Theory - Publications - Faculty & Research

Research Summary

THEME #2: BUILDING CAPABILITIES THROUGH VARIATION

Prior work has yet to establish definitively the role that variation (e.g. in individuals' activities or organizational processes) plays in the development of capabilities. Variation is usually either not considered (e.g., the learning curve examines... View Details

10 Sep 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior

Keywords: by Lalin Anik, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton & Elizabeth W. Dunn

08 Feb 2021
Book

How to Make the World Better, Not Perfect

all we’re told is ‘that’s not good enough’ then we’re going to give up.” Bazerman’s book closes that gap by drawing lessons from philosophy, yes, but also from behavioral economics, psychology, and negotiation theory to show how we can do... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

15 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

This Workplace Certification Made Already Safe Companies Even Safer

existed, says Harvard Business School Professor Michael Toffel. “Management system standards require adopters to embrace best-practice processes, and the theory is that these processes will improve performance. Our study provides evidence... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Sep 2023
News

Alumni and Faculty Books

Edited by Margie Kelley The Happiness Handbook By Landon Carter (MBA 1967) Marshall and McClintic Publishing Have you ever wished you had the instruction manual for being a happy human on planet Earth? This book will answer some of life’s fundamental questions: Who am... View Details

August 1983
Article

The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization

By: T. M. Amabile

Considers the definition and assessment of creativity and presents a componential framework for conceptualizing this faculty. Including domain-relevant skills, creativity-relevant skills, and task motivation as a set of necessary and sufficient components of... View Details

Keywords: Theory; Social Psychology; Creativity; Cognition and Thinking; Motivation and Incentives; Personal Characteristics

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Research Summary

Overview

By: Charlotte L. Robertson

Professor Robertson conducts research on the history of financial markets. Her book manuscript and working papers shed light on the evolution of securities markets and the relationship between finance, governance, and society. Some of the topics she pursues include:... View Details

Web

Dean LeBaron | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

(PDF) Dean LeBaron, HBS 1960, was working for an investment services firm when he became interested in cutting-edge economic theories about portfolio management. One insight that captured his imagination was how computer models based on... View Details

Blog

Celebrating 100 Years of the HBS Case Method

Datar's says, the case method has withstood the test of time. From Theory to Practical Reality The case method story begins at Harvard Law School, which had for some time been using "case books"—compilations of actual court cases—in its... View Details

23 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Overcoming Nervous Nelly

to switch from a negative to a positive valence, while remaining in a state of high arousal, an easier prospect. What better way to put this theory to the test than by asking participants to sing karaoke? In the study, Brooks surprised... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

real exchange rates and the fallacy of composition, Mark Setterfield (ed), Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Growth, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Canuto, Otaviano, Mona Haddad, Gordon Hanson (2010), Export-led Growth v2.0,... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

01 Feb 2021
What Do You Think?

Has the New Economy Finally Arrived?

pandemic) that challenge traditional economic theory centered on the so-called Phillips curve. It’s a simple economic model named after the economist who explored the positive relationship between low unemployment and higher wage rates.... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Are You Supporting Your B Players?

managers, but an "inclusion" issue. People start to feel that they're no longer "in the club." Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest, decided to create a club of 114,000 employees, said DeLong. They don't espouse one View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

30 Jan 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Modularity and Intellectual Property Protection

Keywords: by Carliss Y. Baldwin & Joachim Henkel

Research Summary

Automotive Product Development

At present, my primary research focus is studying product development in the auto industry. I am working with Stefan Thomke (HBS) and Takahiro Fujimoto (University of Tokyo) on the 4th Round of the Global Automotive Development Study. The first round of this... View Details

29 Jan 2021
Op-Ed

How Influencers, Celebrities, and FOMO Can Win Over Vaccine Skeptics

innovations—a theory that typically applies to new products—offers a framework for increasing the number of people who are willing, if not eager, to get vaccinated. Based on the traditional diffusion model, the number and types of people... View Details

Keywords: by Rohit Deshpandé, Ofer Mintz, and Imran S. Currim

19 May 2021
Op-Ed

Why America Needs a Better Bridge Between School and Career

education and training have too often reinforced barriers between working and learning, rather than bridging the worlds of education and employment. This is an opportune moment to re-evaluate the country’s fundamental approach to human capital development. To... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph B. Fuller and Rachel Lipson

17 Apr 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Technology Choice and Capacity Portfolios Under Emissions Regulation

Keywords: by David Drake, Paul R. Kleindorfer & Luk N. Van Wassenhove

Research Summary

Overview of Research

My research examines approaches to improving the performance of our health care delivery system with a primary focus on health information technology. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of my program, my dissertation draws upon theories and insights from... View Details

01 Dec 2022
News

Singing to the Corn

Corn likes people. It benefits from human contact, when it’s thinned out and hand-pollinated, explains Taylor Keen (MPA 1996/ MBA 1997). Corn thrives when sung to and spoken to—something Keen does in the language of his mother’s Omaha Tribe, where he is known as Bison... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; photographed by Vance Jacobs; Agriculture

Publications