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Ideas Made to Matter

Our top 5 ‘Working Definitions’ of 2023

By

Meredith Somers

Nov 30, 2023

Why It Matters

The year’s most popular terms reflect organizations’ concerns for self-preservation and a continued interest in agile operations.

The Cambridge Dictionary declared “hallucinate” Word of the Year 2023, pop culture enshrined “Barbenheimer” into the American lexicon, and the term “cultural detox” took the top spot for the most popular of our Working Definitions.

The biweekly Instagram series presents words and phrases that define management ideas. The yearly roundup of the most popular definitions tends to reflect business leaders’ interests and concerns. This year’s most-liked term comes from MIT Sloan senior lecturer and describes the process of reversing an organization’s toxic culture.

1. Cultural detox

Cultural detox definition: The intentional downplaying of corporate sustainability goals to avoid public comment and uninformed scrutiny. — See more information

2. Portfolio agility

Portfolio agility definition: An organization’s ability to quickly and effectively shift resources across different parts of the business. — See more information

3. Greenhushing

Greenhushing definition: The intentional downplaying of corporate sustainability goals to avoid public comment and uninformed scrutiny. — See more information

4. Patient capital

Patient capital definition: A financial investment made with no expectation of turning a quick profit. — See more information

5. Culture of heroics

Culture of heroics definition: An organizational norm that forces employees to go above and beyond for customers, because the company lacks sufficient processes and systems for support. — See more information

For more info Meredith Somers News Writer (617) 715-4216 msomers@mit.edu

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