Every decision a manager makes – whether it’s delegating a task, having a difficult conversation, or guiding a team through uncertainty – shapes people, performance, and progress. Yet decisions are rarely purely rational. They’re influenced by emotions, trust, empathy, and unconscious shortcuts.
Our latest research report, The Empathy Problem: Balancing Emotion in Decision-Making, uncovers the hidden dynamics of how managers really make decisions – and what organizations can do to support better outcomes.
Written by Dr Anna Barnett and Dr Anastasia Voronkova from our Research and Insights team, this free report combines evidence, data, and real-world stories from managers across industries and countries.
Meet our researchers
Dr Anna Barnett
Senior Insights Analyst, Mindtools
As a Chartered Psychologist with a strong background in academic research, Anna specializes in skills measurement and evaluation.
Dr Anastasia Voronkova
PhD Researcher
Ana is a mixed-methods researcher specializing in social and environmental psychology. She has deep knowledge of practical research and advanced analytics.