LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harvard Business Review (HBR), one of the world’s most renowned global business publications, has accepted and featured many commentaries based on research and thought leadership by Pepperdine Graziadio faculty in the past year. Articles appearing in HBR must reach the publication's high standards and are considered among the most credible among business audiences.
In the past 12 months, HBR has posted four original authored articles from Pepperdine Graziadio faculty exploring topics ranging from employee retention to mindfulness training in the workforce. Each piece reveals powerful insight on real-world topics such as the power of ongoing employee investment for employee retention, and how working dads can look to up their contributions in the home once working from home comes to an end.
"Multiple articles in Harvard Business Review demonstrate that our faculty are producing thought leadership that impacts business and informs the human experience,” said Deryck J. van Rensburg, dean of the Graziadio Business School. “Our faculty inspire Pepperdine Graziadio students to think boldly and drive meaningful change, and to realize their greatest potential as values-centered, Best for the World Leaders. They are true professionals who apply educational, spiritual, and ethical approaches to positively impact the lives of their colleagues, peers and communities and do so by leading by example.”
Following are the article summaries with links:
3 Ways Companies Can Retain Working Moms Right Now
Dr. Dana Sumpter, associate professor of organization theory and management at Pepperdine Graziadio, with her colleague Mona Zanhour, published an article in November 2020 focused on how COVID-19 forced women—particularly mothers—out of the workforce. Through their research they ask what managers could do to help reverse this trend. The authors interviewed employed women with children under the age of 16 at home and who had partners. The conversations revealed how managers were—and weren’t—supporting the women. The authors found three actionable ways that managers can ensure mothers remain on the job during the pandemic and beyond: provide certainty and clarity, wherever possible; rightsize job expectations; and continue to show empathy.
Where Mindfulness Falls Short
According to the study published in March 2021 by Dr. Darren J. Good, associate professor of applied behavioral science at Pepperdine Graziadio, and his colleagues Christopher Lyddy, Mark C. Bolino, Phillip S. Thompson, and John Paul Stephens, today more than half of all large companies offer their employees some form of mindfulness training. Mindfulness is defined as a broad set of practices and techniques focusing on increasing awareness of the here and now. However, the study’s findings suggest that these programs don’t always improve people’s well-being or their job performance. Specifically, for employees whose roles require them to act inauthentically (such as salespeople, waiters, or customer service representatives who often have to smile through unpleasant interactions with customers), becoming more mindful of their emotions in the moment can actually have a negative effect on their mental health. Based on these findings, they offer four strategies to help organizations successfully implement mindfulness programs at work while limiting these negative side effects. Ultimately, the authors argue that mindfulness is an important tool in the managerial toolbox, but it is not a cure-all, and it must be applied thoughtfully to be effective.
How Working Dads Can Keep Pulling Their Weight at Home When WFH Ends
As part of an ongoing longitudinal study on working fathers, Pepperdine assistant professor of applied behavioral science Bobbi Thomason and executive doctor of business administration (DBA) candidate Michael Cusumano looked at the effects of the pandemic induced shift to remote work. This change led to a profound change in many households where many parents who had previously been commuting to the office were now at home, including dads. The authors found that these parents wanted to maintain active roles in their children’s lives as offices reopen. This is good news all around. Based on the article published in July 2021, there are benefits to working fathers being more involved at home not just for their children and their female partners (who traditionally bear an outsized burden when it comes to caregiving), but also for the fathers themselves and their organizations. The authors argue that to continue to see these benefits working fathers will need to be proactive in not reverting to pre-pandemic routines and behaviors
Are You Trying to Retain the Right Employees?
Dr. Zhike Lei, associate professor of applied behavioral science at Pepperdine, along with co-authors Brooks Holtom, Cody Reeves, and Tiffany Darabi work to answer the question on how to hire and retain good talent in their October 2021 piece. As an extraordinary wave of resignations sweeps the business world, companies are struggling to reassess their talent-retention strategies. In the piece, the authors try to identify what tricks work best to attract great employees and how companies can ensure that top talent stays. Research suggests that firms should take a targeted approach and focus on employees who would not only stay but be enthusiastic about doing so. This latest article offers a way to identify these “enthusiastic stayers” and recommends ways to keep them.
In the past year, Pepperdine Graziadio faculty have had more than 50 opinions, commentaries, and research papers appear in major business and peer-reviewed academic research journals. To read more please visit the Pepperdine Graziadio newsroom here.
About Pepperdine Graziadio
For more than 50 years, the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School has challenged individuals to think boldly and drive meaningful change within their industries and communities. Dedicated to developing Best for the World Leaders, the Graziadio School offers a comprehensive range of MBA, MS, executive, and doctoral degree programs grounded in integrity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The Graziadio School advances experiential learning through small classes with distinguished faculty that stimulate critical thinking and meaningful connection, inspiring students and working professionals to realize their greatest potential as values-centered leaders. Follow Pepperdine Graziadio on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
