MIT Sloan Management Review

A Smarter Approach to Measuring Customer Experience Companies should pare down the customer metrics they collect to focus on those that yield deepest insights.

Many companies collect more customer experience data points than they need or can use effectively. Here’s how to focus on the metrics that matter.

https://mitsmr.com/4rDuLv9

To make headway with digital transformation, executives are redefining the challenge: Build a workforce to take advantage of new technologies.

Read the full article >> https://mitsmr.com/4amkbTj

Three Myths Fueling Companies’ Icy Silence on Politics | Andrew Winston In turbulent times, leaders must question their assumptions about the role of business in society and politics.

Businesses have extraordinary economic influence, with great power — if they choose to wield it. First, though, leaders must deal with blind spots keeping them back.

https://mitsmr.com/3Ov31dO

Ask Sanyin: What Makes a ‘Listening Tour' Meaningful? | Sanyin Siang Practicing active listening isn't enough. Leaders who engage in deep listening gain more insights from their teams.

The ability to listen deeply is one of the most important skills that a rising leader can develop.

https://mitsmr.com/3OorilA

Why Mergers Fail and How to Spot Trouble Early Nearly half of M&A deals fail. A new framework can help leaders spot the risks before they become corporate divorces.

Nearly half of all mergers end in a breakup. A new research-backed framework can help leaders diagnose which deals are built to last and which ones will likely fall apart. https://mitsmr.com/40mxayh

Organizations everywhere fall prey to Goodhart’s law: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” A corporate fixation on metrics can lead to narrow optimization and gaming behaviors that ultimately harm the business.

Read the full article >> https://mitsmr.com/3ZnzGE1

Salespeople can feel out of their depth when selling breakthrough products. Managers can help by creating a more collaborative sales culture.

https://mitsmr.com/4kE3Dd6

Why Salespeople Fear Pitching Radical Innovation Salespeople pitching entirely new products fear appearing incompetent. Leaders must stress collaboration over expertise.

Salespeople can feel out of their depth when selling breakthrough products. Managers can help by creating a more collaborative sales culture.
https://mitsmr.com/4kE3Dd6

Four Key Roles ‘Elders' Offer Their Organizations Faced with an aging workforce, companies can capitalize on one of the most profound demographic shifts in human history.

Universities have emeritus positions. Businesses can benefit from them too. https://mitsmr.com/4bCAc8D

What the UN Treaty on Cybercrime May Mean for You New United Nations rules on online crime will have implications for businesses, especially around data governance.

The little-known United Nations agreement aims to increase cooperation between nations on prosecuting cybercrime. Here’s why it matters and how it may impact your organization. https://mitsmr.com/46s2TBI

What should leaders do when a team member is in crisis? MIT SMR columnist Melissa Swift breaks it down.

Enshittification Comes to ‘Smart' Products Companies that upcharge customers for digital features embedded in physical products put those relationships at risk.

Companies that exploit digital control of their products to extract additional value risk degrading customers’ experiences and sense of ownership.

https://mitsmr.com/3ZlDMwB

Four Key Roles ‘Elders’ Offer Their Organizations Faced with an aging workforce, companies can capitalize on one of the most profound demographic shifts in human history.

Universities have emeritus positions. Businesses can benefit from them too. https://mitsmr.com/4bCq0gm

Build Business Advantage With Real-Time Decision-Making Real-time businesses outperform rivals through shared data, empowered employees, and agile systems.

Stop running your business on yesterday’s data. Real-time data, empowered employees, and agile systems can lead to higher margins.
https://mitsmr.com/4rmeL0h

Build Business Advantage With Real-Time Decision-Making Real-time businesses outperform rivals through shared data, empowered employees, and agile systems.

Stop running your business on yesterday’s data. Real-time data, empowered employees, and agile systems can lead to higher margins.
https://mitsmr.com/4rmeL0h

The Trouble With Heroic Leadership Learn how to successfully apply humanized leadership strategies to guide teams through today’s crises.

Superhero leaders are an outdated ideal. During a crisis, today’s most effective leaders know how to navigate complex emotions, find common ground, and stay flexible.
https://mitsmr.com/4pYC7I0

A new framework for understanding why initiatives succeed or fail can help leaders make better decisions about the future of their organizations. >> https://mitsmr.com/4qOxvFd

Free Download | Reimagine Teams and Technology for Enterprise AI AI advances and disruptions have led enterprises (and people) to rethink their ways of working.

Get MIT SMR's special collection: Reimagine Teams and Technology for Enterprise AI and discover how leading experts are rethinking organizational structures, and much more.

Download your complimentary PDF now >> https://mitsmr.com/4bo9qR6 Sponsored by Celonis

Today, like every other day, we remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and how they transcend through time and all parts of life. Leaders are remembered not for what they did in their comfort zones but for how they responded to difficulties and obstacles.

It’s not your imagination: Your team’s mental well-being is under attack from uncertainty. Leaders must learn to read important cues and find ways to help.
https://mitsmr.com/4qchedu

Remorse is not enough: Colleagues need to know you’ll do things differently, and you need to hold yourself accountable for it. Here’s how to give and receive apologies better. >> https://mitsmr.com/4qFGad8

Leaders at All Levels: 7 Strategies to Give Your Team Real Power Learn top tips to empower your team in this best-of video featuring leaders from GE, Bayer, Fidelity, and more.

In this video, MIT Sloan professor Kate Isaacs and bestselling author Michele Zanini present proven leadership strategies from GE, Bayer, W.L. Gore, Fidelity, and Cascade Engineering.
https://mitsmr.com/45OVZGf

A new framework for understanding why initiatives succeed or fail can help leaders make better decisions about the future of their organizations >> https://mitsmr.com/4qYfvbQ

The lane drifter. The inquisitor. Meet these and other common types of problematic board directors, and learn how to address them and related board-process challenges.

Read the full article >> https://mitsmr.com/4jAITlK

When newcomers arrive at a small, homogeneous organization, struggles with group identity and cohesion can arise. Three strategies can help leaders meet this challenge.

Read the full article >> https://mitsmr.com/4qJHs6N

Build Better Pay-for-Performance Compensation Plans Learn how to design pay-for-performance (PFP) compensation plans to reap benefits while avoiding adverse effects.

High performers are attracted to organizations that use pay-for-performance — but this model can also have downsides. Consider these strategies to improve your system.
https://mitsmr.com/4sw3Z93

Build Better Pay-for-Performance Compensation Plans Learn how to design pay-for-performance (PFP) compensation plans to reap benefits while avoiding adverse effects.

High performers are attracted to organizations that use pay-for-performance — but this model can also have downsides. Consider these strategies to improve your system.
https://mitsmr.com/4sw3Z93

Your People Are Not All Right | Melissa Swift Many employees are dealing with more uncertainty than they can handle, which takes a toll on teams. Here’s how to help.

It’s not your imagination: Your team’s mental well-being is under attack from uncertainty. Leaders must learn to read important cues and find ways to help.
https://mitsmr.com/4qchedu

Stop Making Hollow Apologies at Work | Jim Detert No one is buying your empty apologies for recurring offenses. Here’s how to show you’ll do better.

Remorse is not enough: Colleagues need to know you’ll do things differently, and you need to hold yourself accountable for it. Here’s how to give and receive apologies better.
https://mitsmr.com/4qFGad8

MIT SMR’s winter 2026 issue offers insights on upholding core values while managing business risk and teams.
https://mitsmr.com/3XJNvvY