Publications

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Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

Karim R. Lakhani Willy C. Shih David B. Yoffie Lynda M. Applegate Rosabeth M. Kanter Marco Iansiti Tom Nicholas Josh Lerner Michael L. Tushman William R. Kerr Alan D. MacCormack Elie Ofek See All Harvard... View Details

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Faculty & Advisors - MBA

MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences Faculty & Advisors Faculty Robert D. Howe Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Engineering at SEAS; Faculty Co-Chair of the Harvard MS/MBA Program; Director, Harvard Biorobotics Lab; cofounder, RightHand Robotics View Details

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Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

the probabilities of success are low, extremely skewed, and unknowable until an investment is made. At a macro level, experimentation by new firms underlies the Schumpeterian notion of creative destruction. However, at a micro level,... View Details

March 2006
Module Note

Managing Innovation in an Uncertain World: Module 3: Expanding Diversity

By: Alan D. MacCormack

Describes the third module of the 30-session Harvard Business School elective course Managing Innovation in an Uncertain World. The course helps students understand the challenges that uncertainty implies for innovation and how to overcome them. The course emphasizes... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Business Processes; Projects; Risk and Uncertainty; Product Development; Managerial Roles; Opportunities; Perspective; Expansion; Goals and Objectives

Web

Business & Environment - Faculty & Research

transient investors. This result is more pronounced for firms with high growth opportunities, not controlled by a family, operating in 'sin' industries, and exhibiting commitment to IR. I find that the results are robust to the inclusion... View Details

November 1999 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Red Hat and the Linux Revolution

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

The case describes the history of the Linux operating system and the open-source movement in general. Focuses on a critical decision being made by Red Hat, the largest distributor of Linux, about its future development efforts. The decision allows students to explore... View Details

Keywords: Open Source Distribution; Applications and Software; Product Development; Change Management; Research and Development; Business Processes; Disruptive Innovation; Information Technology Industry; North Carolina

01 Feb 2001
News

What Makes a Good Leader

resonated across the MBA and Executive Education curriculum, in 1999 Dean Clark launched the HBS Global Leadership Initiative in order to broaden the School's outreach in this area. Headed by Kotter and Director View Details

Keywords: Management

Web

Human Behavior & Decision-Making - Faculty & Research

that implicitly activating the construct of time, rather than money, leads individuals to behave more ethically by cheating less. We further found that priming time reduces cheating by making people reflect... View Details

18 Dec 2007
First Look

First Look: December 18, 2007

aspects of software design evolution in large-scale systems. Learning the Fine Art of Collaboration Authors:Alan MacCormack and Theodore Forbath Periodical:Forethought. Harvard Business Review (forthcoming): 10-11 Abstract Innovations are... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

October 2016
Article

Technical Debt and System Architecture: The Impact of Coupling on Defect-related Activity

By: Alan MacCormack and Daniel J. Sturtevant

Technical debt is created when design decisions that are expedient in the short-term increase the costs of maintaining and adapting this system in future. An important component of technical debt relates to decisions about system architecture. As systems grow and... View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Performance Efficiency; Applications and Software; Infrastructure

Read Now

January 2008
Article

Learning the Fine Art of Collaboration

By: Alan MacCormack and Theodore Forbath

Innovations are increasingly brought to the market by networks of firms, selected for their unique capabilities and operating in a coordinated manner. This collaborative model demands that firms develop different skills, yet despite this need, there is little guidance... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms

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Team - Case Method Project

Chaderjian is a member of the teacher support team who partners with educators as they train in and utilize the case method in high school classrooms. Motivated by the conviction that immersive engagement with history is foundational to... View Details

07 Sep 2021
News

New HBS Fund Chairs Take the Helm

Courtesy Anna Spangler Nelson and Thomas C. Nelson Courtesy Anna Spangler Nelson and Thomas C. Nelson Anna Spangler Nelson and Thomas C. Nelson (both MBA 1988) became chairs of the HBS Fund on July 1, 2021, succeeding Ashley Garrett and View Details

November 2019
Supplement

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato, Alan MacCormack and Sarah Mehta

This multimedia supplement accompanies the case “Innovation at Uber: the Launch of Express POOL” (case no. 619-003). Set in March 2018, the case follows ride-sharing company Uber as it develops and launches a new product called Express POOL. This multimedia supplement... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Technology Industry; California; San Francisco

October 1996 (Revised April 1997)
Case

Team New Zealand (A)

By: Marco Iansiti and Alan D. MacCormack

The case describes the development process used by Team New Zealand to design their two yachts for the 1995 America's Cup. During development, the team makes extensive use of simulation and physical prototyping to improve the initial design concept. As they approach... View Details

Keywords: Product Design; Design; Product Development; Sports; Ship Transportation; Research and Development; Situation or Environment; Decisions; Sports Industry; New Zealand

February 2016 (Revised March 2016)
Case

America's Cup in 2013: Oracle Team USA vs. Emirates Team New Zealand (A)

By: Rory McDonald, Alan MacCormack and Vanessa Ampelas

Four teams across the world are furiously designing, building, testing, and learning to sail a boat that would be one-of-a-kind in order to win the 2013 America's Cup. Choosing the best development path was a challenge as the teams had less than three years to prepare,... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Competition; Innovation and Management; Sports; Sports Industry; New Zealand; United States