Ethan Bernstein, associate professor at Harvard Business School, studied how coworkers interacted before and after their company moved to an open office plan. The research shows why open workspaces often fail to foster the collaboration they’re designed for. Workers get good at shutting others out and their interactions can even decline. Bernstein explains how companies can conduct experiments to learn how to achieve the productive interactions they want. With Ben Waber of Humanyze, Bernstein wrote the HBR article "The Truth About Open Offices."

Sari Wilde, a managing vice president at Gartner, studied 5,000 managers and identified four different types of leaders. The surprising result is that the “always on” manager is less effective at developing employees, even though many companies encourage supervisors to give constant feedback. Instead, the “connector” manager is the most effective, because they facilitate productive interactions across the organization. Wilde explains what the best connector managers do, how to be one, and how to work for one. With Jaime Roca, Wilde wrote the book “The Connector Manager: Why Some Leaders Build Exceptional Talent -- and Others Don’t.”

Pauline Brown, former chairman of North America for the luxury goods company LVMH, argues that in additional to traditional and emotional intelligence, great leaders also need to develop what she calls aesthetic intelligence. This means knowing what good taste is and thinking about how your services and products stimulate all five senses to create delight. Brown argues that in today's crowded marketplace, this kind of AI is what will set companies apart -- and not just in the consumer products and luxury sectors. B2B or B2C, small or large, digital or bricks-and-mortar, all organizations need to hire and train people to think this way. Brown is the author of the book "Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond."

Dashun Wang, associate professor at Kellogg School of Management, crunched big datasets of entrepreneurs, scientists, and even terrorist organizations to better understand the fine line between failure and success. One surprising finding is that people who experience early failures often become more accomplished than counterparts who achieve early successes. Another insight is that the pace of failure is an indicator of the tipping point between stagnation and eventual success. Wang is a coauthor of the study in the journal Nature: “Quantifying the dynamics of failure across science, startups and security.”

In this repeat episode, we honor the legacy of HBS professor Clayton Christensen, who passed away on January 23, 2020. The legendary management thinker was best known for his influential theory of “disruptive innovation,” which inspired a generation of executives and entrepreneurs. This HBR IdeaCast interview was originally published in 2016.

Henry Chesbrough, adjunct professor at the University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business, coined the term "open innovation" over a decade ago. This is the practice of sourcing ideas outside your own organization as well as sharing your own research with others. However, he says that despite a booming economy in Silicon Valley, companies aren't executing on open innovation as well as they should. They are outsourcing, but not collaborating, and fewer value-added new products and services are being created as a result. He's the author of the book "Open Innovation Results: Going Beyond the Hype and Getting Down to Business".

Stefan Thomke, professor at Harvard Business School, says running experiments can give companies tremendous value, but too often business leaders make decisions based on intuition. While A/B testing on large transaction volumes is common practice at Google, Booking.com, and Netflix, Thomke says even small firms can get a competitive advantage from experiments. He explains how to introduce, run, and learn from them, as well as how to cultivate an experimental mindset at your organization. Thomke is the author of the book "Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments" and the HBR article "Building a Culture of Experimentation."

Michelle King, director of inclusion at Netflix, says it’s time to stop telling women to adapt to the male-dominated workplace and time for the workplace itself to change. Her prior academic research shows that diversity training and anti-harassment efforts address important issues but fall short of creating gender equality in organizations. She identifies the real obstacles and shares how leaders can create a culture of equality at work, for women and men alike. King is the author of the book "The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers That Are Holding Women Back at Work.”

In 1958, writer Rachel Carson began her exhaustive research on the effects of widespread pesticide use for her next book, Silent Spring. Over the next four years, she built up an airtight case showing how the world’s most powerful chemical companies were harming animals, plants, and people. Her effort was also a race against time, as she struggled against an aggressive form of breast cancer. In the second episode of a four-part special series on leadership, HBR Editor in Chief Adi Ignatius and Harvard Business School professor and historian Nancy Koehn trace the modern environmental movement back to Carson’s pioneering reporting and powerful prose. They discover lessons in how to strengthen your resilience, gather your energy and skills for a coming challenge, and why caretaking is an act of leadership.

Jim McKelvey, entrepreneur and cofounder of Square, says that most companies that think of themselves as innovative are really just copycats. True innovation, he argues, is about fearlessly exploring novel solutions and dramatically expanding markets. Doing so also helps startups defend their innovations against industry giants, as Square did against Amazon. McKelvey is the author of the book “The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time.”

