Advice Giving - Publications - Faculty & Research

June 2014
Technical Note

A Note on Seeking, Receiving, and Giving Advice

By: David A. Garvin and Joshua D. Margolis

This note examines the processes of seeking, receiving, and giving advice by drawing on both academic research and the lessons of skilled practitioners. It begins with a discussion of the potential benefits and costs of advice-seeking and advice-giving. The note then... View Details

Keywords: Advice Taking; Coaching; Decision-making; Leadership; Interpersonal Communication; Personal Development and Career; Management Skills

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01 Dec 2015
News

Giving Advice

(courtesy of Susan Wolf Ditkoff) The philanthropy economy is booming. Last year, America’s charitable giving totaled $358.38 billion, equaling 2.1 percent of GDP—a number last attained in prerecession 2004. With that growth have come a... View Details

January–February 2015
Article

The Art of Giving and Receiving Advice

By: David A. Garvin and Joshua D. Margolis

The article looks at giving and receiving advice as an element of organizational leadership and managerial ability. It suggests that the skills related to these actions, such as self-awareness and diplomacy, are not innate talents but can be learned. It lists problems... View Details

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Video

HBS Alumni Give Advice to Incoming Students

The Art of Giving and Receiving Advice

Seeking and giving advice are central to effective leadership and decision making, and they require emotional intelligence, self-awareness, restraint, diplomacy, and patience on both sides. But managers tend to view these competencies as “gifts” that one either has... View Details

13 Nov 2018
News

How to Give Better Advice

16 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Advice on Advice

advice to others is considered an important mark of a leader. “People have a remarkable degree of overconfidence, and that diminishes the amount of advice they typically seek” Yet business executives aren't... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

21 Oct 2014
News

5 pointers for giving and taking advice

Video

One-Year Reunion: What Advice Would You Give This Year's Graduates?

March 2006
Article

Let Me Give You Some Advice

By: F. Gino

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Article

Seeker Beware: The Interpersonal Costs of Ignoring Advice

By: Hayley Blunden, Jennifer M. Logg, Alison Wood Brooks, Leslie John and Francesca Gino

Prior advice research has focused on why people rely on (or ignore) advice and its impact on judgment accuracy. We expand the consideration of advice-seeking outcomes by investigating the interpersonal consequences of advice seekers’ decisions. Across nine studies, we... View Details

Keywords: Advice; Advice Seeking; Expertise; Impression Management; Wisdom Of Crowds; Interpersonal Communication; Relationships; Behavior; Experience and Expertise; Perception; Judgments; Outcome or Result

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16 Mar 2015
News

Advice on Advice

October 2020
Article

What Goes Down When Advice Goes Up: Younger Advisers Underestimate Their Impact

By: Ting Zhang and Michael S. North

Common wisdom suggests that older is wiser. Consequently, people rarely give advice to older individuals—even when they are relatively more expert—leading to missed learning opportunities. Across six studies (N=3,445), we explore the psychology of advisers when they... View Details

Keywords: Advice; Expertise; Knowledge Sharing; Experience and Expertise; Age; Perception

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2018
Chapter

How the Other Half Thinks: The Psychology of Advising

By: Hayley Blunden and Francesca Gino

This chapter integrates research on advice interactions, motivations for advising, and the psychological consequences of serving in an advisor role to develop a more comprehensive perspective on the psychology of advising. By connecting this work, which spans various... View Details

Keywords: Advice; Advice Giving; Advisor; Self-other; Helping; Interpersonal Communication; Cognition and Thinking; Social Psychology

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September 2021
Case

Tonya Thayer

By: David Fubini

Tonya Thayer, Senior Partner and leader of the Consumer Package Goods practice at Sinclair Consulting, must evaluate Alan Henderson, a Principal (junior) Partner and a key member within CPG, as the six-month update on his progress and development nears. While prior... View Details

Keywords: Advice Giving; Performance Review; Performance Evaluation; Personal Development and Career

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2021
Working Paper

Soliciting Advice Rather Than Feedback Yields More Developmental, Critical, and Actionable Input

By: Hayley Blunden, Jaewon Yoon, Ariella S. Kristal and Ashley V. Whillans

Asking for feedback is a popular way to solicit third-party input at work. However, feedback seeking is only weakly related to performance, and employees often report that the feedback that they receive is unhelpful. Addressing this discrepancy, across six studies... View Details

Keywords: Feedback; Advice; Personal Development; Future Focus; Evaluative Mindset; Performance; Personal Development and Career

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