Raise your hand if you’ve worked with a complete jerk who keeps getting promoted!  Yesterday NBC Nightly News ran a piece on The Cost of Kindness about how people who behave badly at work get further ahead than nicer co-workers.  They cited a new study by the University of Notre Dame that offers insights into the differences between how men and women are treated in the workplace.  The research confirmed many gender-based stereotypes people in talent and performance management already know.  But the conclusion getting all the attention is the one that implies the guys and gals being paid more are the same ones who act like jerks.

Last week there was a similar article from Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, pointing to a study on work-based predictors of mortality.  The newsworthy conclusion being drawn there was linking stress (which, as we all know, gets you to death’s door faster) with the perceived niceness of co-workers.  In short, the jerks you have to work with every day are killing you.

My mother always told me “you attract more flies with honey” and even if I hadn’t found that to be true, I don’t enjoy being mean and it rarely ever gets me what I want.  So being a jerk has never been a priority – in life or at work.  But all this workplace research makes me ask, how much does getting along with your co-workers really matter?  Is pay-for-performance about the work you do, what sex you are, or how you behave?

Today SFSF started trading as the first company to be listed on these three stock exchanges simultaneously – the NYSE, Euronext Paris and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.  This makes us the first company in the world to trade natively on New York, Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges – and we’re still getting used to the fact that SFSF now trades 21 hours a day!  This is another big day for SuccessFactors becoming even more visible to international investors, and it reinforces how our customers around the world have contributed to our growth.  Given the strong ties Lars and the company continue to have with Europe, it was only fitting for today’s bell ringing to take place in Frankfurt.  The SFSF stock star is on the rise – buy low, sell high!

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Today was a big day in the history books here at SuccessFactors! We celebrated our first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Euronext Paris. Our Founder and CEO, Lars Dalgaard, rang the NYSE Opening Bell with other executives and customers while Peter Prestele, GM of SuccessFactors EMEA, rang the Euronext Paris Opening Bell – both on July 19th. Doug Dennerline, President of SuccessFactors, and other employees shared their excitement as we officially moved from the NASDAQ to the NYSE, Euronext Paris and Frankfurt Stock Exchange as part of our commitment to global growth and our customers in Europe. Cameras were on in New York and Paris today and we’d like to share with you (check out the gallery below). The photos say it all, don’t you think?

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By Adrienne Whitten, Director of Product Marketing, SuccessFactors

I’m tired of hearing that the technologies I have been relying on for years are practically dead. Studies show that that teenagers are using email less, but has anyone really thought about why? Because their primary use of email was to communicate short, immediate messages to their friends. I don’t think anyone would argue that email is the best medium for this type of communication. Instant Message, Texting, Tweeting or even a Facebook message are more efficient and effective. Let’s face it – unlike those of us with full time jobs, kids aren’t sitting in front of a computer most of the day, tracking their email messages.

But, just wait until they get into the working world, where they have to send around spreadsheets of data or collaborate on presentations and documents. We all know folks who use email as a document storage and retrieval system – much to the chagrin of the IT folks, who send those friendly threats about full Inboxes. ?

But, why does it matter? It matters because…

“They [teens] pick the method that works best for them at the moment, and teens are just more likely than older adults to choose a wider variety of tools to use, and that’s what’s really different.” – Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist with the Pew Internet Project

I agree with Amanda that teens are most likely to, and more adept at, adopting new technologies and fitting them comfortably into their routines. But, we all want to use the best tool for the job at hand. Given the fast pace and competitive nature of business today, everyone needs to be using the most efficient and effective method for communication and collaboration.

SuccessFactors acquired CubeTree last year, knowing that it would have an immediate and significant impact on how companies bridge the gap between creating and executing a successful strategy. We use it heavily internally to collaborate on documents, broadcast questions and surveys and just keep up with each others’ projects. But, email isn’t going away. Like those teenagers, we all use it because it’s the best tool for the job at hand.

Which brings me to our latest release, which goes live on March 18, 2011. We’ve built both an email gateway and a SharePoint connector to CubeTree because we know that it’s more effective to connect the various communication and collaboration tools than to try to convince anyone to change how they work. I can scan my CubeTree feed from my email and send off a response or a question just by replying to a thread. No need to toggle to a different window. I can also drop a note on my CubeTree wall knowing the right folks will see it, whether it’s in their email, on their smart phone or their desktop. It’s extremely efficient, and I don’t have to give up my email habit. I also love that the SuccessFactors SharePoint connector gives me access to documents stored on SharePoint, both in CubeTree and on my BlackBerry, and I can even add comments or start a discussion, which I couldn’t do before. It’s turned our SharePoint library from static to dynamic – overnight.

So, let’s tone down the hype about dying technologies and let them live to do what they were designed for and do best. But, let’s act like teenagers, and embrace the new tools, when they are the best tools for the job at hand! This is where true business execution begins. You can check out our CubeTree social collaboration tool free here.

To help with Japan’s earthquake response and recovery, you can donate here:

• Network for Good
• Mercy Corps (through Peace Winds Japan)
• Medical Teams
• Médecins Sans Frontières
• World Vision

Authorities fear that the powerful 8.9 earthquake and subsequent massive tsunami that struck Japan on Thursday, March 9th have left more than 10,000 people dead, many thousands homeless and millions without water, power, heat or transportation.  The magnitude 8.9 quake is Japan’s worst-ever quake on record and the fifth-largest in the world since 1900.  Latest news reports the Japanese government has declared a state of emergency at two nuclear power plants.  Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate due to fears of radioactive releases and continued strong aftershocks.

We here at SuccessFactors send out our hearts, thoughts and support to our customers, partners, employees and their families and all the victims who are affected and responding to the disaster.  SuccessFactors is announcing a 1:1 matching fund for SuccessFactors employees to double the impact of our financial contribution.  As we continue to monitor recovery efforts over the next few weeks, we will distribute the matching funds to an organization dedicated to high impact, direct relief at the local level.  We will send updates on our response and the recipient organization as details become available.

For further questions, please contact japanhelp@successfactors.com.

I’m a bit of a data snob. Sure, sheer volume and quality is impressive. But data is most meaningful when it is centralized and useful; when it can be leveraged to support and enable business goals.  To me, this is the holy grail of organizational data: the ability to bring together disjointed data assets to reveal decision enabling insights.

An important step in this journey is integrating disjointed data assets. However, data integration alone is not sufficient. Data needs to be coupled to the context of the business. This can be achieved through a conceptual data model.  A conceptual data model will align and contextualize the relationship between an entity (person, place or thing) and the individual data elements that exist across multiple systems in a meaningful way.

In the context of human capital data, value can be derived from understanding an employee’s employment behaviours, organizational dealings and employment characteristics in the course of their lifecycle with an organization, from talent acquisition to separation. Add the ability to aggregate workforce data and you can uncover significant trends and use the information to find insights:  Do we have a pay for performance culture? Does engagement impact productivity? What recruitment sources produce the best performers?

In order to turn data into business insights, you must begin to treat your human capital data as a corporate asset to be valued and managed as with any other investment.