Unleash the power of conflict – A new study found that groups work better if they are infused with a “socially distinct newcomer” – someone different enough to bump the rest of the team out of their comfort zone. Jared Shelly of Human Resource Executive reports on the study.
The Top Five Innovation Killers – “Innovation has never been more important to companies as it is now. The recession is creating new needs and new forms of value are needed to fulfill them. Yet there remains a yawning gulf between business leaders’ rhetoric on innovation and the reality on the ground. So what holds our companies back, and why is breakthrough innovation so rare?”
Diabetes pilot program yields big cost savings – Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance tells us that the results of the “10 City Challenge” pilot were so promising (average reductions in per-patient health care costs of $1,079 a year, for example) that the program will be extended to employers nationwide.
10 Worst Employees of 2008 – we offered a few suggestions for 2009 earlier in the week – CareerBuilder gives you their list from 2008.
A twitterable Twitter policy – Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees offers a sensible Twitter policy in 140 characters or less.
Social Media for HR Professionals Beyond LinkedIn – Jennifer McClure, aka CincyRecruiter offers a great overview of a recent presentation she made on harnessing social media for HR.
BlackBerry Tips From The Top – “Secrets from CEOs for whom the little hunk of hardware is the life breath of work efficiency.”
Reinventing the conference call – Seth Godin has a suggestion that might help to improve your next conference call.
Cardiovascular risk calculator – estimate your chance of a cardiac event, dying from heart disease, and your overall chance of dying in the next 10 years. This might be a good tool for your employee wellness program since some portion of the risk can usually be ameliorated by lifestyle changes.