New business research explains how powerful are blind to
risk
Not every company has an Iron Man, but many have a Tony
Stark – a highly powerful, intensely-focused individual who often ignores risk
in order to achieve his or her goals.
That’s usually a good thing – as long as companies make sure
to also hire a Pepper Potts to keep their powerful leaders grounded, according
to new research co-authored by a BYU business professor.
“Organizations need to anticipate the tendency of their most
powerful members to leap without looking,” said study co-author Katie
Liljenquist, a professor of organizational leadership at BYU's Marriott School
of Management. “The remedy is to surround them with people who can see other
angles, or can play a devil’s advocate role to point out risk. Interestingly,
it is the low-power members of the organization who are best equipped to do
this.”