insight they've worked so hard to acquire? The Knowing-Doing Gap is the first book to confront the challenge of turning knowledge about how to improve performance into actions that produce measurable results. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, well-known authors and teachers, identify the causes of the knowing-doing gap and explain how to close it. The message is clear--firms that turn knowledge into action avoid the "smart talk trap." Executives must use plans, analysis, meetings, and presentations to inspire deeds, not as substitutes for action. Companies that act on their knowledge also eliminate fear, abolish destructive internal competition, measure what matters, and promote leaders who understand the work people do in their firms. The authors use examples from dozens of firms that show how some overcome the knowing-doing gap, why others try but fail, and how still others avoid the gap in the first place.The Knowing-Doing Gap is sure to resonate with executives everywhere who struggle daily to make their firms both know and do what they know. It is a refreshingly candid, useful, and realistic guide for improving performance in today's business.

How do the most resilient companies survive—and even thrive—during a slowdown?If you read nothing else on surviving a tough economy and coming back stronger, read these 15 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help your company persevere through economic challenges and continue to grow while your competitors stumble.This book will inspire you to:Harness your resources to pull through a pandemicLearn the right lessons from previous recessionsMinimize pain while cutting costs and managing riskFoster a healthy culture during anxious timesMake smart moves to protect your own jobSeize the opportunity to innovate and reinvent your businessThis collection of articles includes "Seize Advantage in a Downturn" by David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter; "How to Survive a Recession and Thrive Afterward: A Research Roundup" by Walter Frick; "How to Bounce Back from Adversity" by Joshua D. Margolis and Paul G. Stoltz; "Rohm and Haas's Former CEO on Pulling off a Sweet Deal in a Down Market" by Raj Gupta; "How to Be a Good Boss in a Bad Economy" by Robert I. Sutton; "Layoffs That Don't Break Your Company" by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta; "Getting Reorgs Right" by Stephen Heidari-Robinson and Suzanne Heywood; "Reigniting Growth" by Chris Zook and James Allen; "Reinvent Your Business Model Before It's Too Late" by Paul Nunes and Tim Breene; "How to Protect Your Job in a Recession" by Janet Banks and Diane Coutu; "Learning from the Future" by J. Peter Scoblic; "5 Ways to Stimulate Cash Flow in a Downturn" by Eddie Yoon and Christopher Lochhead; "The Case for M&A in a Downturn" by Brian Salsberg; "Include Your Employees in Cost-Cutting Decisions" by Patrick Daoust and Paul Simon; and "Preparing Your Business for a Post-Pandemic World" by Carsten Lund Pedersen and Thomas Ritter.HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

A year's worth of management wisdom, all in one place.We've reviewed the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past year of Harvard Business Review to keep you up to date on the most cutting-edge, influential thinking driving business today. With authors from Ginni Rometty to Robert I. Sutton and company examples from Maersk to Nvidia, this volume brings the most current and important management conversations right to your fingertips.This book will inspire you to:Reskill your organization in the age of AIRid your company of the obstacles that infuriate everyoneUnderstand what today's rainmakers do differentlyMarket sustainable products effectivelyChoose the right sources of demand to grow your company at the right speedUse strategic thinking to create the life you wantThis collection of articles includes "Reskilling in the Age of AI," by Jorge Tamayo, Leila Doumi, Sagar Goel, Orsolya Kovacs-Ondrejkovic, and Raffaella Sadun; "How Fast Should Your Company Really Grow?," by Gary P. Pisano; "How to Sustain Your Empathy in Difficult Times," by Jamil Zaki; "The New-Collar Workforce," by Colleen Ammerman, Boris Groysberg, and Ginni Rometty; "Rid Your Organization of Obstacles That Infuriate Everyone," by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao; "Where Does DEI Go from Here?," by Laura Morgan Roberts; "What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently," by Matthew Dixon, Ted McKenna, Rory Channer, and Karen Freeman; "The New Era of Industrial Policy Is Here," by Willy C. Shih; "How to Market Sustainable Products," by Frederic Dalsace and Goutam Challagalla; "What Does 'Stakeholder Capitalism' Mean to You?," by Lynn S. Paine; and "Use Strategic Thinking to Create the Life You Want," by Rainer Strack, Susanne Dyrchs, and Allison Bailey.HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

The best organizations have the best talent...Financial incentives drive company performance...Firms must change or die. Popular axioms like these drive business decisions every day. Yet too much common management "wisdom" isn't wise at all--but, instead, flawed knowledge based on "best practices" that are actually poor, incomplete, or outright obsolete. Worse, legions of managers use this dubious knowledge to make decisions that are hazardous to organizational health. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton show how companies can bolster performance and trump the competition through evidence-based management, an approach to decision-making and action that is driven by hard facts rather than half-truths or hype. This book guides managers in using this approach to dismantle six widely held--but ultimately flawed--management beliefs in core areas including leadership, strategy, change, talent, financial incentives, and work-life balance. The authors show managers how to find and apply the best practices for their companies, rather than blindly copy what seems to have worked elsewhere.This practical and candid book challenges leaders to commit to evidence-based management as a way of organizational life--and shows how to finally turn this common sense into common practice.

How do the most resilient companies survive—and even thrive—during a slowdown?If you read nothing else on surviving a tough economy and coming back stronger, read these 15 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help your company persevere through economic challenges and continue to grow while your competitors stumble.This book will inspire you to:Harness your resources to pull through a pandemicLearn the right lessons from previous recessionsMinimize pain while cutting costs and managing riskFoster a healthy culture during anxious timesMake smart moves to protect your own jobSeize the opportunity to innovate and reinvent your businessThis collection of articles includes "Seize Advantage in a Downturn" by David Rhodes and Daniel Stelter; "How to Survive a Recession and Thrive Afterward: A Research Roundup" by Walter Frick; "How to Bounce Back from Adversity" by Joshua D. Margolis and Paul G. Stoltz; "Rohm and Haas's Former CEO on Pulling off a Sweet Deal in a Down Market" by Raj Gupta; "How to Be a Good Boss in a Bad Economy" by Robert I. Sutton; "Layoffs That Don't Break Your Company" by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta; "Getting Reorgs Right" by Stephen Heidari-Robinson and Suzanne Heywood; "Reigniting Growth" by Chris Zook and James Allen; "Reinvent Your Business Model Before It's Too Late" by Paul Nunes and Tim Breene; "How to Protect Your Job in a Recession" by Janet Banks and Diane Coutu; "Learning from the Future" by J. Peter Scoblic; "5 Ways to Stimulate Cash Flow in a Downturn" by Eddie Yoon and Christopher Lochhead; "The Case for M&A in a Downturn" by Brian Salsberg; "Include Your Employees in Cost-Cutting Decisions" by Patrick Daoust and Paul Simon; and "Preparing Your Business for a Post-Pandemic World" by Carsten Lund Pedersen and Thomas Ritter.HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.