Tag: WashU at Brookings

Startup founders and angel investors are invited to a free webinar on the kinds of metrics they need to navigate their roles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ron King, the Myron Northrup Professor of Accounting at Olin, will introduce the latest research on metrics and why standard measurements for established companies are very different than those needed for a startup.

METRICS FOR STARTUPS

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017

12 p.m.- 1 p.m. CT

“A startup company is not just a small version of a large company,” says King. “In this webinar, we will provide a framework for thinking about the metrics that startup founders need to manage and the metrics investors need to evaluate startups. It’s important to understand how these metrics relate and which of them may be more valuable in guiding your decision making.”

King has been on both sides of the startup equation as an investor and an entrepreneur and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this webinar. “Founders generally use metrics for their internal decision making: how do they design their marketing, their product, their target market, to scale their business,” King explains.  “On the other hand, an angel generally thinks about valuing companies by using metrics that are more appropriate for established business. So the intersection between an angel’s interest in data and the founder’s interest in data for their internal decision-making are really quite distinct.”

This webinar is targeted to practitioners. King recommends that participants bring their inquisitive nature to the webinar. “All you need to benefit from this webinar I think is the natural curiosity about a very complicated problem. The problem is how do we efficiently an effective go from an idea to a business model that has recurring revenue.“

Register today.

Hungry for the latest trends facing the food business? Don’t miss the Business of Food event taking place Thursday, Oct. 5, 7:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Emerson Auditorium in Knight Hall. It’s part of the St. Louis Leadership Perspectives in partnership with the St. Louis Business Journal and Olin’s Executive Education programs. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Click Here to Register!

Event Details:

“There’s this myth out there that women aren’t as good negotiators as men,” says Hillary Anger Elfenbein. “And I want to try to shatter that myth.”

Elfenbein, The John and Ellen Wallace Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior, shatters that myth on a regular basis in the Olin courses she teaches on negotiation. On October 18, she will share highlights from her research on gender differences in negotiation and how women can confidently approach the process in a free webinar, “Women at the Negotiation Table,” sponsored by Olin’s Executive MBA program.

“There are differences in the way women approach negotiations versus men and there are often differences in outcomes, but these differences can be overcome, especially with a few very simple changes in frame of reference that are easy to accomplish without necessarily changing one’s overall personality,” explains Elfenbein.

Elfenbein also advocates for a broader definition of negotiation. It’s much more than haggling over the price of a new car or a promotion, or a new job’s salary. While those are extremely important negotiations, Elfenbein says it’s helpful to recognize that we are actually negotiating all the time, and can improve our techniques on a daily basis.

“The most accepted scholarly definition of negotiation is that it’s a mutual decision-making process to allocate scarce resources. And if you take that definition seriously enough, we’re negotiating constantly. This definition is as true for who does the dishes and who stays late on the weekends. Who has to come in to the office, what roles are you going to take, how are you dividing labor in your team. All of those things are a negotiation, just as much as the price of a car.”

Register today for “Women at the Negotiation Table” on Oct. 18

Research shows that men and women may end up with similar outcomes in a negotiation, but they often get there in different ways. In very broad generalities, women are more apt to find trade-offs and compatibilities in the process, while men tend to engage in more assertive haggling. Elfenbein says these kinds of stereotypes can create psychological obstacles for women.

“If you survey people after a negotiation, and ask people to self-report their scores, women will, by and large, self-report that they did worse. That feeling matters, because even though you might say, ‘It’s all in your head,’ well, a lot of things are in our heads, and that makes them real, that makes them consequential. If you go through life feeling like you’re not good at something, you’re going to avoid doing it. And if you don’t enter a negotiation, then you’re not going to be able to advocate for your needs.”

In her Olin courses and the upcoming webinar, Elfenbein shares ways for women to shift their frame of reference and attitude when approaching negotiation. It takes practice, but they can be changed and make a difference in how to negotiate with confidence and success.

“The kinds of techniques that you learn in the negotiations workshop are as applicable outside of work as they are at work. I like to think that the tools that we that we teach here are useful and adaptable to negotiations of all types.”

Hillary Anger Elfenbein has been a business school professor at the Olin School of Washington University in St. Louis since 2008. She holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior, a Master’s degree in Statistics, and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Sanskrit, all from Harvard University.

Examples of Dr. Elfenbein’s research on negotiation:

Elfenbein, H. A., Curhan, J. R., Eisenkraft, N., Shirako, A., & Baccaro, L. (2008). Are some negotiators better than others? Individual differences in bargaining outcomes. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1463–1475.

Curhan, J. R., Elfenbein, H. A., & Kilduff, G. J. (2009). Getting off on the right foot: Subjective value versus economic value in predicting longitudinal job outcomes from job offer negotiations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 524-534.

Curhan, J. R., Elfenbein, H. A., & Eisenkraft, N. (2010). The objective value of subjective value: A multi-round negotiation study.  Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40, 690-709.

“The thing about valuing values,” Stuart Bunderson told EQ, “is that ultimately they will help you navigate uncharted waters as a founder or entrepreneur.” The interview with the media platform that covers the St. Louis startup ecosystem previewed this week’s seminar, “The Value of Values for Founders and Entrepreneurs,” scheduled for Sept. 20, 4-6pm, in Emerson Auditorium, Knight Hall. The event is part of Olin’s Bauer Leadership Center Values and Leadership Series, presented in partnership with Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), and Washington University’s Executive MBA program.

Bunderson is co-director of the Bauer Leadership Center and will present a lecture at the seminar followed by a panel discussion. See the schedule below. Bunderson told EQ:

“Strong values will help define how your company responds to pressure, say it if can’t make payroll, or how it treats its customers, or cares for employees. For many early-stage founders, these ideas may seem too far ahead to think about, but the truth is that if values are not clearly articulated and firmly defended from a venture’s earliest days, founders have little chance of creating companies that embody their most deeply-held values.”

