Myra M. Hart

Myra M. Hart

Retired Professor of Management Practice

Retired Professor of Management Practice

+1 (617) 495-6904
 
Myra M. Hart
Contact Information
(617) 495-6904
Publications Research Summary Awards & Honors
Resource-Based Entrepreneurship
Myra M. Hart is investigating the relationship between an entrepreneur's industry-specific experience and the success of large-scale startups. Her work focuses on the links between the entrepreneur's knowledge and reputation resources-developed in the same or a closely related industry-and success in launching a new venture, maintaining organizational viability throughout the first five years, and reaching five-year financial targets. Hart's research is intended to enrich the understanding of entrepreneurial assets and skills that are significant determinants of new-venture success. It also extends the resource-based theory of the firm to newly forming organizations in which the entrepreneur and his or her resources can be considered synonymous with the firm. Field research and an extensive survey of entrepreneur participants in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum were used to develop an empirical database. Hart's findings suggest that replication is as important as innovation in founding large-scale new ventures, and that the entrepreneur's industry-related knowledge and reputation contribute substantially to a new venture's success, particularly as mediated by the venture partner's qualifications.

Women Entrepreneurs
Professor Hart is currently conducting research on women entrepreneurs pursuing high growth strategies. Hart is a member of the Diana Research Group, a team of five professors who have collaborated in an on-going investigation of the unique oppportunities and obstacles that women entrepreneurs encounted as they create and lead high growth enterprises. Her particular areas of interest are the equity financing challenges of women entrepreneurs and the organization, structure, and membership of the venture capital industry. The Diana Research team includes Professors Candida Brush (Boston University), Nancy Carter (University of St. Thomas), Elizabeth Gatewood (University of Indiana), and Dean Patricia Greene (Babson College). Working together since 1999, they have written 2 books, 2 book chapters, 3 refereed journal articles, made invited presentations at more than 30 conferences, and have organized an international research sypmposium that currently includes researchers from 18 countries.
Models of Success
Myra Hart is conducting research on the career and personal paths that Harvard Business School alumnae pursue over the course of their lives. She is developing programs to encourage and support the creation of dynamic and multi-facted models of success. These programs include personal assessment, strategic plan, and creative tools for alumni/ae.

Myra Hart's research focus is high potential entrepreneurship.  She has taught MBA and executive programs, co-chaired the entrepreneurship unit, and led several HBS initiatives. As a founding member of the Diana Group, Hart and a team of four other professors began a collaboration in 2000 and subsequently developed an international research consortium focused on female entrepreneurship.  She and her colleagues have co-authored Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High Growth Businesses, Women Business Owners and Equity Capital: The Myths Dispelled, and Gatekeepers of Venture Growth: A Diana Project Report on the Role and Participation of Women in the Venture Capital Industry, as well as numerous journal articles, reports, and two edited books. In 2007, the founding team was recognized with the FSF Nutek International Award for Entrepreneurship and Small Business research. She has also developed more than 60 HBS cases and teaching notes.

Hart has significant experience in the retail industry. In 1985, she joined Tom Stemberg as one of the four founding officers of Staples. Prior to that she was Director of Marketing for Star Market, a division of Jewel Companies.

She has served as a trustee of Cornell University and Babson College and is a lifetime Cornell Presidential Councillor. She is on the national board of the Smithsonian Institution and the advisory board of the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory. She is a director of several public and private companies including Kraft Foods Inc, Office Depot, and Nina McLemore, Inc.  She also serves on Deloitte's Women's Initiative External Advisory Council.  Harvard Business School has recognized Professor Hart with the Apgar Award for innovation in teaching and the Greenhill Award for faculty leadership. She has been named to the Hall of Fame by Enterprising Women, CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization) and the New England Business and Technology Association.

