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Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about a business story behind Olympic coverage, rewards, a couple of interesting dimensions in the leadership conversation, and management science.

From the Toronto Globe and Mail: Broadcaster turns Games into massive research effort
"Starting Friday evening, people across the globe tuning into the Olympics Games will see the theatrics of the opening ceremonies, the helix etchings of blades on ice, the patriotism on the podiums. But a tireless group of self-described "research geeks" see the Olympics as something else entirely: a giant petri dish. NBC, the U.S. television network that paid $820-million (U.S.) for the rights to broadcast the Games in the United States, has put almost as much thought into tracking viewer behaviour as covering the Games."

Wally's Comment: Let me begin by saying that with NBC covering the Olympics again, I have already seen enough soft focus, inspirational music, slow motion, heart-string tugging athlete profiles to last me until the next millennium. Since I'm interested in the sports, there's really not much to see on NBC coverage, unless you consider watching anchors age a sport.

So I was thrilled to find this great piece in the Globe and Mail. I've now gotten something positive from this year's Winter Olympics besides the "collectable" Coke can that will mostly be collected by recycling centers. 

From the Economist: Fair dues
"A study published this month in the journal Psychological Science reveals that employees’ perceptions of how fairly they are being rewarded depend on whether they are getting bonuses in the form of goods or money."

Wally's Comment: This article reports on two fascinating studies that stir the pot on the issue of social norms and economic norms when it comes to rewards.

From the Graziado Business Report: Political Connections: The Missing Dimension in Leadership
"Early leadership studies examined common traits of successful leaders. Later research focused on combinations of traits as no one profile was shared by all successful leaders. This research focuses on three key dimensions of leadership: charismatic leadership, instrumental leadership, and political connections. It suggests how they can become a scorecard to rate not only one's chances for advancement, but also one's bosses and one's peers."

Wally's Comment: The title is slightly misleading. "Political connections" are not presented as the missing dimension in leadership, but as the missing dimension in analyzing and discussing leadership. That's what makes this article worth your time.

From DDI: A Skill in Short Supply
"What do you consider to be the most important leadership trait for a CEO to have? Is it “Influencing Skills” or “strategic decision making?” Or perhaps “business acumen” or “talent management” is at the top of your list of CEO right stuff.   All are likely found on the success profiles or job specs of many Chief Executive positions. How about the proven ability to run a large operation with P&L responsibilities? I think one could make a case for any of the above and I’m certain that there are many senior leaders out there working in assignments to develop those skills because the senior talent review team in the organization has deemed those skills or experiences as “must haves” for aspiring CEOs.  Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and Fortune magazine’s #1 Most Powerful Business Woman, has another view."

Wally's Comment: Here's another contribution to the leadership conversation. This is from Mike Hoban, a senior consultant at DDI. It's about "strategic acuity." Indra Nooyi thinks it's important and that should be enough to get you to read this.

From the Financial Post: Informed decision making
"Why was your airplane overbooked? How come the price for a hotel room changes from day to day and how to do car rental companies know how many cars to have at any given airport? These questions and more can be answered by looking at the management science tools businesses use to manage revenue, costs and capacity utilization."

Wally's Comment: Management science is a kind of Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde character. It's proven to be a great driver of business results when applied to things like inventory management and determining the location for a new plant. But the models are, often constructed with lots of data but not enough history and then applied as if they offer certainty and not guidance.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.