The concept of referent group can be a useful tool for understanding many differences in organizations, both on a global and local scale. A referent group can be defined as any group that people see as a source for their identity. Our referent groups define a large part of who we are. Our primary referent group can be defined as a group that is the major source of our identity. As our organizations become more global and more diverse, it becomes more critical that leaders understand how different referent groups can impact behavior.

Members of different referent groups tend to define ethics or morality from the perspective of their group. We all tend to judge others as being right or wrong from the perspective of our referent group. It is critical that global leaders learn to understand others’ perspectives without coming across as judgmental.

Defining Referent Groups

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Judy Bardwick is a longtime friend and one of the smartest people I know. She has always challenged conventional wisdom and I consider her to be not only a great management thinker, but also a great thinker about life. Her latest book, One Foot Out the Door: How to Combat the Psychological Recession That Is Hurting American Business, discusses important challenges faced by U.S. companies. Here are edited excerpts of a recent chat we had.

In One Foot Out the Door, you claim that as many as two-thirds of U.S. employees are victims of a “psychological recession.” What is this condition and why has it become so widespread? Continue reading » »

Developing leaders with strategic vision and successfully implementing strategy are two critical challenges for every chief executive. These goals can best be achieved by aligning corporate strategy, leadership development strategy, and succession/career planning.

Robert Fulmer and I have known and worked with each other for almost 30 years. Bob is a world expert on leadership development and co-author of four important books on how companies can develop better leaders. The most recent, The Leadership Advantage (with Jared Bleak) has just come out. Bob is academic director at Duke Corporate Education.

Not long ago, we had a chance to talk about his latest ideas on making leadership development a source of competitive advantage. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation:

You and I have both been involved in management education for most of our careers. What are the important changes that you see in our field? Continue reading » »

Maggie Mistal is a career coach who hosts Making a Living with Maggie on Martha Stewart Living Radio. When I met Maggie, I was reminded how many of us make wrong turns in our careers. The good news is no matter how far off course you think you are, there are steps you can take to right your career, whether it’s a case of the job not being a good fit, or you being in a career you’re not suited for or you’re no longer interested in. Here are edited excerpts of a recent conversation we had.

Have you found that even extremely successful people may have sometimes taken the wrong road? Continue reading » »

Dov Seidman is the author of How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life) and the chief executive of LRN, a company that helps businesses develop ethical corporate cultures. He and I recently spoke about the ideas in his new book that dispel the so-called tried-and-true notions of finding success in business and outline the new path to achieving sustainable advantage. I agree with Dov’s view that how you do what you do means more today that ever before. Read edited excerpts of our conversation:

MG: You say that how we work and live can be even more important than what we do. What do you mean by “how”? Continue reading » »