Related blog post.

Register today for “The Value of Values for Founders and Entrepreneurs.” There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.

Forum Format
4:00 p.m.The Value of Values for Founders and Entrepreneurs – Lecture by Stuart Bunderson, George & Carol Bauer Professor of Organizational Ethics & Governance and Co-Director of the Bauer Leadership Center

4:30 – 5:15 p.m. Panel Discussion

Panelists:
Joe Edwards, Owner-Developer, Blueberry Hill
Jennifer Labit, Founder and CEO, Cotton Babies, Executive MBA Alumna
Brian Matthews, Co-Founder and General Partner, Cultivation Capital
Aaron Perlut, Partner, Elasticity
Andrea Simon, Ph.D., Corporate Anthropologist, President, Simon Associates Management Consultants

Moderated by:
Cliff Holekamp, Olin Business School, Academic Director of Entrepreneurship

FOCUS St. Louis^® is pleased to announce the 34 young professionals selected for the Fall 2017 class of Emerging Leaders, including Angie Bauman, Director of Admissions Operations for Olin’s Executive MBA program.

The Emerging Leaders program offers a select group of St. Louis’ young and talented the opportunity to receive training to strengthen their leadership and management skills. This competitive program provides participants (ages 22-35) with an increased sense of engagement in the region, as well as the tools to take an active role as the next generation of St. Louis regional leaders.

Angela Bauman, Director of Admissions Operations, Executive MBA, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School

Over the course of the three-month program, Emerging Leaders gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the St. Louis community, an opportunity to develop their personal, professional and civic leadership skills, a chance for personal growth and self-assessment and a diverse network of peers.

FOCUS St. Louis® is the region’s premier leadership organization. FOCUS prepares a diverse base of leaders to work cooperatively for a thriving St. Louis region through our experience-based leadership training, civic issue education and public engagement initiatives.

More than 10,000 people each year connect with FOCUS through our eight leadership programs, numerous civic engagement initiatives and active alumni network. There are multiple entry points into the organization offering varying degrees of opportunity to widen your sphere of influence, engage in authentic relationships with other leaders, learn about critical regional issues, and ultimately impact the quality of life in our region.

Fall 2017 Emerging Leaders Class

Paul Aten, Career Engineer, Ameren Missouri

Angela Bauman, Director of Admissions Operations, Executive MBA, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School

Heather Benz, Environmental Scientist, AECOM

Andrea Billadeau, Global Regulatory Strategy & Operations Communications Specialist, Monsanto

Evita Caldwell, Freelancer

Lauren Campbell, Recruitment Manager, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri

Rebecca Corson, Associate Attorney, Hamilton Weber LLC

Jennifer DeRose, Green Dining Alliance Program Manager, St. Louis Earth Day

Alex Elmestad, Director of Learning & Engagement, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Meredith Frey, Marketing & Brand Manager, Arcturis

Nadia Ghasedi, Associate University Librarian, Washington University in St. Louis

Ally Gramlich, Senior Digital Marketing Coordinator, Anders CPAs + Advisors

Galicia Guerrero, Manager, Community Relations, Youth Learning Center & The Biome School

Glennetta Haymon, Operations/Anti-Money Laundering Analyst, Citi

Troy Heumphreus, Senior Specialist – Key Account Support, MasterCard

Jermya Jackson, Operations Coordinator, SSM St. Louis University Hospital

Cami Kasmerchak, Beyond Jobs Operation Manager, Mission: St. Louis

John Kilper, Attorney, Hamilton Weber LLC

Amela Kuckovic, Assistant Project Manager, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership

Rebecca McBride, Membership & Annual Fund Manager, Missouri Historical Society

Sarah McCallion, Senior Account Executive, FleishmanHillard

Kei-Shae McCrary, Retention Specialist, Southeast Missouri State University

Diona Mills, Audit Team Leader, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Andrew Mitchell, Officer/AttorneyGreensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.

Aryka Moore, Attorney, Weathers Law

Ashley Morris, Trainer, Cognizant

Emma Morrow, Teen Outreach Program, SpecialistWyman Center

Katy Peace, Marketing & Digital Media, ManagerForest Park Forever

Justin Peters, Marketing Executive, J.W. Terrill, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company

Elise Puma, Associate, Thompson Coburn LLP

Brian Randazzo, Business Development Leader, Arcturis

Ellen Tisdale Brazelton, Project Specialist, MilliporeSigma

Tobias Wall, WriterGorilla 76, LLC

Justin M. Wilson, Assistant Director of Admission, Fontbonne University

Source: Focus St. Louis news release.

In the September-October issue of the Harvard Business Review (HBR), Olin researchers identify four principles for designing executive compensation packages that encourage managers to deliver real, sustainable value. The recommendations for refining incentive-based plans stem from ground-breaking research that employed innovative data collection and advanced statistical techniques that revealed flaws and unintended consequences inherent in many pay-for-performance compensation plans.

The research was published in the Journal of Financial Economics earlier this year and received the Olin Award for research with the most potential to impact business in 2015.

Olin authors of the HBR article, “Comp Targets That Work,” include: Radhakrishnan Gopalan, Associate Professor of Finance; John Horn, Senior Lecturer in Economics; and Todd Milbourn,Vice Dean and the Hubert C. & Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance.

Harvard Business Review, September-October 2017, Volume 95, Number 5, pp. 102 – 107.

Journal of Financial Economics, 2017, vol. 124, issue 2, 307-330

Check out the Olin research on HBR.