Stewart Friedman, organizational psychologist at The Wharton School, and Alyssa Westring, associate professor at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, say it’s a mistake for a working parent to think of career and home life as competing interests that have to be balanced. Their research shows how many leadership skills apply to parenting, and vice versa. The professors explain how individuals can stop making tradeoffs and instead find sustainable ways to advance their careers and also parent more effectively. Friedman and Westring are the authors of the book "Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life."

Alex Lazarow, venture capitalist at Cathay Innovation, says that start-ups in cities around the U.S. and the world are creating their own rules for success. While Silicon Valley companies have sparked key innovations and generated huge wealth over the past few decades, not everyone should use them as a model going forward. In fact, we can learn more from frontier entrepreneurs, who are thinking more creatively about raising capital, sourcing talent, and pursuing social impact. Lazarow is the author of the book "Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs--from Delhi to Detroit--Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley."

GiftWorksPlus reduces holiday stress by offering the perfect gift for any occasion—personalized custom wood picture frames with names, dates, messages, and more at no extra charge.

Committed to bring continuous excitement to reading, FarFaria adds musical component to already stellar library.

Weldon's Jewellers of Dublin have recently uploaded a brand new batch of exquisite diamond engagement rings to their website.

The new Comfort Inn & Conference Center Northeast, in Atlanta, GA, offers affordable accommodations to guests attending Golden Spike Train Show on January 12, 2013.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Atlanta Perimeter hotel, near Sandy Springs, GA, offers close lodging to guests attending upcoming auctions at Gallery 63, featured on the Discovery Channel show Auction Kings.

This year, the standout sweetheart can choose a different route to his honey's heart with a brand new type of bouquet.

Harris Seeds is offering sweetheart deals with the launch of its Valentine's Day Shop at www.harrisseeds.com.

Arttowngifts.com helps customers make Valentine's Day unforgettable with gifts that will make this special day one to remember.

An Avenue Apart is an eCommerce platform for boutiques all over the world that offers a wide selection of handmade fashion products selected from international boutiques, including Italy, India, and Argentina.

Collection's European and Asian antiques have remained in private hands for 60+ years

The creations shared in "my Sicilian kitchen" have been prepared by members of the Bilo family for generations, and now are passed on to you and your family. Buon Appetito."-Linda Bilo-Brechtel

For Valentine's Day 2013 King Jewelers is offering special savings on an exclusive selection of fine jewelry, watches, diamond studs, diamond pendants and fashion accessories that is sure to make locating the ideal Valentine's Day gift stress free.

At One Cookie, we believe in spreading our cookie love across the nation and changing lives in the process. We will ship our cookies anywhere in the United States. Freshness guaranteed.

February 10, 2013 (New Freedom, PA) - Nevermore Toys is excited to announce Legendary Monsters, a new line of figures based on creatures from popular urban legends. The announcement accompanies a new Kickstarter campaign offering special incentives.

Maiden Gifts, easiest and fastest gift has expanded their fast delivery offers all through the month of February including their Valentine's Special Catalogue of Products.

Be A Doll, known for their personalized action figures, has developed a new product "Be A Bust". Submit 2 photos of your loved ones and get a 4 inch likeness of their head and shoulders, mounted on a stained wood base of your choice.

Make it the best Easter ever. Decorate with style, entertain with ease and give beautiful unique gifts to create a memorable EGGCELLENT holiday. It is about Family, Eggs and Bunnies of course.

Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North I-85) provides affordable accommodations to guests attending upcoming 2013 Scott Antique Market Shows at Atlanta Expo Center. They are America's favorite treasure hunt.

The Bike looks like an ordinary bicycle, but helps during rides like an electric bicycle with power assistance and strong pushes like an e-bike.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites N-Atlanta Perimeter Mall hotel offers convenient lodging to guests attending the American Craft Council Show at Cobb Galleria Centre from March 15-17, 2013.

Three recent lawsuits present new challenges for the makers of the Bumbo Baby Sitter, a popular infant chair that are alleged to have caused a number of injuries after babies fell from the seats.

Uniwatches launch their official YouTube channel with video reviews of timepieces and expand their collection of Nixon and Hugo Boss watches.

In partnership with APW Asset Management, McTear's announced that more than 10,000 bottles of New World's finest wines will go under the hammer in Glasgow. The sale has attracted considerable interest from collectors from across the globe.

After last year's popular Nashville Diamond Week, King Jewelers has opted to dedicate the entire month of April to diamonds and diamond jewelry. Nashville clients can benefit from discounts, gift card offers and a chance to win a special gift package

GoldMax USA announces the grand opening of two new stores in Murrieta, California at 40790 California Oaks Road, Suite B and C and 39209 Winchester Road, Suite 102.

