Vuori & Huy (2016), Administrative Science Quarterly

Distributed Attention and Shared Emotions in the Innovation Process

At Nokia, fearful middle managers shared less bad news upward while top managers did not fully reveal how serious the outside threat was; leaders grew overly optimistic and the smartphone effort suffered.

Parts of the Loop it informs

Surface both waysSupports The middle's own weatherSupports

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Questions this study helps answer

What the research saysWhy doesn't bad news reach senior leaders?What the research saysWhy do changes stall after launch?What the research saysHow can leaders tell a change is stuck before the numbers show it?

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