Knowledge@HEC

Crisis Partnerships: Genuine Change or Corporate Spin?

When a corporate scandal explodes, like Volkswagen’s Dieselgate or BP’s oil spill, companies scramble to save their reputations. Often, they turn to nonprofits, funding environmental or social causes to show they’re part of the solution. But are these partnerships real, or just spin? Strategy professor Aline Gatignon suggests answers. Her new study uncovers how crises change the way corporations and nonprofits work together - and how nonprofits sometimes resist being used as PR cover. Her research is a story about power, legitimacy, and the resilience of civil society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Huxley to Frankl: Research Academics Pinpoint Their Novel Inspirations

HEC academics Pauline Asmar, Matteo Winkler, Lisa Baudot and Olivier Sibony share with Breakthroughs the books which sustained or transformed their approach to research. For, as the 19th century Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle once said: "What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHORT LISTEN: Not Just Parrots: How Middle Managers Communicate Purpose

Why should employees articulate your company’s purpose - and not just the firm’s CEO? In this SHORT LISTEN Breakthroughs speaks with Pauline Asmar, a doctoral researcher at HEC Paris, whose groundbreaking work reframes how purpose actually works inside companies. Drawing on data from nearly 60,000 employees across 469 firms, Asmar reveals that it's the middle managers who translate abstract mission statements into daily motivation - not the top brass. We discuss why this “purpose dialogue” at management/worker level is emerging as a vital new lever for team commitment, how companies can fail despite having purpose statements, and what happens when leaders just parrot slogans instead of listening. Plus, how purpose-washing creates skepticism, and what can be done about it. For the full version, go to https://shows.acast.com/knowledgehec/episodes/not-just-parrots-how-middle-managers-bring-purpose-to-life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not Just Parrots: How Middle Managers Bring Purpose to Life

Why should employees articulate your company’s purpose - and not just the firm’s CEO? In this episode of Breakthroughs, we speak with Pauline Asmar, a doctoral researcher at HEC Paris, whose work reframes how purpose works inside companies, at the level of the teams. The research is co-authored by HEC Professor and Purpose Chair director Rodolphe Durand. Drawing on data from nearly 60,000 employees across 469 firms, Asmar reveals that it's the everyday managers who translate abstract purpose statements by the top brass into daily motivation. We discuss why this “purpose dialogue” at management/worker level is emerging as a vital new lever of team commitment, how companies can fail despite having purpose statements, and what happens when leaders just parrot slogans instead of listening and engaging. We also discuss how purpose-washing creates skepticism, and what can be done about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SHORT LISTEN: Challenging the Research Approach to Sustainability

This month’s HEC Breakthroughs podcast features the insights by KU Leuven professor Frank Wijen who challenges fellow researchers in sustainability to go deeper and to have greater impact. Here are some of the key points taken from our 30-minute exchange on what Wijen calls “engaged research”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.