HBR IdeaCast

Most leaders assume that when employees break rules, punishment is the answer. But according to researcher Michael Gill, associate professor at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, that mindset overlooks a crucial reality: not all rule breaking is self-serving, and some of it may actually help organizations perform better. He explains his research synthesizing more than 250 studies and details the four main motivations behind why people break rules, why repeated violations may signal deeper organizational problems, and how leaders can distinguish harmful misconduct from employees trying to help customers, colleagues, or the business itself. Learn more in the HBR article How the Best Leaders Respond to Rule Breaking.

Meetings are one of the biggest drains on time, energy, and morale at work, yet most managers are never actually taught how to run them well. Paul English, cofounder of Kayak, argues that organizations underestimate just how costly bad meetings can be. He says meeting culture is one of the most overlooked drivers of productivity, morale, and organizational effectiveness. Drawing on lessons from companies like Amazon, LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify, as well as his own experience building high-performing teams, he explains how leaders can run meetings that create clarity, energy, and better decisions instead of frustration and fatigue. English is the author of the book The Meeting Book: How the Best Companies Meet Better.

What does it take to manage a complex global institution when change is constant and resources are scarce? For Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), it's about building resilient teams, partnering across sectors, and balancing operational efficiency with humanity. In her more than a decade with the agency, Clements has helped steer key reforms in challenging circumstances, and she shares lessons for both public and private sector leaders about how to modernize systems, decentralize decision-making, and embrace innovation.

Why do so many organizations lose their way as they grow? Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author, says that corruption inside companies rarely begins with bad people or dramatic scandals. More often, it emerges slowly, through broken incentives, unchecked bureaucracy, and systems that reward the wrong behaviors. He explains why even successful organizations drift from their values, and what companies can do to stay adaptable, trustworthy, and mission-driven as they scale. Ries wrote the book Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great.

Why do we replay cryptic emails, small workplace slights, and past business decisions over and over in our heads? Science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa has looked deep into the research and discovered the hidden brain mechanisms that get us into these loops. She explains why a need for achievement, as well as modern work culture, make the problem worse. And she shares practical techniques for recognizing when reflection has crossed into rumination, interrupting destructive thought patterns, and helping teams create more psychological clarity and safety. Nakazawa is author of “Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist”.