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- All HBS Web (382)
- Faculty Publications (182)
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- All HBS Web (382)
- Faculty Publications (182)
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- August 1982 (Revised January 1988)
- Case
Assuming Control at Altex Aviation (A)
Two young and inexperienced MBAs buy a virtually bankrupt company. They design a decentralized control system organized around profit centers. View Details
Churchill, Neil C., and Kenneth A. Merchant. "Assuming Control at Altex Aviation (A)." Harvard Business School Case 183-058, August 1982. (Revised January 1988.)
- 17 Jun 2008
- First Look
First Look: June 17, 2008
Nanda Abstract Using loan-level data from Mexico, we study the relationship between the organizational structure of banks and the terms of lending to small businesses. We find that banks with decentralized lending structures—where branch... View Details
Keywords: Martha Lagace
- January 1980
- Case
Technotronics, Inc.
Describes the problems of resolving differences between two departments in a decentralized company. Based on Voltamp Electric Co. by T.C. Raymond. View Details
Schlesinger, Leonard A. "Technotronics, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 480-054, January 1980.
- 01 Nov 2010
- Research & Ideas
How IT Shapes Top-Down and Bottom-Up Decision Making
assistant professor of strategy at Harvard Business School. “If a CEO can trust his senior managers, he will be more willing to decentralize decision-making” "The bottom line is that whoever is in charge of the acquisitions and the... View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel
- March 2022 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
LooksRare: The Decentralized, Tokenized, NFT Marketplace
By: Scott Duke Kominers, Shai Bernstein and George Gonzalez
LooksRare launched a decentralized and anonymous organization to compete against NFT marketplace leader OpenSea. By launching its own cryptocurrency, LooksRare attempted to lure users with a digital rewards program. The nature of the organization and its business... View Details
Keywords: NFTs; Alternative Assets; Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Customer Relationship Management; Market Entry and Exit; Business Model; Marketing
Kominers, Scott Duke, Shai Bernstein, and George Gonzalez. "LooksRare: The Decentralized, Tokenized, NFT Marketplace." Harvard Business School Case 822-119, March 2022. (Revised August 2022.)
- June 2005
- Case
Growth and Profitability at Fresenius
By: Joel Podolny, Vincent Dessain, Monika Stachowiak and Anders Sjoman
In March 2005, Mark Schneider, CEO of Fresenius, is considering the group's strategic and organizational future. The highly decentralized 7 billion euro German health care group is active in three different business units, with the largest, FMC AG, listed separately... View Details
Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Diversification; Organizational Structure; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry; Germany
Podolny, Joel, Vincent Dessain, Monika Stachowiak, and Anders Sjoman. "Growth and Profitability at Fresenius." Harvard Business School Case 405-083, June 2005.
- December 1994 (Revised October 2009)
- Case
AES Honeycomb (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Sarah C. Mavrinac
Senior managers of the AES Corp., an independent power producer, must decide whether to drop the company's emphasis on corporate values and revamp organizational controls as advised by investment analysts and outside counsel. The company is recovering from an incident... View Details
Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Energy Generation; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Governance; Governance Controls; Crisis Management; Organizational Structure; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry; United States
Paine, Lynn S., and Sarah C. Mavrinac. "AES Honeycomb (A)." Harvard Business School Case 395-132, December 1994. (Revised October 2009.)
- May 2010
- Article
Does Product Market Competition Lead Firms to Decentralize?
By: Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen
There is a widespread sense that over the last two decades firms have been decentralizing decisions to employees further down the managerial hierarchy. Economists have developed a range of theories to account for delegation, but there is less empirical evidence,... View Details
Keywords: Product; Markets; Competition; Business Ventures; Geographic Location; Employees; Research; Programs; Decisions
Bloom, Nicholas, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen. "Does Product Market Competition Lead Firms to Decentralize?" American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings 100, no. 2 (May 2010): 434–438.
- July 1990 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Nordstrom: Dissension in the Ranks? (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
In 1989, the performance measurement systems and compensation policies of Nordstrom Department Stores unexpectedly came under attack by employees, unions, and government regulators. The case describes the "sales-per-hour" monitoring and compensation system that many... View Details
Keywords: Performance Consistency; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Labor Unions; Salesforce Management; Retention; Growth and Development; Industrial Products Industry; Utilities Industry
Simons, Robert L., and Hilary Weston. "Nordstrom: Dissension in the Ranks? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 191-002, July 1990. (Revised October 1999.)
- October 2017
- Case
Shift Technologies, Inc.
By: Thomas Eisenmann and Nicole Tempest Keller
In 2017, management at Shift, an online marketplace that uses a “high touch,” concierge approach to buy and sell used cars, was formulating plans for the San Francisco–based startup’s next phase of expansion. One option was to preserve Shift’s current business model... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Market Design; Multi-Sided Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Growth and Development Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Auto Industry; Retail Industry; United States
Eisenmann, Thomas, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Shift Technologies, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 818-002, October 2017.
