Employee Motivation - Publications - Faculty & Research

31 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: Jan. 31

PublicationsHow Leaders Kill Meaning at Work Authors:Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer Publication:The McKinsey Quarterly, no. 1 (January 2012) Abstract Senior executives routinely undermine creativity, productivity, and commitment by damaging the inner work lives of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne & Carmen Nobel

01 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness

Decision-Making in Your Organization What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated According to a recent Gallup survey, less... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Susan Seligson

01 Sep 2021
What Do You Think?

Can We Train for Trust?

with your employees and create processes and standards internally to ensure your products or services are up to standard.” Their model for doing this consists of four elements: Competence: Is the organization good enough at what it does... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

02 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

When Goal Setting Goes Bad

Presented with a goal to build a car "under 2,000 pounds and under $2,000" by 1970, employees overlooked safety testing and designed a car where the gas tank was vulnerable to explosion from rear-end collisions. Fifty-three people died as... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

should your employees be to helping each other? Are they sharing responsibility for your company's success? (7) What strategic uncertainties keep you awake at night? How are you riveting everyone's attention on those uncertainties? These... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

When Good Incentives Lead to Bad Decisions

Among the culprits contributing to the recent financial crisis were bank loan officers who approved mortgage loans that were doomed to fail. Many of these frontline workers were motivated by bonuses and other incentives to approve... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking

November 2011 (Revised June 2013)
Case

Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics

Robert Venter, second-generation Chief Executive (CE) of family-owned Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd (Altron), considered the pros and cons of more clearly linking the firm's compensation system to sustainability performance. In June 2011, Altron, a conglomerate... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Environmental Sustainability

Citation

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02 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

Why We Still Need Twitter: How Social Media Holds Companies Accountable

in monitoring companies. There could be severe negative consequences if Twitter were to cease operations.” Two days later, Chipotle said it would raise employee pay by about $2 per hour, with starting wages ranging from $11 to $18, to... View Details

Keywords: by Kasandra Brabaw; Technology

05 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Managers Should Reveal Their Failures

facing obstacles, so hearing about the successful manager’s missteps can not only decrease internal competition among colleagues, but motivate other employees to strive for success themselves. Also, in group... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

31 Oct 2018
What Do You Think?

What is the Function of Fear in Leadership?

culture, won’t even scratch the surface of the performance problem.” As Jerry put it, “My experience with fear based management was that employees were reluctant to innovate because there was a risk that if anything went awry they would... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

A Penny for Your Thoughts? For Big-Picture Ideas, the Right Pay Structure Matters

“They wanted both, but by structuring the standard task contract in a certain way, they are less likely to observe employee-initiated innovation.” Aligning incentives with expectations So, can companies motivate View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

27 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

These Management Practices, Like Certain Technologies, Boost Company Performance

the shop floor. The second concerned the ways in which firms used that data in meetings and how they set targets, from upper management to frontline workers. The third had to do with human resources, looking at how workers were hired, trained, and View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

14 Aug 2006
HBS Case

On Managing with Bobby Knight and “Coach K”

explore their own fundamental assumptions about leadership and human nature. Are people basically lazy or energetic? What motivates people to do their best? What is the most effective style of leading? Is it better to be loved or feared?... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports

25 Jan 2021
Book

In a Nutshell, Why American Capitalism Succeeded

How did the United States become the world’s center of business growth following its founding in 1776? Surely a number of nations had powerful natural resources, stable financial and legal institutions, and dynamic entrepreneurs over that same span. Why was American... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing

27 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?

what motivates others and appeal effectively to it, is most important in the United States and Europe at this point in time. It will become more important in Asia as living standards improve, knowledge workers become more important,... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

Web

HBS - The year in Review

student leadership ( Student Sustainability Associates Program ), employee engagement ( Green Office Program and HBS Green Team volunteer staff), and Executive Education outreach , the entire community is engaged in this effort, all of... View Details

06 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

Skills and Behaviors that Make Entrepreneurs Successful

execute a business vision and strategy. Comfort with Uncertainty. Measures skills and behaviors associated with being able to move a business agenda forward in the face of uncertain and ambiguous circumstances. Assembling and Motivating a... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Working Knowledge

Web

Topics - HBS Working Knowledge

Stagnation (12) Economic Systems (14) Economics (393) Economy (16) Education (118) Emerging Markets (14) Emotions (21) Employee Ownership (1) Employee Relationship Management (61) View Details

Profile

Thomaz Galvao

Putting his ideals into action, Thomaz became the co-founder, in 2016, of the McKinsey Black Network in Brazil, an organization that grew from two consultants to sixteen in the two years he worked with the firm. After working at McKinsey, and View Details

15 Feb 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Embracing Commitment and Performance: CEOs and Practices Used to Manage Paradox

Keywords: by Tobias Fredberg, Michael Beer, Russell Eisenstat, Nathaniel Foote & Flemming Norrgren

Publications