A Grant, Term Chair, and Tips for Employee-Manager Relations - Babson Thought & Action

Babson College faculty members receive a grant and a term chair, discuss how employees and managers can bridge gaps, and are endorsed for their wisdom on innovation.

Improving Disconnect Between Employees and Managers

Professor Joseph Weintraub, Assistant Professor Kerry Roberts Gibson, and Director of Compensation/Rewards and Client Engagement Kate O’Leary published an article in Harvard Business Review titled “The Little Things That Make Employees Feel Appreciated.” Together, they analyzed disconnect between managers and employees, stating they have observed managers struggle to make employees feel noticed and valued. They recommended frequent and balanced feedback, opportunities for greater challenges, and offering flexibility in work spaces.

Professor Awarded Term Chair in Finance

Professor Mark Potter was awarded the Barefoot Family Term Chair in Finance in recognition of service leadership and teaching excellence. “I am very grateful to the Barefoot family for their support and to the College for appreciating the variety of faculty activities helping to make Babson a special place,” Potter said.

Babson President Emeritus Brian M. Barefoot ’66, H’09, P’01 added, “Pam, our son John (MBA’01), and I are very happy to see the Barefoot Family Term Chair in Finance awarded to Potter in recognition of his service leadership and teaching excellence.”

Bettering the Environment Through Research

Assistant Professor Joanna Carey was awarded an $80,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation that will support two years of collaboration with more than a dozen top-caliber scientists.The grant will allow Carey and other researchers to “create the first data-driven predictive framework of how riverine Si exports will respond to global change.” Carey’s research has previously focused on answering fundamental questions regarding ecosystem processes in the context of rapid global change.

Learning How to Innovate

Written by Professor Gina O’Connor and Entrepreneurship Division Chair Andrew Corbett, Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation Through Peoplewas recognized as one of BizJournals.com’s “12 books to read this year.” Contributing writer Marc Kramer says, “The authors write about and give examples on how you can develop the skill of innovating similar to marketing and accounting. The companies that don’t continue to innovate die.”

Posted in Campus & Community, Research & Insights

Tagged Faculty, Advice, Career, Company Culture, Entrepreneurs of All Kinds, Research