The Current Disruption in the Credit Markets and its Impact on Private Equity. April 24, 11:00 CDT. 

Professor El-Hage will discuss the current credit crunch, its origins, and its impact on the capital markets in general and private equity in particular.  Professor El-Hage is uniquely positioned to discuss the public and private capital markets, as he has followed the private equity industry for over 20 years and also serves as chairman of a mutual fund complex.

Best Days and Worst Days at Work: How They Matter for Organizational Performance. May 1, 11:00 CDT. 

Does it matter whether people have a good day or a bad day at work?  HBS research discovered that it matters a great deal.  Over three calendar years, Professor Amabile and her colleagues collected nearly 12,000 daily work diaries from 238 professionals on 26 creative project teams in seven companies in three industries.  Findings showed that people's "inner work life"--their hidden emotions, motivations, and perceptions of the organization, its leaders, the work, their coworkers, and themselves--was dramatically affected by the events unfolding around them at work.  Inner work life not only influenced these individuals, but it also influenced their performance--creativity, productivity, commitment to the work, and collegiality.  Professor Amabile will address which work events are particularly important in making for "best" and "worst" days, as well as implications for managers, individuals, and organizations. 

Centennial Lunches are Members Only events.  Please call the club office for dial-in information and join us for these stimulating discussions.