Who's your new guru?

In the latest round of guru rankings by the Wall Street Journal, psychologists and CEOs are gaining ground in influencing corporate trends.

This year Gary Hamel tops the list. Two other journalist-writers share the Top 5 spots with him, including Thomas Friedman and Malcolm Gladwell. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates made the list and professor of education from Harvard - Howard Gardner - was also cited. Gardner is known for his work on the theory of "multiple intelligences".



Traditional gurus, such as Michael Porter and Tom Peters fared lower in the listing this year. Instead writers on topics such as "emotional intelligence", decision making and marketing championed the ranking.

The results were collected based on Google search hits, media mentions and academic citations. Gary Hamel rose to the top spot from #7 in the 2003 ranking. Hamel is known for his latest book "The Future of Management", reviewed in our November 2007 newsletter.

What does that mean for HR?

Today the most pressing themes include globalization, motivation and innovation. Traditional business gurus writing in "weighty tones" are in decline

It's an indication of how HR messages should be communicated to the organization. Make them easy to understand and make sure they are relevant to the global external context.