Media Quotes

September 19, 2011, Even hints of layoffs decay morale, The Wall Street Journal.

October 7, 2010, The five critical mistakes hospitals make when downsizing.

March, 2010, “The Four Dimensions of Trustworthy Leadership,” Chief Learning Officer Magazine.

Nov/Dec 2009, “Outsourcing the Curriculum,” BizEd Magazine,
Tricia Bisou, the Editor of BizEd magazine, interviewed us about the case study we wrote to accompany the movie, “Outsourced“.

Fall 2009, Business Digest
In the face of a downturn, many companies turn to downsizing to cut costs.  Yet, they often fail to achieve the expected payoffs, and in some cases, they end up worse off than they started. According to Aneil K. Mishra and his co-authors, downsizing doesn’t have to spell corporate disaster. When companies increase flexibility, innovation, and communication, they can emerge stronger, faster, and smarter.

June 2009, “Downsizing Can Have Upsides,” HR Magazine, summary of our 2009 MIT Sloan Management Review article, “How to Downsize Your Company without Downsizing Morale.”

February 23, 2009
Home, and then what? Pondering the ex-president.  Measure of a Nation.
“I wouldn’t think they’d want to retire and go sit on a porch somewhere,” says Karen Mishra, a marketing expert at Meredith College in North Carolina who studies how leaders build trust. “They need to be intentional – to say, `What is it that’s really important to me? I’m not going to take on the world, but I’m going to choose one or two causes that matter to me.’”

January 17, 2009, “Tapping Out A Gentle Layoff Strategy,” Investor’s Business Daily. Some gutsy CEOs are getting a jump-start on disgruntled employees by using the Web to defuse the impact of layoffs.

June 24, 2008, “In Order to Get Ahead, Get Out of Comfort Zone.” Wall Street Journal. You like your company and your co-workers, but you’re bored of your job.

November 20, 2007; “Performance Reviews Need Some Work, Don’t Meet Potential,” Wall Street Journal, Page B1. Let’s put it diplomatically and take the emotion out of it: The whole performance-review process, now in season, doesn’t exactly exceed expectations.

March 29, 2007: “Circuit City Layoffs for Cheaper Workers May Break Ground.” Dow Jones News Service. Aneil Mishra, associate professor of management at Wake Forest University’s Babcock Graduate School of Management, agreed. “I’m doubtful they know that they’re getting rid of the right 3,400 people,” or those who cannot justify their higher pay through their productivity, he said. Circuit City’s action also “begs the question of why did they pay these people above-market wages for so long in the first place?” Full interview and article on Circuit City here.

Oct 3, 2006 “Study: Social Drinking, Promotions Linked.” High Point Enterprise. Mishra said it all boils down to social capital. “People spend that time getting to know each other outside of work, so they feel all those good times and personal relationships transfer to the work relationship.”

Dec 1, 2005—“Dow Jones in the Money: Biggest brand battle for GM is internal,” Dow Jones News Service, Steven Jones, reporter. “I don’t think they can justify in the marketplace how a Buick, a Cadillac and a Saab are different,” says Aneil Mishra, associate professor of management. “… They are spreading their investment capital across too many brands. It’s showing up in their slow product cycle that isn’t turning fast enough to meet market demand.” GM “should have invested more in Saturn a decade ago and shut down Buick and Oldsmobile and portions of Pontiac. … What we have found in 20 years of research of downsizing in autos, steel, aerospace and tobacco is that without changing relationships with customers and suppliers, workforce reductions alone won’t do it. … It’s definitely too late to keep all these brands going.”

Nov 4, 2004– “A Prize: Woman clocks 60 years with Merrill,” Winston-Salem Journal. “This employee’s loyalty and tenure at Merrill Lynch are unheard of in this day and age, in that industry given the current downsizing era when most companies do not demonstrate such loyalty,” Mishra said.

Oct 3, 2004– “Changing NASA’s culture: Space agency looks to business world for organizational overhaul,” The Calgary Herald. Aneil Mishra, an associate management professor at Wake Forest University who has studied both large and small organizations and their need for cultural change, said leaders must exhibit four traits to make a transformation work, which he calls the “ROCC of trust” — Reliability, Openness, Competence and Concern for the future of the organization as a whole, not personal gain.

Sep 8, 2004– “Creative perks improve company loyalty,” Ottawa Citizen. Indeed, several companies have found that cash or extrinsic rewards, such as vacations, typically have short-term gains, said Mishra. Generous perks can even become “golden handcuffs,” in some cases. Originally published in the Baltimore Sun.

Aug 25, 2004– “Perks with the works,” Orlando Sentinel. Indeed, several companies have found that cash or extrinsic rewards, such as vacations, typically have short-term gains, said Mishra. Generous perks can even become “golden handcuffs,” in some cases. Originally published in the Baltimore Sun.

Aug 8, 2004– “Making the Marriage Work: Brown & Williamson, Reynolds Have Put Small Army to Work on Integration,” Winston-Salem Journal. “Employees do have to have some credible vision of the future that is communicated effectively to them,” said Mishra.

Aug 6, 2004– “Steps to Improving Morale,” JupiterWeb (IT Management). Morale in the IT department has been in the weeds for several years now. A bad economy, tight budgets and widespread layoffs have led to stressed out and overworked techies. Analysts, however, say corporate executives can go a long way to improve morale — and business — by following a few steps. Aneil Mishra, offers advice.

Aug 5, 2004– “Unique perks keep retention high,” Finger Lakes Times. Indeed, several companies have found that cash or extrinsic rewards, such as vacations, typically have short-term gains, said Mishra. Generous perks can even become “golden handcuffs,” in some cases.

Jul 19, 2004– “Employers swear by unusual worker perks; Vacation money, bonuses help keep employees content,” The Houston Chronicle. Generous perks can even become “golden handcuffs,” in some cases, keeping a worker from leaving naturally when the job has become a drag, said Mishra. Originally published in the Baltimore Sun. This article was also published in the Press & Sun-Bulletin and Sunday Kenosha News.

Jul 11, 2004– “Perks help keep workers happy,” Baltimore Sun, interview with reporter Stacey Hirsh. Indeed, several companies have found that cash or extrinsic rewards, such as vacations, typically have short-term gains, said Mishra. Generous perks can even become “golden handcuffs,” in some cases, keeping a worker from leaving naturally when the job has become a drag.

September 1, 2003 –”Marketing Yeast.” The Oregonian. Free doughnuts may be Krispy Kreme’s sweetest marketing tactic, but it’s not the only one. Researchers, professors, company officials and marketers say Krispy Kreme has won America’s stomach and wallet with a handful of methods: A tasty doughnut: Good marketing starts with a good product, and Krispy Kreme has one with its hot glazed doughnut, says Karen Mishra, a Wake Forest University marketing professor who has studied the company.