Dr. Jessica Kriegel works as an organizational development consultant for Oracle Corporation, where she acts as an adviser and strategist in organizational development, change management and talent development. In 2016, she authored Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit From Ditching Generational Stereotypes, published by Wiley. She completed her doctoral degree in educational leadership and management with a specialization in human resources development from Drexel University. Jessica also has an MBA in international business.
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No Easy Fix
Changing an organization’s culture takes time and effort — and always starts at the top
Organizational culture is the values, beliefs and behaviors practiced in an organization formed over time because they are rewarded or punished by formal and informal rules, rituals and behaviors. Or, to oversimplify it, culture is “the way we do things around here.”
Out in the Open
The good, bad and ugly of open-space offices
The idea of open-space offices has been with us since the start of the tech revolution. It seems we are under the mistaken belief that the early technology companies — such as Google, Wikipedia, eBay — were onto something when they tore down office walls, removed cubicles and allowed workers to float in a sea of open access. Teamwork became the goal.
Getting Intimate
Becoming closer to coworkers may increase productivity, collaboration and innovation
Advanced leaders realize the importance of intimacy, with a goal of creating a second family in the workplace.
How to Manage Workplace Stress
Employees and managers both have a role to play in reducing workplace stress
We think we know workplace stress. We avoid it, we are overwhelmed by it, we relish it, we handle it, we thrive from it. But do we really understand it?
Sexism Is Not Extinct: What It Looks Like and How to Respond
Overt sexism still happens in the workplace, and male colleagues can help combat it.
To Build Authentic Brand Equity, You Must First Build The Culture You Want
Change your brand from the inside out
Your brand is an extension of your corporate culture
Office Culture Overhaul
Change is messy and difficult — try these 8 steps for updating office culture
Whether due to toxic culture, ineffective leadership, poor results from an employee engagement survey, lack of trust or high levels of attrition, many organizations will find themselves asking how to strategize culture change at some point. But even the most well-crafted strategy is no match for entrenched cultural norms. As the popular saying goes, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
How CEOs Can Identify Their Blind Spots
Leaders need to seek outside help to improve organizational culture
Do CEOs really want to know what their employees say about them? Do they actually want to hear about inefficiencies, overly-complex workarounds or gossip going around the coffee machine? Of course they should — although many don’t.
Who Are We, Anyway?
How to leverage personality tests for team building
There’s a lot of controversy about team-building exercises in the corporate world. Do they really boost morale? Does rappelling down a cliff actually build trust that translates into a more productive accounting office? Is retreating worth the time and expense?
Movers and Shakers
How a boss can deal with the dreaded office relocation
Moving offices is a dangerously stressful time for a business: Employee retention rates, cultural harmony and productivity will suffer. Your relocation might just be the straw that breaks your bottom line.
Unconscious Bias in Talent Reviews
Identifying stereotypes can help boost staff performance
In his 2005 book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” Malcolm Gladwell polled Fortune 500 companies and found that 30 percent of CEOs were 6 feet 2 inches or taller. In comparison, only 3.9 percent of the U.S. population are of that height.
Why? Unconscious bias.
Is Your Mission Statement Gathering Dust?
Start anew by first thinking about the real reason your organization exists
Do your eyes roll when you hear the words “mission statement?” You are not alone.
Many of you work at organizations with a mission statement that is now gathering dust on a shelf, framed on a wall or, even worse, carved in stone above your portal. If the following sounds familiar, you’re in trouble:
We Need to Stop Our Obsession with Generational Differences
Ending generational categorization and judgment begins with awareness. Next time you hear generational stereotypes among your friends or in your workplace, speak up! By breaking down these stereotypes we can overcome the discrimination that generational labels facilitates.