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BRAIN TRUST
BRAIN TRUST
How To Get Rule-Followers
To Think Outside the Box
Can you be a strict rule-follower and still an
out-of-the-box thinker? With the right boss,
new research from Smith shows, it’s possible
to be the type of employee organizations
want: ethical and creative.
Previous research has demonstrated
that creative people are more likely to break
the rules, so Maryland Smith management
professors Hui Liao and Rellie Derfler-Rozin
wondered if this also meant people with a
stronger moral compass are less creative.
“Is there indeed a trade-off between morality
and creativity?” they asked.
Through a series of experiments and field
studies, Liao and Derfler-Rozin—working
with four co-authors, including Smith PhD
Elijah X.M. Wee, now at the University of
Washington—confirmed that people who are
high on “moral ownership” usually are less
creative. But with the right boss, they find,
they can find the space to be creative.
“People who are higher on moral
ownership spend a lot of time and energy
not only making sure that they do not violate
ethical rules, they also spend time and energy
monitoring other people on the team,” said
How To Ace Your Zoom Interview
Liao. “They don’t have time and energy left for
other extra job roles, like being creative.”
Employees should not have to play the
moral police, Liao said, at least not as their
primary role.
A leader should take on that role, so their
morally conscious employees can relax and be
more creative.
But it’s not enough for organizations to
hire ethical leaders, said Derfler-Rozin. They
must also make sure leaders put effort into
signaling it. The boost to creativity comes only
when a leader actively displays ethics.
“They need to lay out clear rules in terms
of ethics and the boundaries,” she said. “They
have to reward ethical behavior and punish
unethical behavior. They have to be very
explicit.”
As long as the leader is watching whether
people are staying in line, all employees will
have agency for creativity, said Liao. “Tell
employees as long as they don’t cross the line,
they are encouraged to try anything.”
Then, watch the ideas flourish. /CH/
With companies maintaining work-remote practices to curb the spread of COVID-19, your next job
interview might be a virtual one, enabled by video conferencing tools like Zoom and Cisco’s Webex.
That means preparing for the interview in a slightly different way, said Maryland Smith’s Rachel Loock.
Sure, you still need to research the company, and be ready to describe how your education and experience
meet the requirements of the job. But you should also be ready for the differences that come when
technology is between you and the hiring team.
1.
CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN
3.
DRESS TO IMPRESS
5.
CLOSE THE DEAL
Get acquainted with the video conferencing
tool you’ll be using. Enlist a friend or family
member to help in a test run. Check your
sound and your lighting. Look for a blank
wall to sit in front of, Loock said, or at least
make sure that whatever is behind you is
not distracting.
In-person or via-computer, dress for the job
you want. Don’t skip the shoes and dress
slacks just because you don’t expect them to
be visible from your webcam. Dress like the
interviewers are in the room.
2.
CREATE SOME SPACE
4.
CHECK IN
Ideally, you should strive to recreate the
same distance from your camera that you
would have sitting behind a desk at an
interview. Interviewers should be able
to see your physical gestures and facial
expressions, but not be so close that they
can see up your nose.
With multiple recruiters in the call, it can be
a challenge to properly address everyone.
Ask individual recruiters if you have
sufficiently answered the question posed.
Or, ask the group if they’d like additional
examples or details about an answer.
As the interview wraps up, ask well-researched questions and inquire about next steps. Later, send a thank
you email to everyone participating in the call. Express your gratitude for their time, reiterate your interest in
the job, and what makes you a strong fit. /PS/
The Work Habits of Highly Effective Teams
Sometimes there’s a work team that just really … works. It performs, innovates and adapts at a highly
proficient level. How does it happen? In new research, Smith’s Cynthia Kay Stevens and three co-authors
found common approaches among high-functioning teams. At the core they found that team members come
to understand how their colleagues view a problem. It doesn’t happen easily, but it can make a big difference
in today’s workplace, which increasingly relies on team-based organizing.
Drawing from her research, Stevens offered advice managers can use to better support teams as they take
on complex problems.
Build in space for team-level learning and support that. It’ll pay dividends later.
When time is short and projects are urgent, encourage teams to meet every day. The more the members
meet, the more they’ll come to understand each other’s perspectives. That leads to better solutions.
Don’t rush. Resist the urge to say, “Stop debating and make a decision.” Through debate, team members
come to understand each other’s viewpoints. This builds capacity for teams to tackle bigger tasks. /KJ/
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fall 2020
rhsmith.umd.edu
rhsmith-editor@umd.edu
WATCH: How To Stage Better Video Calls.
fall 2020
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SMITH BUSINESS
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