According to Pratt Institute's website, Industrial Design students have been assigned to make those "Isolation Chairs" from last month…

"Isolation Chairs" made by students in Industrial Design Studio II (via @PrattInstitute/Instagram)

…but apparently not everyone's thrilled with the curriculum. The Daily News reports that a group of undergraduate Pratt Institute students have brought a lawsuit against the school, demanding a tuition refund in the face of inadequate online instruction.

"The online learning options being offered to Pratt students are subpar in practically every aspect, from the lack of facilities, materials and access to faculty," a lawyer for the students wrote in the suit. "Students have been deprived of the opportunity for collaborative learning and in-person dialogue, feedback and critique."

…The Pratt Institute lawsuit argued that the university's design focus makes remote, online learning even less feasible for students.

I can't imagine how one would go about teaching Industrial Design from afar. If you're an ID student, whether at Pratt or elsewhere, please drop us a line in the comments--I'm intensely curious to hear how your online classes are going.

Harmon Brothers is the name of the social media ad agency that created the unforgettable Squatty Potty video spot. They've cranked out a number of other ads that also went viral (Poo-Pourri, Purple mattresses, Chatbooks, Lume deodorant), helping propel those businesses into multimillion dollar companies.

To help product companies that are struggling during the downturn, Harmon Brothers has announced they're giving away, sweepstakes-style, a $100,000 video marketing campaign. As long as you've got "a product or service that solves a real problem for real people," you're eligible to apply to their "$100K Poop to Gold Giveaway," as it's called.

Ten semifinalists will be chosen, and the Grand Prize winner gets the free campaign. But the other nine aren't left to hang: They get free coaching and/or a year of free access to the online Harmon Brothers University, where they've distilled their formula for going viral into online lessons.

Here are the details of how to enter:

Don't you miss last year, when we were killing each other with weapons rather than airborne droplets? When mass shootings and home invasions dominated the news, a company called Battenshield rolled out their design for a virtually unbreakable door barricade.

It's not the greatest-looking thing in the world, but I will say the functionality of the design is clever, along with half of the installation. The system with the battens simply hangs on the door.

What I'd worry more about is the ability of the average homeowner to install the brackets (particularly over trim with a wavy cross-section) and get the lags driven into the studs.

Interestingly enough, the system was designed by a former SWAT officer whose role was, you guessed it, the "entry team member" who breaches doors.

A special thanks to Core77 reader Ross Oliver, who read our post on Cheat Sheets and commented that silicone--which I always thought was inert--may in fact leach harmful chemicals into food.

Oliver provided a link to Life Without Plastic, a company founded in 2006 by two parents seeking alternatives to plastic for their then-newborn child. Today the company sells over 450 products made from nontoxic alternatives to plastic, like good ol' glass and stainless steel. Because they do sell some items that feature silicone gaskets and seals, their website has a section on silicone, where they provide links to several peer-reviewed studies done on how the material reacts with food. Here's some relevant information:

Silicones are not completely inert or chemically unreactive and can release toxic chemicals. They can leach certain synthetic chemicals at low levels, and the leaching is increased with fatty substances, such as oils.

One study tested the release of siloxanes from silicone nipples and bakeware into milk, baby formula and a simulant solution of alcohol and water. Nothing was released into the milk or formula after six hours, but after 72 hours in the alcohol solution several siloxanes were detected.

Another study found siloxanes [a byproduct of the polymerization process used to create a silicone product] being released from silicone bakeware, with leaching increasing as the food fat content increased.

A review of the literature indicated that the key critical effects of common siloxanes, as shown in animal studies, are impaired fertility and potential carcinogenicity (2005 Report by the Danish Ministry of the Environment: Siloxanes - Consumption, Toxicity and Alternatives).

The European Union considers certain siloxanes to be endocrine disruptors (Study on enhancing the Endocrine Disruptor priority list with a focus on low production volume chemicals, ENV.D.4/ETU/2005/00w28r).

If you use silicone in your kitchen, I'd say the entire page is well worth a read.

For tradespeople, farmers and others who frequently need to cover and uncover their shoes (to protect interior surfaces from mud or worse), disposable booties are an unsustainable solution. They're also a pain to take on and off. This reusable and automatically-wrapping design seems much better:

I've been searching for something like this for a long time. On our free-range farm, I inevitably step in the shit of some animal on a daily basis, and pulling my boots off and on every time I need to go back inside to retrieve something gets old.

However, these wouldn't 100% work for my application. While getting them on looks easy, getting them off requires a fair amount of manual manipulation…

…meaning every time I removed these, I'd wind up with animal feces on my hands.

