ray williams | Fast Company

My brain made me do it: Neuroscience and the workplace

BY Ray WilliamsSun May 2, 2010

As scientists continue to explore how the brain works, it seems likely that new findings will radically alter the traditional understanding of human nature and that will have enormous implications for the legal system and the workplace. One aspect of human nature being questioned by brain science is the concept of free will. The essential question is: Is our feeling of self-control merely an illusion created by our brains? If the answer is yes, what happens to our understanding of free will and moral responsibility?READ»

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Napping may make you smarter

BY Ray WilliamsWed Mar 31, 2010

People who catch 40 winks or an even longer nap during the day are often viewed to be lazy, less productive, and possessing inadequate sleep. Not so, according to recent brain research, that may benefit leaders.READ»

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How a fixed mindset can prevent genuine success

BY Ray WilliamsWed Mar 31, 2010

Your "mindset" may determine genuine success. Mindsets that are characterized by a commitment to growth, flexibility and adaptability continue to develop your brain and develop reservoirs of untapped potential. They are the key to continual learning and success.READ»

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Why Old Habits Die Hard: What Every Manager Should Know

BY Ray WilliamsTue Mar 2, 2010

Managers have been known to tear their hair out in frustration of why employees can't change behaviors, and discard old habits. Recent brain research gives us more accurate reasons as to why and what managers need to do about it. The bottom line is that you can't force anyone to change. Any kind of pressure will produce more resistance and could end up being counterproductive.READ»

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How to motivate employees: What do we know?

BY Ray WilliamsSun Feb 28, 2010

Motivating people to do their best work, consistently, has been an enduring challenge for executives and managers. Even understanding what constitutes human motivation has been a centuries old puzzle, addressed as far back as Aristotle. Now brain science is giving us some new insights into motivation.READ»

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Why we need to use both sides of our brain

BY Ray WilliamsWed Feb 17, 2010

Previous brain research has shown that the brain is divided into the left and right hemispheres, each with different functions and perspectives on reality. Yet recent brain research has shown the functional division is not as we thought, and that language, imaging, and reasoning is served by both hemispheres. Yet, our society has favored left brain thinking and perspectives, at the expense of the right brain, with some negative consequences.READ»

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How do we really make decisions?

BY Ray WilliamsSat Feb 13, 2010

Most people, particularly those in scientific and professional fields, as well as a majority of the population, would like to believe that we make good decisions in our personal and professional lives based on deliberative, logical thinking. It appears that nothing can be further from the truth.READ»

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How your unconscious mind can impact reaching your goals

BY Ray WilliamsSat Feb 13, 2010

Whether you're a habitual list maker, make detailed written goals or keep your tasks and goals in your head, almost everyone pursues goals in an ever changing and sometimes chaotic environment. We are very aware of the conscious thinking that helps us achieve those goals (or not), but we rarely consider how the unconscious thinking in our mind contributes to the achievement of those same goals.READ»

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How to motivate employees: What do we know?

BY Ray WilliamsFri Feb 12, 2010

How many management articles, books, speeches and workshops have pleaded plaintively, "How do I get employees to do what I want Motivating people to do their best work, consistently, has been an enduring challenge for executives and managers. Even understanding what constitutes human motivation has been a centuries old puzzle, addressed as far back as Aristotle.READ»

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How do we really make decisions?

BY Ray WilliamsThu Feb 11, 2010

Most people, particularly those in scientific and professional fields, as well as a majority of the population, would like to believe that we make good decisions in our personal and professional lives based on deliberative, logical thinking. It appears that nothing can be further from the truth.READ»

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What Do Corporate Values Really Mean?

BY Ray WilliamsSun Feb 7, 2010

Most companies have explicit and often espoused corporate values, usually containing notions of strong positive cultures. These are often formalized into mission statements, tag lines, and branding and marketing promotions. The problem is that most of so-called corporate values are not values at all. They are little more than a compilation of platitudes and slogans.READ»

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How Can Putting Feelings Into Words Help You Perform Better?

BY Ray WilliamsSun Feb 7, 2010

Why does putting our feelings into words--such as talking with a therapist, counselor or coach, or even writing in a journal--help you feel better? A new brain imaging study by UCLA psychologists, as reported in Psychological Science, may give us the answer. This research combines modern neuroscience with ancient Buddhist teachings, which focus on what is known as "mindfulness" or the ability to live in the present moment without distractionREAD»

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It's time to focus on positive organizational behavior

BY Ray WilliamsSat Jan 16, 2010

The concept of positive psychology is growing in the fields of psychology, management studies and organizational behavior. The focus of this trend is the movement away from the focus of psychology on "fixing" or "repairing" problems to building positive qualities and behaviors. In addition, a related focus is a cost-benefit view of how to enhance positive workplace cultures and improve productivity.READ»

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Brain scientists make the case for "survival of the kindest."

BY Ray WilliamsWed Dec 30, 2009

Researchers are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are hard-wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, these scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate, empathetic and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.READ»

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Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work

BY Ray WilliamsFri Dec 25, 2009

The start of the New Year is often the perfect time to turn a new page in your life, which is why so many people make New Year's resolutions. Researchers have looked at success rates of peoples' resolutions: the first two weeks usually go along beautifully, but by February, people are backsliding and by the following December, most people are back where they started, often even further behind. Why do so many people not keep their resolutions?READ»

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New Global Happiness Survey Shows Gaps Between Men and Women

BY Ray WilliamsFri Dec 25, 2009

A new global survey reports that men are happier with wealth, while women find greater happiness in friendships and family, co-workers and their bosses. Yet the survey may not have asked the right questions.READ»

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Social Media: Does It Help or Hinder Productivity?

BY Ray WilliamsMon Nov 30, 2009

Does the use of social media in the workplace benefit organizations and educational institutions and help productivity or hamper productivity? That's a question many leaders and educators are debating in organizations, even while students and employees immerse themselves in social media for both personal and business purposes. This article will examine both sides of the question, and show how it's clearly connected to a much bigger question of organizational change.READ»

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The Age of Empathy

BY Ray WilliamsSun Oct 25, 2009

Greed is out. Empathy is in. That's how Frans de Waal begins his book, The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons For A Kinder Society. De Waal is a biologist, professor of psychology and director of the Living Link Center at Emory University. In 2007, Time magazine selected him as one of the world's most influential people. The global financial crisis of 2008, together with the election of a new American President representing a vastly different political and social perspective, has produced a "seismic shift in society," argues de Waal.READ»

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Want To Stay Healthy After Retirement? Keep Working

BY Ray WilliamsSat Oct 24, 2009

Since the Great Depression, a commonly held perspective on the good life is that we can all look forward to retirement, when we didn't have to work any more. We would be more relaxed and healthier away from the stresses of work. There's a couple of flaws in that argument. For one thing, retirement, like pensions, was an invention of the depression, intended to deal with the problem of unemployment. Prior to the depression the concept of retirement didn't exist. And for the most part, people are viewing retirement in a very different way today. AARP in the U.S., report from a survey done in 2008 that 70% of workers plan to continue working past their retirement age.Now recent research questions the assumption that not working anymore will improve your health. READ»

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Is Management Efficiency A Myth?

BY Ray WilliamsSun Oct 18, 2009

The current recession has produced a flood of management "experts" and many leaders of organizations whose only strategy for dealing with the downturn in the economy is cutting costs, layoffs and more efficiency based strategies. The mantra for business for much of the last century has been operational efficiency. So leaders look for ways to cut costs and make the operations lean and mean. Yet much of the rationale for and evidence supporting efficiency as a key management strategy is questionable.READ»