Books
Journal Articles
Book Chapters
  • Carter, N. M., E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and M. M. Hart. "Enhancing Women's Financial Strategies for Entrepreneurial Success." In Female Entrepreneurship: Implications for Education, Training & Policy, edited by N. M. Carter, C. Henry, B. O'Cinneide, and K. Johnston. London: Routledge, 2006. View Details
  • Brush, Candida G., Nancy M. Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Venture Capital Access in The New Economy: Is Gender an Issue?" In The Emergence of Entrepreneurship Policy: Governance, Start-ups and Growth in the Knowledge Economy, edited by David Hart. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2003. View Details
  • Carter, Nancy M., Candida G. Brush, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Financing Entrepreneurship: Is Gender an Issue?" In Critical Junctures in Women's Economic Lives: A Collection of Symposium Papers, 45–51. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Economic Progress, 2003. View Details
  • Brush, Candida G., Patricia G. Greene, Myra M. Hart, Nancy M. Carter, and Elizabeth Gatewood. "Women and Equity Capital: An Exploration of Factors Affecting Capital Access." In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 2000: Proceedings of the 20th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, edited by Paul D. Reynolds, Erkko Autio, Candida G. Brush, and William D. Bygrave. Wellesley, MA: Babson College, 2000. (in collaboration with Julie Weeks, National Foundation of Women Business Owners (NFWBO)) View Details
  • Hart, Myra, C. Brush, P. Greene, and P. Saparito. "Exploration of the Venture Capital Industry: Is Gender An Issue?" In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship, 1999: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference. Edited by W. Bygrave et al.. Babson Park, MA: Babson College, 1999. View Details
  • Hart, Myra M., C. Brush, and P. Greene. "From Planning to Growth and Beyond: A Cross Industry Analysis of Entrepreneurial Priorities." In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 1998: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, edited by W. Bygrave. Babson Park, MA: Babson College, 1999. View Details
  • Hart, M. M., C. Brush, and P. Greene. "Resource Configurations Over the Life Cycle of Ventures." In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 1997: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, edited by W. Bygrave. Babson Park, MA: Babson College, 1998. View Details
  • Hart, M. M., H. H. Stevenson, and J. Dial. "Entrepreneurship: A Definition Revisited." In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 1995: Proceedings of 15th Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, edited by W. Bygrave. Babson Park, MA: Babson College, 1996. View Details
  • Hart, M. M., and H. H. Stevenson. "Entrepreneurs and the Next Generation, Management Advantages and Challenges in a Family Business." In Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 1993: Proceedings of 13th Annual Conference, edited by N. C. Churchill, 646–660. Babson Park, MA: Babson College, 1994. View Details
Working Papers
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "The Use of Bootstrapping by Women Entrepreneurs in Positioning for Growth." Babson Working Paper Series, June 2004. View Details
Cases and Teaching Materials
Presentations
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Perceptions of Women in Business: The Good, the Bad and the Interesting." Paper presented at the Athena Signature Series, San Diego, CA, December 09–11, 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "The Role and Participation of Women in the Venture Capital Industry." Women's Association of Venture & Equity, New York, NY, September 22–25, 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Women in the Venture Capital Industry." In National Venture Capital Association. San Francisco, CA, May 13–15, 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Green, and Myra M. Hart. "Financing Growth." Paper presented at the Women's Leadership Exchange Conference, May 13, 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Becoming a Heroine." Paper presented at the WISE Symposium, Syracuse, NY, April 21–23, 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Women, Money and Wealth Creation: Investigating the Myths." Paper presented at the Consortium of Social Science Associations Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, January 04–07, 2004. View Details
  • Hart, Myra M., Candida Brush, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, and Patricia Greene. "Venture Capital Access in the New Economy: Is Gender an Issue?" Paper presented at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Washington, DC, October 26, 2001. View Details
  • Brush, Candida, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia Green, and Myra M. Hart. "Financing Entrepreneurship: Is Gender an Issue?" Paper presented at the Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, April 10, 2001. View Details
Other Publications and Materials
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and M. M. Hart. "Gatekeepers of Venture Growth: A Diana Project Report on the Role and Participation of Women in the Venture Capital Industry." Report Series, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO, October 2004. View Details
  • Brush, C. G., N. M. Carter, E. J. Gatewood, P. G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "Women Entrepreneurs, Growth, and Implications for the Classroom." Coleman Foundation White Paper , United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), January 2004. View Details
  • Brush, Candida G., Patricia G. Greene, Myra M. Hart, Nancy Carter, and Elizabeth Gatewood. "An Investigation of Women-Led Firms and Venture Capital Investment." Report, CB Associates, Duxbury, MA, September 2001. (Final Report to Small Business Administration.) View Details
  • Brush, Candida G., Nancy M. Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia G. Greene, and Myra M. Hart. "The Diana Project: Women Business Owners and Equity Capital: The Myths Dispelled." Report Series, 2001. View Details
  • Brush, Candida, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia Green, and Myra M. Hart. "The Diana Project: Women Business Owners and Equity Capital: The Myths Dispelled." Report, Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, January 2001. View Details
Research Summary
Resource-Based Entrepreneurship
Myra M. Hart is investigating the relationship between an entrepreneur's industry-specific experience and the success of large-scale startups. Her work focuses on the links between the entrepreneur's knowledge and reputation resources-developed in the same or a closely related industry-and success in launching a new venture, maintaining organizational viability throughout the first five years, and reaching five-year financial targets. Hart's research is intended to enrich the understanding of entrepreneurial assets and skills that are significant determinants of new-venture success. It also extends the resource-based theory of the firm to newly forming organizations in which the entrepreneur and his or her resources can be considered synonymous with the firm. Field research and an extensive survey of entrepreneur participants in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum were used to develop an empirical database. Hart's findings suggest that replication is as important as innovation in founding large-scale new ventures, and that the entrepreneur's industry-related knowledge and reputation contribute substantially to a new venture's success, particularly as mediated by the venture partner's qualifications.

Women Entrepreneurs
Professor Hart is currently conducting research on women entrepreneurs pursuing high growth strategies. Hart is a member of the Diana Research Group, a team of five professors who have collaborated in an on-going investigation of the unique oppportunities and obstacles that women entrepreneurs encounted as they create and lead high growth enterprises. Her particular areas of interest are the equity financing challenges of women entrepreneurs and the organization, structure, and membership of the venture capital industry. The Diana Research team includes Professors Candida Brush (Boston University), Nancy Carter (University of St. Thomas), Elizabeth Gatewood (University of Indiana), and Dean Patricia Greene (Babson College). Working together since 1999, they have written 2 books, 2 book chapters, 3 refereed journal articles, made invited presentations at more than 30 conferences, and have organized an international research sypmposium that currently includes researchers from 18 countries.
Models of Success
Myra Hart is conducting research on the career and personal paths that Harvard Business School alumnae pursue over the course of their lives. She is developing programs to encourage and support the creation of dynamic and multi-facted models of success. These programs include personal assessment, strategic plan, and creative tools for alumni/ae.
Awards & Honors
Received the 2007 FSF-NUTEK Award for research on entrepreneurship and small business (with Candida Brush, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, and Patricia Greene).This international prize is given annually by the Swedish Business Development Agency and the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research.
Areas of Interest

Areas of Interest

 More

Additional Topics

Industries

Geographies

 Less