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• Article | Harvard Business Review (website) | September 11, 2019

  Research: Changing Your Mind Makes You Seem Intelligent

  Leslie K. John, Martha Jeong, Francesca Gino and Laura Huang

  Citation:

  John, Leslie K., Martha Jeong, Francesca Gino, and Laura Huang. "Research: Changing Your Mind Makes You Seem Intelligent." Harvard Business Review (website) (September 11, 2019).  View Details

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• Article | Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes | September 2019

  The Self-Presentational Consequences of Upholding One's Stance in Spite of the Evidence

  Leslie John, Martha Jeong, Francesca Gino and Laura Huang

  Five studies explore the self-presentational consequences of refusing to “back down” – that is, upholding a stance despite evidence of its inaccuracy. Using data from an entrepreneurial pitch competition, Study 1 shows that entrepreneurs tend not to back down even though investors are more impressed by entrepreneurs who do. Next, in two sets of experiments, we unpack the psychology underlying why actors refuse to publicly back down and investigate observers’ impressions of those actors. Specifically, we show that observers view people who refuse to back down as confident but unintelligent, and these perceptions drive consequential decisions about such refusers, such as whether to invest in their ideas (Studies 1 & 2) or whether to hire them (Study 3). Although actors can intuit these effects (Study 4), this understanding is not reflected in their behavior because they are concerned with saving face (Study 5).

  Keywords: Self-presentation; belief perseverance; judgment; confidence; persuasion; Personal Characteristics; Behavior; Perception; Decision Making; Outcome or Result;

  Citation:

  John, Leslie, Martha Jeong, Francesca Gino, and Laura Huang. "The Self-Presentational Consequences of Upholding One's Stance in Spite of the Evidence." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 154 (September 2019): 1–14.  View Details

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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | July 2019

  Arlan Hamilton and Backstage Capital

  Laura Huang

  Teaching Note for HBS No. 419-029. Frustrated by an inability to convince existing venture capital firms to invest in companies led by women, people of color, and LGBT founders, Arlan Hamilton started her own firm, Backstage Capital, in 2015. Hamilton understood the untapped potential of companies run by underrepresented founders, a group historically excluded from venture capital funding, and was eager to demonstrate the significant returns on investment in such companies. This case explores Hamilton’s nontraditional VC background and her mission to fund startups where at least one founder of the company identifies as a woman, person of color, or LGBT. Now, three years after its founding, Hamilton is considering launching both an accelerator and a fund that will invest exclusively in Black women.

  Keywords: black leadership; LGBTQ; people of color; Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Venture Capital; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Identity; Personal Characteristics; Prejudice and Bias; Social Issues; Diversity; Gender; Race;

  Citation:

  Huang, Laura. "Arlan Hamilton and Backstage Capital." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 420-010, July 2019.  View Details

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