- August 1992
- Case
Johnson & Johnson in the 1990s
Describes the major challenges facing Ralph Larsen, CEO of Johnson & Johnson since 1989, as he strives to maintain the company's decentralized management structure and at the same time keep the company competitive in the 1990s. View Details
Pearson, Andrall E. "Johnson & Johnson in the 1990s." Harvard Business School Case 393-001, August 1992.
- 2011
- Working Paper
The Organization of Firms Across Countries
By: Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen
We argue that social capital as proxied by trust increases aggregate productivity by affecting the organization of firms. To do this we collect new data on the decentralization of investment, hiring, production, and sales decisions from Corporate Headquarters to local... View Details
Keywords: Geographic Location; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Performance Productivity; Trust; Asia; Europe; United States
Bloom, Nicholas, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen. "The Organization of Firms Across Countries." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-005, August 2011. (Slides from 2008.)
- March 1953 (Revised August 1985)
- Case
Rose Co.
An accounting executive is appointed plant manager, his first major "line" assignment. The plant is to be operated on a decentralized basis, contrary to the company's other plans. Administrative problems are anticipated. View Details
Hower, Ralph M., and Edmund P. Learned. "Rose Co." Harvard Business School Case 453-002, March 1953. (Revised August 1985.)
- May 2001 (Revised May 2015)
- Case
Compagnie Lyonnaise de Transport (A)
By: Michael Tushman and Michael J. Roberts
Describes the issues surrounding the funding of a centralized research service that supports two related divisions. The company has a very decentralized and financially driven culture, and the centralized service is used unequally, setting up a conflict. View Details
Keywords: Business Divisions; Organizational Culture; Relationships; Conflict Management; Balance and Stability; Transportation Industry; France
Tushman, Michael, and Michael J. Roberts. "Compagnie Lyonnaise de Transport (A)." Harvard Business School Case 401-040, May 2001. (Revised May 2015.)
- September 2002
- Case
Seattle Public Schools, 1995-2002 (A): The Freedom Agenda
Describes efforts in Seattle Public Schools, under the leadership of Superintendent Joseph Olchefske, to replace the district's centralized budgeting process with school-level budgets. Olchefske's decentralization effort, referred to locally as the Freedom Agenda,... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management Practices and Processes; Operations; Education; Education Industry; Seattle
Leschly, Stig. "Seattle Public Schools, 1995-2002 (A): The Freedom Agenda." Harvard Business School Case 803-037, September 2002.
- April 1993 (Revised September 1996)
- Case
ABB Deutschland (B)
By: Hugo Uyterhoeven
Focuses in detail on implementing a corporate restructuring program in ABB's German subsidiary. Special attention is given to Germany's unique form of industrial governance. Two major problem areas--power plants and power transformers--are described in detail, as is a... View Details
Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Restructuring; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Governance; Leadership Style; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Sales; Opportunities; Energy Industry; Germany
Uyterhoeven, Hugo. "ABB Deutschland (B)." Harvard Business School Case 393-131, April 1993. (Revised September 1996.)
- October 1994 (Revised November 1995)
- Case
N.V. Philips Electronics - Currency Hedging Policies
By: Richard F. Meyer
Describes Philips Electronics' policies and problems relating to foreign exchange risk and hedging. Explains centralization versus decentralization of currency hedging, economic role versus transaction role, the difficulties of capturing the necessary information... View Details
Keywords: Business Divisions; Currency Exchange Rate; International Finance; Globalization; Policy; Information Management; Management; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty
Meyer, Richard F. "N.V. Philips Electronics - Currency Hedging Policies." Harvard Business School Case 295-055, October 1994. (Revised November 1995.)
- April 1984
- Supplement
Johnson & Johnson (B): Hospital Services, James Burke, Video
By: Francis Aguilar
James Burke, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, discusses the decision to establish a hospital services company. The problem is that this new unit, created to serve 14 Johnson & Johnson companies, runs counter to the corporate culture where autonomy and... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Health Industry
Aguilar, Francis. "Johnson & Johnson (B): Hospital Services, James Burke, Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 884-527, April 1984.
- December 2009 (Revised January 2010)
- Case
Managing Talent at Bertelsmann AG (A)
By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria, Mark Maletz and Kerry Herman
Bertelsmann's EVP HR Immanuel Hermreck and his team were focused on four key HR issues. Three of these were somewhat discreet: improving Bertelsmann's employer brand; managing Bertelsmann talent across the firm's decentralized businesses; and ensuring early... View Details
Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Leadership Development; Strategic Planning; Competitive Advantage; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Germany
Groysberg, Boris, Nitin Nohria, Mark Maletz, and Kerry Herman. "Managing Talent at Bertelsmann AG (A)." Harvard Business School Case 410-010, December 2009. (Revised January 2010.)
- 2010
- Working Paper
Does Product Market Competition Lead Firms To Decentralize?
By: Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen
There is a widespread sense that over the last two decades firms have been decentralizing decisions to employees further down the managerial hierarchy. Economists have developed a range of theories to account for delegation, but there is less empirical evidence,... View Details
Keywords: Decision Making; Employees; Managerial Roles; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Asia; Europe; North America
Bloom, Nicholas, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen. "Does Product Market Competition Lead Firms To Decentralize?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-052, January 2010. (forthcoming in: American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings.)