AI tools can have unanticipated consequences for managers
When a Los Angeles law firm began adopting new artificial intelligence tools to automate contract reviews, it looked like junior lawyers and paralegals might be out of a job. Yet, even as these tools conducted increasingly complex tasks, the firm’s workforce didn’t suffer. However, this shift to AI taking on some tasks previously performed by humans forced the firm to reconfigure its organizational structure.
Glossy work permeates cultural industries, but exists in other sectors too
When Lisa Cohen moved to New York City in 1984 to work for Vanity Fair magazine, it seemed like a dream job. But the reality didn’t stack up to her expectations. Though the work was sometimes interesting, Cohen found the detailed fact-checks that she was assigned tedious. Still, she stayed in the magazine industry for five years before pursuing a business degree. That’s Cohen’s personal experience with ‘glossy work’.
Employees duties may differ from those in job postings
The job that you think you are applying for can be pretty different from the work that you actually do. It’s crucial to know why this happens, says Associate Professor Lisa Cohen. Sometimes hiring managers do not know precisely what their organization will need in the months and years to come. In other cases, the organization’s needs are evolving, and it needs to adapt to changing circumstances.
Delve: Why the Job You Apply For May Not Be the Job You Get
When most people apply for jobs, they expect the job description to match the job that will be filled. But between the interview and the actual hiring, job duties sometimes evolve. At a time when many people are making career changes and employers are facing uncertainties and struggling to find employees, understanding why jobs change is crucial.
Inaccurate job descriptions can have unanticipated effects
A job description can be pretty different from the job itself. Sometimes this can be because the hiring organization’s needs are evolving, and they are responding to these changes, write Professor Lisa Cohen and PhD candidate Sara Mahabadi in The Conversation.
McGill team wins honourable mention at EDI case writing competition
Congratulations to 2023 BCom Jaslie Denault and MBAs Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez, David Iacono and Kriti Pradhan, in collaboration with Faculty Lecturer Tatiana Gauvin, for their honourable me
In conversation with Lisa Cohen, Director of EDI
The Faculty's first ever Director of EDI, Lisa Cohen, joined the McGill Reporter to reflect on the past year and a half of her mandate. She discusses the progress that has been made so far, but admits there is still a long way to go. A major step towards that is the Faculty's new EDI Strategic Plan, which launched earlier this year.
Rethinking the five-day work week
Employers across the globe are shifting to a four-day work week to boost productivity and morale. According to Professor Lisa Cohen, a longer weekend doesn’t just create wider margins for rest and recovery—it also allows ideas to percolate off the clock, fostering a climate of creativity. Professor Cohen recommends that whenever possible, managers adopt a hybrid model to maximize flexibility for their employees.
Celebrating excellence in teaching at Desautels
Across programs and subject areas, the Desautels Faculty of Management recognizes the vital role that teaching plays in enriching the student experience and in inspiring the next generation of leaders.
The Distinguished Teaching Award recipients Jiro Kondo and Lisa Cohen were honoured at McGill’s 2021 Management Convocation ceremony for their excellence in teaching.
Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2021 teaching awards!
Delve - "New Normal" podcast: Working from Home, Living at Work with Lisa Cohen
In episode 2 of The ‘New Normal’ hosted by Dave Kaufman, Professor Lisa Cohen discusses how the shift to working from home that has been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic, how the work from home phenomenon has been more disadvantageous to some members of society than others, and ways in which working at home has given us all more time to think about how to mak
Expectation vs reality in the workplace
Romanticizing a career can lead to disillusionment, Professor Lisa Cohen concludes in her recently published study. The employees she interviewed for the study had at least one thing in common: their job was ‘glossy’ and glamorous on the outside, but boring and frustrating behind the scenes.
How to avoid ‘glossy work’
Professor Lisa Cohen once coined the term ‘glossy work’ to describe the mismatch between an employee’s job title and their day-to-day responsibilities. By asking informed questions in job interviews and connecting with people who hold the same job they desire, candidates can avoid the glossy work trap and enjoy higher levels of career satisfaction.
A disconnect between job title and actual duties leads to “glossy work”
Professor Lisa Cohen once coined the popular term “glossy work” to describe a mismatch between an employee’s job title and day-to-day responsibilities. In “How to Recognize and Avoid the Toxic Glamour of Glossy Work,” she highlights the disappointment that can result when a job fails to live up to employee expectations. In her experience, honesty and constant communication are key to correcting the mismatch.
Delve: How to Recognize and Avoid the Toxic Glamour of Glossy Work
A new study by Lisa Cohen, an associate professor of organizational behaviour at McGill University, and Sandy Spataro, a professor of management at Northern Kentucky University, explores how people cope with complex and conflicting perceptions of their job, and what HR managers can do to keep good people in a difficult role.
Pandemic changes risk calculation for would-be entrepreneurs
The high-risk, high-reward gamble of startup life has lost some of its gleam during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Professor Lisa Cohen.
Startup founders are working harder than ever to recruit top talent for their companies as the environment of economic uncertainty pushes potential recruits toward more stable, predictable career options.
