Publications

September 2020 (Revised July 2021)
Case

Moderna (A)

By: Marco Iansiti, Karim R. Lakhani, Hannah Mayer and Kerry Herman

In summer 2020, Stephane Bancel, CEO of biotech firm Moderna, faces several challenges as his company races to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The case explores how a company builds a digital organization, and leverages artificial intelligence and other digital... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19; Vaccine; Digital Organizations; Organizational Structure; Operations; Management; Health Pandemics; Research and Development; Goals and Objectives

19 Apr 2021
News

Biggest risks in return to offices: Harvard remote work guru

Research Summary

Research Interests

Faaiza’s research focuses on how organizations learn and innovate under novel/uncertain circumstances. Organizational design, organizational sociology, strategic planning, knowledge management, and self-organizing teams are areas of special interest to Faaiza. View Details

15 Aug 2016
Video

FIELD Global Immersions

January 1998 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Staples (C)

By: Myra M. Hart, Marco Iansiti and Barbara Feinberg

The search for appropriate hardware and software to support the launch of a new large-scale retail operation forces the management team to define their goals at a very detailed level and to make all underlying assumptions explicit. View Details

Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Management Teams; Retail Industry

23 Oct 2015
News

The Mayo Clinic Model for Running a Value-Improvement Program

10 Aug 2022
News

Operations Service Management: Transforming Campus Through Digital Workflows

March 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Accelerating AI Adoption in the U.S. Air Force

By: Maria P. Roche and Alexander Farrow

In August 2022, the Pentagon tasked U.S. Air Force Captain Victor Lopez to launch a new office for AFWERX, an Air Force innovation unit that leveraged commercial developers and military talent to acquire advanced technologies. This task was particularly arduous because... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Organizational Design; AI and Machine Learning; Adoption; Technology Adoption; United States

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM EDT, 01 Jun 2015

CPD Career Reboot Camp in Boston

Career Reboot Camp is happening at HBS! Led by Professor Tim Butler and facilitated by a team of experienced HBS career coaches, participants will work through exercises to reflect on their key career interests, what's important to them in work and life, and create a... View Details

April 2021
Case

Glovo: Expanding Quick Commerce

By: Antonio Moreno and James Barnett

In March 2021, delivery app CEO Oscar Pierre and his team consider strategies to grow Glovo’s quick commerce delivery service and to approach their expansion in Kenya. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Food; Global Strategy; Operations; Strategy; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Web Services Industry; Africa; Kenya; Nairobi; Europe; Spain; Barcelona; Middle East; Central America; South America

11 Mar 2020
News

Q&A: Digital Transformation Leads to Improved Valuations, Performance

July 2012
Case

Performance Management at Vitality Health Enterprises, Inc.

By: John Bingham and Michael Beer

Vitality Health Enterprises, a medium-sized firm that manufactures health and personal care products, has experienced six straight quarters of strong revenue growth. James Hoffman, the new Senior Vice President of Human Resources, fears that the chain of success is... View Details

Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Motivation and Incentives; Compensation and Benefits; Talent and Talent Management; Health Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States

August 2019
Case

Huawei and the U.S.-China Trade War

By: Elie Ofek and John Masko

In 2019, Chinese smartphone maker and telecommunications empire Huawei was preparing to launch its new flagship smartphone series, the Mate 30. After years of explosive growth, the previous 18 months had been a challenge for the company. In early 2018, Huawei’s planned... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Global Strategy; International Relations; National Security; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Infrastructure; Volatility; Adaptation; Telecommunications Industry; China; United States; European Union

November 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

TWA Parts (Abridged)

By: V.G. Narayanan

Transworld Auto Parts had to implement its new strategy flawlessly to survive the auto industry upheaval. The new CEO asked her leadership team to craft strategy maps and balanced scorecards to help each division implement its strategies. View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Leadership; Balanced Scorecard; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry

August 2010 (Revised March 2012)
Supplement

The Dow Acquisition of Rohm and Haas (D)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Melissa Barton

Dow's board and management team worked on arranging appropriate financing to complete the acquisition of Rohm and Haas. Meanwhile, the board of Rohm and Haas filed suit against Dow after it delayed the completion of the acquisition. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Financing and Loans; Governing and Advisory Boards; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management Teams; Chemical Industry

October 2012 (Revised February 2019)
Case

Whaling Ventures

By: Tom Nicholas and Jonas Peter Akins

Whaling was a prominent global industry in the nineteenth century and the United States was dominant. By 1850 there were about 900 whaling ships in the world and 700 of these were American. Rates of return on capital were high compared to benchmark investments, at... View Details

Keywords: Whaling; Organization Design; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Finance; Organizational Design; Industry Growth; History; United States

August 1994
Case

Higashimaru Shoyu Company, Ltd. (A): Price Control System

Illustrates how Japanese firms use profit pressures to increase efficiency. In particular, explores how pseudo profit centers create pressure on workers to increase revenues and reduce costs, and the use of semiautonomous teams in a traditional Japanese workforce. View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Groups and Teams; Organizational Structure; Performance Efficiency; Management Systems; Japan