Meaningful Work - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Dec 2016
First Look

December 20, 2016

development, (2) the meaningfulness of the work to those carrying it out, (3) affect, and (4) synergistic extrinsic motivation. Throughout, we propose ways in which the components underlying individual and... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

27 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 27

set of insights regarding how networks of interorganizational relationships shape the behaviors and outcomes of corporate actors. This research has provided compelling evidence that the concrete patterns of relationships in which organizations are embedded carry View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 May 2016
Research & Ideas

How Consumers and Businesses are Reshaping Public Health

disaster that killed over 1,000 factory workers in Bangladesh in 2013 highlighted to Western consumers the challenging conditions faced by the workers who made their clothes. Consumer pressure on Western retailers worked its way back up... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Health

16 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Transitions of Power Are Difficult. What Joe Biden and Other Incoming Leaders Need to Know.

keep their eyes on the work to be done. Silverthorne: For new CEOs, what should their initial steps be in assuming power and laying out an agenda for action? Kanter: New CEOs need to be adequately informed. One thing that makes... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

24 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Busting Six Myths About Customer Loyalty Programs

surprising that many retailers have adopted loyalty programs as a convenient mechanism of meaningful differentiation. Ultimately, loyalty programs should offer incentives for shoppers to reduce their store switching by offering them... View Details

Keywords: by Marcel Corstjens & Rajiv Lal; Retail; Consumer Products

27 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

IBM Finds Profit in Diversity

task forces' progress at various junctures to IBM's Worldwide Management Council. Gerstner and Childs followed up with the task force sponsors to ensure that the groups were gathering meaningful information and connecting it to the... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Thomas

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Brand Power from Wedgwood to Dell: Part One

six visionary entrepreneurs through more than 250 years of history. All six built strong, meaningful brands and launched companies, often literally from scratch, which have endured to this day. The six include Josiah Wedgwood, the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

08 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

Handgun Waiting Periods Prevent Hundreds of Homicides Each Year

the weapon, if the only intention for making the purchase was to do harm within a certain period of time. “The most plausible explanation as to why waiting periods work is this: People have visceral states, such as anger or suicidal... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

02 Mar 2017
What Do You Think?

Is China About to Overtake the US for World Trade Leadership?

cannot be a credible champion for world trade. “Xi Jinping’s words are more of a PR stunt,” he wrote. Wildebeest added, “[A]ttempting to do meaningful work in China is basically a hassle from day one, top to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 6, 2008

Working PapersHighbrow Films Gather Dust: A Study of Dynamic Inconsistency and Online DVD Rentals Authors:Katherine L. Milkman, Todd Rogers, and Max H. Bazerman Abstract We report on a field study demonstrating systematic differences... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Jan 2021
Book

How Thinking Like a Startup Helps Governments Solve More Problems

with old ideas and patient with new ideas. That’s true. When we start trying a new program or service, it’s not going to roll out perfectly. We do have to give it a meaningful chance. And if it works after... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

05 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 5, 2017

much thinking on the importance of regions and the policies that should be designed towards them. But there is comparatively little work on what regional governments’ role should be in implementing these policies relative to that of other... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Aug 2017
Research & Ideas

Should Industry Competitors Cooperate More to Solve World Problems?

Source: Cecilie_Arcurs George Serafeim has a startling suggestion to fix the world’s biggest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) problems such as water pollution, deforestation, and wealth inequality: encourage companies within industries to do less competing... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Manufacturing; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Mining

08 Mar 2004
Research & Ideas

Secret to Success: Go for “Just Enough”

target of success in their new book Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Your Work and Life (Wiley, 2004). After conducting hundreds of interviews with high achievers, they developed a framework for thinking about integrating four... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Nash & Howard Stevenson

16 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 16

growth requires. This article explores six common mistakes that executives make in this arena: 1) Failing to provide the right kind of oversight. The CEO should spend meaningful time with the team and with potential customers; 2) Not... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

23 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Forgiving Medical Debt Won't Make Everyone Happier

patients finds the reality is much more complicated when it comes to languishing hospital bills. Canceling overdue medical debt on average does little or nothing to improve credit access, existing bill payment rates, or even mental health, researchers write in a new... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Health

19 May 2003
Lessons from the Classroom

Business Plan Winner Targets India Dropouts

e-mail interview, HBS Working Knowledge talked with team member Raj De Datta to hear more about the plan and next steps for Gyaana.Tishler: What inspired you to develop Gyaana? De Datta: The genesis of Gyaana came from two observations:... View Details

Keywords: by Carla Tishler; Financial Services

23 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

How to Break the Expert’s Curse

challenges, and meaningful interactions with colleagues. Two months after the internships ended, the participants received a follow-up questionnaire about their summer experiences. Half of them also received copies of their summer... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

16 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Confronting the Reality of Web Services

communication exchanges, are not going to happen unless managers better integrate common standards. McAfee studied IBM's B2B midrange ordering system and interviewed key players to find out what worked and what didn't. Using his case... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant

08 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Four Questions Fundraisers Must be Prepared to Answer

Ballet, Mount Auburn Hospital, National Public Radio, and The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, and is a stalwart supporter of his alma maters (Stanford and Harvard). Over the years, working in conjunction with colleagues, Stevenson’s... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

Publications