Knowledge@ASB: Pushing the Hot Buttons

Accounting may have a staid image, but a new study from the Australian School of Business shows financial figures have a hidden power that charges creativity and engages emotions. Numbers can be seductive, spurring people into taking actions that may spectacularly affect business outcomes. Invoking the power of numbers, however, is about far more than simply setting a large growth target for staff. It’s about engaging people by asking what’s possible – and then listening to their answers.