Question for you: How do you reckon these work? I figure inside the fabric is a polypropylene sheet molded into a sprung shape, with raised tunnel-like seams serving as hinges, and when you collapse the tunnels by stepping on them, the spring action is released. [Edit: I believe reader Kyle Lamson has figured it out. See his comment below.]

(Lastly, I was not able to find what company or designer invented these. There are tons of variants on the market. It's possible they were invented by a fellow named Joel Fersaci, whose Step in Sock model is featured in the video above.)

In 1970, Plymouth hoped to persuade Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro buyers to choose their Barracuda instead. One of Plymouth's tactics was to offer greater customization options.

At the time, the Mustang offered 15 exterior color options:

1970 Ford Mustang Exterior Paint Options

The Camaro offered 18 exterior color options:

1970 Chevy Camaro Exterior Paint Options

Note: This sheet pertains to multiple Chevy models. We have obscured the color options unavailable on the Camaro.

Plymouth went heavy by offering a whopping 25 color options. They demonstrated this to buyers not with a lame sample sheet, but by dropping this innovative-for-the-time rendering into the brochure:

1970 Plymouth Barracuda Ext. Paint Options

That rendering is freaking gorgeous, as are all of the colors. There's not a single one of those I'd decline.

As Hot Rod reports, automotive enthusiast Tim Wellborn, founder of the Wellborn Musclecar Museum in Alabama, had known about the rendering since childhood and recently decided he wanted a real version. According to My Classic Garage, "Collaborating with the Big Easy Motors television show on the History Channel, the Wellborn Musclecar Museum tapped famed builders at The Bomb Factory in New Orleans, LA [and] set out to create a real life version of the original 1970 illustration."

Here's what they came up with:

They did commit to a single color for the driver's side (looks like #17 on the chart):

While the "Paint Chip 'Cuda" isn't for sale, the museum sells both posters and banners featuring its image.

In the sci-fi series The Expanse, set in the 2300s, characters carry smartphone-like devices and are often seen "throwing" data from their device onto a nearby screen for group viewing. Here in humble ol' 2020, designer Cyril Diagne has figured out how to do it, without the histrionic swiping gesture performed on the TV show, and including a capturing step:

Diagne calls it "AR Cut Paste" (though some have commented it's really copy and paste) and has made the code freely available on Github.

Climbing coconut and arecanut trees to harvest their prizes is strenuous, dangerous work, and requires a young body. But in Dakshina Kannada, India, "there is a substantial migration of well-educated youngsters to the cities for white collar jobs," K. Ganapathi Bhat told India's The News Minute. "There is a huge scarcity of employment in labour-intensive sectors like agriculture, especially those skilled in climbing trees."

"Having been born in a family with an agricultural background, it was painful to see the ripe coconut and arecanut either eaten by birds or falling across the fields," Bhat says. At 60 years of age, he's too old to climb the trees himself. But unlike most farmers, he has a Bachelors of Science in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Thus he cobbled this together:

The bike-based contraption runs on gas, using what appears to be a chainsaw motor. After testing it out for two years on roughly 2,000 arecanut trees on his own farm, Bhat reckons the "mileage" is 90 trees per liter of gas (360 trees/gallon), and that the machine can carry an 80kg (175-pound) person to the top of a 30-meter (98-foot) tree in 30 seconds--safely. If the brakes fail, a backup brake kicks in to jam the wheels in place. As long as your tree isn't mushy and algae-covered (he tested those, too, and found the performance unsatisfactory), you're in business.

Here's more footage of the machine in action, including Bhat jumping up and down on it, to demonstrate that it safely stays in place:

Although he's been approached by several manufacturers, Bhat has turned them down, as he's not interested in profit. "I wish to partner with an organisation that would help me share the technology with the farmers to benefit them," he says. "I do not wish to seek royalties for such a venture. But I want to make sure that this product reaches as many farmers as possible, so that, in some way, it helps in the development of the overall agricultural scenario of the country."

Dutch restaurant ETEN, which is part of Amsterdam's Mediamatic Arts Centre, is trialing an innovative approach to social-distancing dining. As reported by Reuters, a series of small greenhouses (max. capacity: 3) has been constructed along the waterfront outside of their restaurant.

Servers wear gloves and facemasks.

Food is served on long planks, so the servers can slide them onto the tables without entering the greenhouses.

Ditto for busing the dishes afterwards.

If I can point out one flaw, it's that the tables need those server-summoning buttons they have in Asia. In the photo below, you can clearly see the two dudes on the right are desperate for refills.

And while the solution is Dutch, the marketing contains a bit of French. "Organisers call the project 'Serres Séparées' (Separate Greenhouses)," Reuters reports, "because they say it sounds better in French."