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Together, organizational behavior professor Matthew Feinberg and sociologist Robb Willer have extensively studied why liberals and conservatives so rarely succeed at persuading each other — and how to overcome these challenges. They find that people tend to make arguments that appeal to the ethical code of their own side, rather than the values of those they are trying to...
With a workforce of 90,000 spanning 119 international destinations and 234 domestic locales, developing effective communications company wide poses challenging questions across regions, languages, and cultures. United Airlines’ CEO Oscar Munoz believes success is rooted in a set of values that serve employees, customers, and long-term innovation. But across such diverse cu...
What is a university if not a true marketplace of ideas — a place where scholarly pursuits in history, science, literature, philosophy, art, and mathematics can be nurtured and questioned, where crosscurrents of diverse thought and perspectives can co-exist? Today, students are challenged by the notion of an open society, tested on the one hand by values of free expressio...
The award-winning economist Mariana Mazzucato has been called the “world’s scariest economist.” Why? She challenges us to reconsider capitalism as it exists today. Focusing on innovation-led, inclusive, and sustainable growth, Mazzucato examines the critical — and misunderstood — role that governments play in fostering innovation. Her latest book, The Value of Everything,...
Silicon Valley is notoriously a boys’ club, perhaps to society’s detriment. What effects do discrimination and inequality in this sector have on our culture, society, and economy? What happens to technology when the executives, engineers, and designers who produce it are mostly male? Who are our most powerful advocates for diversity in the tech industry, and how are they f...
There are any number of pressures on corporate leaders to take the fast lane to profitability, starting with shareholder demands. Increasingly, however, CEOs are taking a longer view of management and its broader stakeholder responsibility, and making calls that might risk profit in favor of doing the “right thing” for society by virtue of the value systems their firms and...
The world doesn’t lack for creative ideas — it lacks people to champion them. Once you have an idea, how do you communicate it? Adam Grant, Wharton’s top-rated professor and a New York Times bestselling author of Originals, will share insights on how to speak up without getting silenced, and how to find allies in unexpected places.
When asked about faith in our larger institutions and organizations, citizens globally suggest that CEOs, not government, should take the lead on creating change. That said, many business organizations are still far from meeting the standards that employees and the consuming public hold them to. Some, however, are. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, has not only driven increas...
The alt-right, or alternative right, is largely an online movement, politically defined as very far right, and often described as white nationalist or white supremacist. In recent years, sentiments among those who affiliate with this extreme side of the right have percolated in ugly, often violent, and sometimes deadly ways. To the chagrin of most in the Republican establi...
Institutions and communities across America are divided over politics, culture, identity, and the overall direction of the country. Are religious congregations any different? How do religious leaders today navigate deeply divisive issues — like the “Muslim ban” and terrorism, new American actions in the Middle East, gay marriage, abortion, the administration’s handling of...
The world’s biggest banks and investors have pledged $150 trillion in assets to tackle climate change. But are these commitments actually getting us closer to net zero, considering that many of those making pledges are still profiting from fossil fuels? We know that climate change will require transformation at a scale never seen before; can the financial system propel us...
During a personal low point of loneliness and pain, David Brooks wanted to write his way to a better life. For five years, he did just that, researching and writing about people who’ve lived joyous and committed lives, exploring the wisdom they offer on finding purpose and living well. The result is his latest book, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. Brooks s...
In our discussions about people’s and society’s most desirable attributes, we use all these vague abstract words, like morality, virtue, and justice. But what does it actually look like to be a good person, in practical terms? Let’s walk through the steps. Author, columnist, and political and cultural commentator David Brooks is your guide.
A giant in global public health who dedicated his life to championing equity, Paul Farmer’s death in Rwanda this year at the age of 62 is a heartbreaking loss. Passionate, blunt, and inspirational, he was a physician, an activist, an anthropologist, a mentor, a father, and a husband who rooted his work on the unshakeable principle that all people should be valued equally....
In their new book, co-authors and Stanford professors Rob Reich and Mehran Sahami argue that big tech’s obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values. In this conversation, they outline steps we should take to change course and renew democracy.
Over the past few years, companies have come off the sidelines regarding major policy issues from gun violence to climate change. For Levi Strauss & Co and Patagonia, advocating for their values and modeling good corporate behavior is right up there with selling jeans and puffy jackets. Here’s a look behind their thinking.
How companies are remaking the corporate landscape in spite of politics, and sometimes because of politics, in really interesting ways. A conversation with the CEOs of PayPal and Levi Strauss & Co.
New York Times best-selling author Susan Orlean says ignorance about a subject is a powerful ignitor of curiosity. As someone who has written about bullfighters, orchid fanatics, and an African king who drives a taxi in New York City, she knows a thing or two about delving into far-flung topics. How can we learn to take in the world as an enthusiast and as a curious person...
When we understand how our emotions work — and how they can trick us for both good and bad outcomes — we can turn them into superpowers. Hear from researchers and practitioners who offer intriguing ways to think about emotions. They suggest ways to better navigate our inner lives and relationships with those around us.
We know that men and women are different — but how exactly, and why? Though some differences lie in anatomy and biology, that’s not the whole story. How do our brains dictate our manliness or womanliness, and what differences between males and females exist only in our imaginations? Do boys really have more trouble in the classroom, do girls innately care more about beauty...