Publications

September 2001 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Deaconess-Glover Hospital (C)

For nearly three months, John Carter, a vascular surgeon by training, had been studying a variety of clinical processes at Deaconess-Glover Hospital in Needham, Mass. Carter was looking for an opportunity to test the applicability of Toyota Production System... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Health Care and Treatment; Business Processes; Health Industry

April 2001
Case

Technology Legend in China, A

Describes the sources of Legend's surge to dominance of the Chinese computer market and the subsequent split of distribution and manufacturing into Digital China and Legend Computing. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Production; Distribution; Competitive Strategy; Computer Industry; China

May 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Sothebys.com

Sotheby's has taken 50% of its business by volume to the Internet. How do the economics change? How do logistics and customer support needs change? What leverage does the Internet provide this established bricks-and-mortar auction house? View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Internet and the Web; Auctions

01 Dec 1996
News

Organizations and Markets: A Challenging View of the World

organizational problems in large firms. Soon their interest in managerial issues outweighed their interest in economics, and they found themselves with a new course. Today, a much changed course with more... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

January 2023
Case

Thomas Buberl: Refounding AXA

By: Hubert Joly, Mihir Desai and Amram Migdal

In 2022, AXA and its CEO Thomas Buberl faced new types of challenges, including systemic risks such as climate change, geopolitical instability, public health crises, and social tensions caused by economic risks. AXA was one of the world’s largest insurers. Since... View Details

September 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America: The Quest for a Model Workplace

By: Lynn S. Paine and Dale Coxe

This case details the sexual harassment case brought against Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America by nearly 300 female employees in April 1996. The recommendations developed for the company by former U.S. Labor Secretary Lynn Marten are presented. In response to... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Behavior; Attitudes; Problems and Challenges; Working Conditions; Crime and Corruption; Auto Industry; United States

May 2022
Teaching Note

Volkswagen and Suzuki: A Match Made in Heaven (A)? and An Alliance Breaks Down (B1, B2)

By: Ranjay Gulati and Bradley Turner

Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 420-037, 420-038, and 420-039. View Details

Keywords: Alliances; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizations; Emerging Markets; Auto Industry

September 1983 (Revised October 1984)
Case

Syntex Laboratories (A)

A consulting project involving a mathematical model of the sales force indicates that Syntex Labs should nearly double the size of their sales force and drastically alter their allocation of sales effort to the product line and physician specialties. The questions are... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Salesforce Management; Pharmaceutical Industry

22 Jun 2010
First Look

First Look: June 22

Chapman Wood, George Westerman, and Charles A. O'Reilly III Publication:Industrial and Corporate Change (forthcoming) Abstract This article empirically explores the relations between alternative View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

30 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Germany’s Pioneering Corporate Managers

or cult of the CEO was "Made in America." But the main point is that we tend to forget that American firms pioneered a vast, bureaucratic, middle management apparatus. As a trick, I've posted General Motor's organizational chart... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 2001 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Range, The (A)

By: Kathleen L. McGinn, Tracy Thompson and Michael Smith

Reveals the potential benefits and pitfalls of reorganization into teams in order to respond to environmental change. Takes place in the newsroom of a metropolitan daily newspaper. Both management and employees struggle to find new balance after a major restructuring... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Groups and Teams; Restructuring; Balance and Stability; Organizational Structure; Business Processes; Journalism and News Industry

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Web

2022 Symposium - Race, Gender & Equity

where she teaches in the Management & Business and International Affairs Programs. Her past research has focused on workplace resistance, technological change and diversity management. She is currently working in the areas of View Details

22 Feb 2010
Research & Ideas

Manager Visibility No Guarantee of Fixing Problems

supported what Tucker and Singer had already hypothesized. For example, when the hospital took action on a higher percentage of problems, it had a positive effect on organizational climate. The researchers also confirmed their belief that... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

Portrait Project

Dionne Hosten

There's so much new territory to cover and I can't wait to get there - motherhood and the tightrope walk it will require, my relationship with David as we grow and change and as we add parenting to our repertoire, new jobs to be taken,... View Details

Student-Profile

Anil Doshi

change decision-making given the propagation of customer and market data? How do individuals value their personal information and their privacy? What business models are best for the provision of information goods? Ultimately, I decided... View Details

Article

Fighting Bias on the Front Lines

By: Alexandra C. Feldberg and Tami Kim

Most companies aim for exceptional customer service, but too few are attentive to the subtle discrimination by frontline employees that can alienate customers, lead to lawsuits, or even cause lasting brand damage by going viral.
This article presents research... View Details

Keywords: Customer Service; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Delivery; Diversity; Prejudice and Bias; Organizational Change and Adaptation

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Read Now

July 2002 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Avon.com (A)

Avon has always sold its products through a large independent direct-selling organization. However, it is now considering whether it should sell directly to the consumer. The company's independent representatives number 500,000 in the United States alone. Yet, there... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Marketing Strategy; Internet and the Web; Salesforce Management; Marketing Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

October 2000 (Revised October 2001)
Case

adM@rt(A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Carin-Isabel Knoop and David Lane

Describes the complex policy alternatives facing an online Hong Kong grocery company as it tries to apply Webvan-type concepts in the Hong Kong marketplace. Captures the extraordinary process of adaptation the company is going through as it tries to find the right... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Markets; Marketing; Business Strategy; Business Model; Decisions; Problems and Challenges; Retail Industry; Web Services Industry; Hong Kong