A Grant, Term Chair, and Tips for Employee-Manager Relations

Professor Gina O’Connor at Faculty Research Day (credit: Paige Brown)
Listen

Babson College faculty members receive a grant and a term chair, discuss how employees and managers can bridge gaps, and are endorsed for their wisdom on innovation. 

Improving Disconnect Between Employees and Managers

Professor Joseph Weintraub, Assistant Professor Kerry Roberts Gibson, and Director of Compensation/Rewards and Client Engagement Kate O’Leary published an article in Harvard Business Review titled “The Little Things That Make Employees Feel Appreciated.” Together, they analyzed disconnect between managers and employees, stating they have observed managers struggle to make employees feel noticed and valued. They recommended frequent and balanced feedback, opportunities for greater challenges, and offering flexibility in work spaces.

Professor Awarded Term Chair in Finance

Professor Mark Potter was awarded the Barefoot Family Term Chair in Finance in recognition of service leadership and teaching excellence. “I am very grateful to the Barefoot family for their support and to the College for appreciating the variety of faculty activities helping to make Babson a special place,” Potter said.

Babson President Emeritus Brian M. Barefoot ’66, H’09, P’01 added, “Pam, our son John (MBA’01), and I are very happy to see the Barefoot Family Term Chair in Finance awarded to Potter in recognition of his service leadership and teaching excellence.”

Bettering the Environment Through Research

Assistant Professor Joanna Carey was awarded an $80,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation that will support two years of collaboration with more than a dozen top-caliber scientists.The grant will allow Carey and other researchers to “create the first data-driven predictive framework of how riverine Si exports will respond to global change.” Carey’s research has previously focused on answering fundamental questions regarding ecosystem processes in the context of rapid global change.

Learning How to Innovate

Written by Professor Gina O’Connor and Entrepreneurship Division Chair Andrew Corbett, Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation Through Peoplewas recognized as one of BizJournals.com’s “12 books to read this year.” Contributing writer Marc Kramer says, “The authors write about and give examples on how you can develop the skill of innovating similar to marketing and accounting. The companies that don’t continue to innovate die.”

Posted in Community, Insights

More from Community »

Latest Stories

Businesswoman practices deep breathing exercise at workplace desk
How Employees Navigate Mental Illness in the Workplace and What Employers Can Do to Help Emily Rosado-Solomon, an assistant professor at Babson, looks at how employees with mental illness handle their symptoms while at work, a topic that is understudied.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
July 17, 2025

Posted in Insights

Amazone Prime van
Prime Day Breaks Records as Shoppers Race Against Tariff Uncertainty Record Prime Day sales were powered by promotions and an atmosphere of economic uncertainty driving an urgency for early purchases, Babson retail expert Lauren Beitelspacher said.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
July 16, 2025

Posted in Insights

Woman leads program in front of class.
Her Pitch? Teaching Entrepreneurship to Middle Schoolers in East Harlem  Inspired by entrepreneurship professor Len Green’s course, Lauren Hammarstedt ’10 brings entrepreneurship education to middle school students in East Harlem, New York.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
July 14, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership