by Andrew L. Molinsky, Thomas H. Davenport, Bala Iyer, and Cathy Davidson
published in the Harvard Business Review, January 2012
Ref R1201N
 

Over the past decade companies have become more global and employee groups more diverse than ever before. Organizations are less hierarchical and more collaborative. And today's offices are full of once unimaginable technological distractions.

We asked experts in cross-cultural communication, information networks, and the science of attention what skills executives should cultivate to tackle these new challenges. Molinsky thinks that managers must overcome psychological barriers in order to act in ways that other cultures find appropriate. Davenport and Iyer explain why the devolution of hierarchy has increased the value of building and wielding influence through digital networks, and offer tips for how to do it. And Davidson tells managers to get over their fears about distraction and embrace the brain's natural tendency to divide attention. 

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About the authors

Andrew L. Molinsky is Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Brandeis University's International Business School, US

Thomas H. Davenport is the President's Chair in the Information Technology Management Division at Babson, US

Bala Iyer is Associate Professor of Information Technology Managemen at Babsont, US

Cathy Davidson is the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Ruth F. Devarney Professor of English at Duke University, UK
 

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