STRATEGY
A teamwork lesson
Channel your inner Tony Bennett to be more successful. St. Louis-based careers writer Anita Bruzzese notes that the 85-year-old crooner has recorded duets with diverse artists such as Lady Gaga, Faith Hill, Andrea Bocelli, and k.d. Lang, and that he always appears to have fun. It's a lesson in how to collaborate with people who are unlike yourself, in age and background. On The Job blog
MARKETING
Let research surveys include opinions
Research by David Gal and Derek Rucker, of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, found that market research surveys that avoid areas where respondents might have concerns will prompt them to twist their answers to the questions you do ask, so they can still register their concerns.
For example, if a diner in a restaurant with excellent food but poor service is asked about the quality of the food, he might give a negative review to the food because of his overall dissatisfaction. One solution is to indicate at the start of the survey that there will be a chance for respondents to offer any opinions they have. Kellogg Insight
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Skip 'clown rodeos' for true insights
Advice to bosses from Chicago-based consultant Art Petty: Cut the "clown rodeos," those occasions when you descend upon a facility like (to shift metaphors) a general expecting a parade. Arrive unannounced, and see what happens when real work is being done instead of everyone being focused on entertaining the clown from corporate. Art Petty.com
TECH TIP
Control window sizes with toolbar clicks
Browsizer allows you to switch quickly between different window sizes and positions of your Firefox browser, by clicking on the toolbar. You can use pre-set sizes, or create your own. AddictiveTips.com