Latest posts
Ethical analysis is an increasingly important competence
As I am running a couple of workshops in the Msc. ethics course at BI this fall; I am reminded of how the subject is becoming an increasingly important; as the world is changing ever faster, throwing up questions we do not have a set "common sense" answer to. One...
How to network with purpose mutual effect
As with so many activities, networking is a craft to be learnt. If done well.. It benefit both you and your network.. Here are some advice from a leading researcher in the field. For network to have value, it needs to have relevant and potentially strategically...
Understanding the American demographic
Sitting safely in Norway, reading about the American election in various major global news outlets, it is hard to understand how Trump won the GOP primary, let alone is head to head with Clinton in the race for the Whitehouse. Clearly, there is something I have not...
On the arena and style of discourse in Social Psychology.
Social psychology is having a rough time now, with replication studies questioning the validity of several well known and cited studies, by central figures in the field. Is the field alone with these problems? Probably not. Andrew Gelman presents some relevant factors...
Famous and influential psychology studies that fail replication
While most authors of the original research argue for reasons why the replication failed, they seem to do so in order to defend themselves, and against suspicion of poor research in the first part. (or that which worse is) When reading such defenses, it is easy to...
Research at Google on what makes teams effective
Research into team effectiveness at Google has shown that the single most important factor is the extent team members feel psychologically safe. Second order of importance shows that team member dependability, role clarity, meaning of work and real impact of work also...
Nate Silver / Fivethirtyeight and high level polling
This, and other articles on the site offer great examples of real world sampling issues, problems and solutions. nice addendum to theoretical methodology. (and just how much it matters!) ...
When “cultural fit” is just code for “people like us”
Good HBR article on how :"Hiring for cultural fit can thwart diversity". https://hbr.org/2016/04/why-hiring-for-cultural-fit-can-thwart-your-diversity-efforts
How to manage for collective creativity
Harvard professor Linda Hill presents her findings on characteristics of leaders / situations that inspire consistent creative thinking and progress. Three key capabilities are: Creative Abraision, Creative Resolution and Creative Agility. See her HBR...
A great guide for how to lie with statistics: (and how to spot when it is done)
While I feel sure academics have far more tricks up their sleeves (like fishing and p-hacking) politicians are are a creative bunch. Here is an article by a Cambridge professor on nine favored strategies. In short, they are: Use real number, but change its meaning...
What statistical software to learn?
There are a range of statistical software packages available, some costly, other free, and some in between. Which to choose? Which to invest time to learn (Blood sweat, tears and frustration) and money to buy? SPSS has it forte in that it has a pretty interface that...
Multiperson prisoners dilemma game: cooperation emerges in small groups
A simulation study shows that cooperation can emerge as the dominant strategy in a "tragedy of the commons game" when: groups are small there is long term memory (So as to weed out those who cheat.) As this is a computer simulation game, one has to wonder if human...
The power of well designed teams: Brian Uzzi
In this talk, Brian Uzzi presents his research on teams and collaboration, and shows: that established teams suffer from sunk costs, in that people want to leverage team specific resources to the max (such as knowing how each other work) to the detriment of including...
Controlling for confounding variables
Confounding variables are nothing new, so controlling form them are common. However, as this paper shows, a lot of these controls are flawed, calling into question the validity of the results. SEM is proposed as part of the solution. ...
How politicians poisoned statistics
In this article, Tim Harford uses the distinction put forth by the Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, between those who lie with statistics, and those who simply do not care what the facts are, but use statistics to support their position. The latter can be...
Type 1 and Type 2 errors… what they are..
Great with visuals to really understand a concept 🙂
How to increase job satisfaction though task, relationship and cognitive crafting
A 20 minute interview with Amy Wrzesniewski at Yale University, discussing how our attitudes to our job determine our level of satisfaction. http://www.npr.org/2016/03/28/471859161/how-to-build-a-better-job
Sensemaking in Organizations: Karl Weick
A book I am intending to read; Sensemaking in Organizations by Karl Weick. However, until I do, I came accross a nice summary of the concept here: https://www.epicpeople.org/sensemaking-in-organizations/ Sensemaking has seven properties (Weick, 1995): Identity and...
One of the biggest cases of academic fraud: Diederik Stapel
Reading about Diederik Stapel reminds me of the quote from Walter Scott: "Oh, What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive". To list the full extent of his fraud, (including advising 20 Phd's, many of whom used data he had faked), do visit the...
Place in- and structure of network more important than size
The extent information takes hold and is spread depends on the "Majority illusion"; which means: whether other people in the network believes most other people have the information. (Who wants to be the odd one out?) Worth noting, this is independent of whether it is...