Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/302559
27 BizEd May/June 2014 For instance, Cameron spent ten years researching what happens when companies downsize. While 85 to 90 percent of them deteriorate afterward, as top leaders depart and those left behind start hoarding information, 10 to 15 percent flour- ish. What's the difference? "I found that one of the biggest factors in their success was forgive- ness, or the ability to put aside grudges and anger over the harm that's been done," says Cameron. He has also researched the idea of positive energy within organiza- tions by looking at positive energy networks. These are similar to the networks that map which people in an organization are at the hub of information or influence, and which ones are on the periphery. Unsur- prisingly, those in the hubs perform better, as do the people who report to them, Cameron explains. Along the same lines, Cameron has studied relational energy, or which people within a network leave others feeling uplifted and elevated, and which ones leave oth- ers depleted and exhausted. "As expected, the people at the hubs of positive energy networks are higher performers, and so are the units they manage," he says. "But here's the surprise. The energy network is four times more important in pre- dicting performance than either the influence or information network. Not only that, positive energizers help other people's performance improve. And the highest-perform- ing organizations have at least three times the number of positive energizers that typical ones have." This research can have an impact in how leaders hire or deploy per- sonnel—and it opens up a whole new area of literature about leader- ship. "While we are constantly tell- ing leaders how to manage informa- tion and how to manage influence, we never teach them how to man- age energy, which trumps them by a factor of four," Cameron says. Positive organizational scholar- ship also can have an impact on other scholars, he thinks, if they pursue lines of inquiry that "help CEOs become better leaders, make businesses be better places to work, and improve the lives of employees across organizations." "I'm willing to work across sectors because, if the research is relevant, we can merge our best ideas and learn from each other." —Kim Cameron University of Michigan we're redefining business research. Addressing global challenges through new business knowledge — it's at the core of what we do at Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business. ADRIANA SAMPER, Assistant Professor of Marketing AMANDA FRIEDENBERG, Associate Professor of Economics SCOTT WEBSTER, Bob Herberger Arizona Heritage Chair in Supply Chain Management Our recent research explores supply chain efficiency, consumer patterns and behaviors, and the negative impact preconceived notions can have on negotiations. We're honored to be recognized globally for research productivity in scholarly journals, but we're even more proud of the impact of our research in the real world. discover more innovative knowledge: wpcarey.asu.edu/research MARKETING n How do feelings of personal control influence our buying habits? ECONOMICS n Why do negotiations fail due to strategic uncertainty? SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT n How can organizations improve efficiency just by stocking warehouses differently?