Before senior executives try to spread best practices, they should use seven techniques to clear out the negative behavior that stands in the way. 

Stanford’s Huggy Rao and Robert Sutton give some compelling arguments for curtailing bad behavior:

1. Nip it in the bud
2. Plumbing before poetry (go for getting rid of the nitty gritty negativity!!)
3. Adequacy before excellence
4. Use the ‘cool kids’ (and adults) to define and squelch bad behavior
5. Kill the thrill
6. Try time shifting: From current to future selves
7. Focus on the best of times, the worst of times, and the end

The article is an overview of their upcoming book: Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More without Settling for Less.  Sounds like a good read…

See on www.mckinsey.com