“The mere thought of being on the receiving end of verbal abuse hurts people’s ability to perform complex tasks requiring creativity, flexibility, and memory recall” announces research reported in the Harv. Bus. Rev., Vol. 86, March 2008 at 21. One explanation for the degradation of cognitive performance is that after…
An article in Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 31, Summer 2007 at 66, compares aggressive behavior in men and women. “Psychologists have found that while men channel their aggression through purported ‘rationality’ (interrupting, criticizing unjustly, questioning others’ judgments), women are more likely to use ‘social manipulation’ (gossiping, backbiting, ostracizing) to get what…
Once a year, all newly-hired General Electric lawyers are put through a three-day orientation. The orientation tells them about the huge law department’s various practice areas, their roles, players and functions. “In the second half of the program, new attorneys use a GE case study to learn basic finance and…
All of us form quick impressions, as well as many lasting impressions, based on someone’s appearance (See my posts of Nov. 9, 2006: advantages of height; Feb. 1, 2007 #2: height and intelligence; and April 7, 2006: looks and height.). Much discrimination is based on inherited physical characteristics (See my…
Hypersonic sound broadcasts audio in a focused beam, so that only a person standing directly in its path hears the message. The big brotherness of what I am about to write feels creepy, but it may be that law departments of the future will have hypersonic reminders to lawyers to…
The recent report by Lexakos, Chief Legal Officer 2008 Strategic Planning Survey, draws on responses from more than 100 chief legal officers. According to Rick Wolf, founder of Lexakos, 86 percent of them “do not plan to expand internal staff dedicated to litigation support.” How you interpret this finding depends…
A talent tool that all general counsel should understand is the 360-degree assessment (See my post of Dec. 26, 2007: worries about confidentiality of 360s and five references cited.). Assessments are available for specific companies and certain industries, but I do not know of one designed specifically for law departments.…
According to an email I received, the Call to Action Summit, taking place April 24 – 25 in Scottsdale, AZ, expects to bring together more than 100 managing partners and chief legal officers to discuss the issue of workplace diversity within the legal profession. At the professional level in the…
Human capital theory is the reigning economic theory of what determines wages. “Human capital theory explains differences in wage rates by differences in education, training, experience, intelligence, motivation, and other human factors that influence productivity.” Human capital commands a price in the labor market. The focus of the theory is…
From time to time, companies appoint an interim general counsel when the incumbent leaves suddenly. Examples include Home Depot (See my post of March 16, 2008: layoffs at Home Depot and interim GC Jim Snyder.), Sears, and Coca-Cola (See my post of June 5, 2006: designated successors.). Recently, the general…