Publications

Educators

September 2021
Article

Shaking Things Up: Disruptive Events and Inequality

By: Letian Zhang

This paper develops a theory of how disruptive events could reduce racial and gender inequality in organizations. Despite pressure from regulators and advocates, racial and gender inequality in the workplace remains high. I theorize that because such inequality is... View Details

Keywords: Inequality; Equality and Inequality; Diversity; Race; Gender; Restructuring; Mergers and Acquisitions; Disruption

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24 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 24, 2009

binding. Relaxing either of these two conditions causes matching to take place later, when more information about applicants' qualities is available, and consequently results in higher efficiency and fewer blocking pairs. This suggests that elements of market View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

28 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

How Racial Bias Taints Customer Service: Evidence from 6,000 Hotels

titles? Do they end all messages with “best” or other polite language? How are perks, like hotel upgrades and free drinks, distributed? Run experiments. Conduct email tests similar to the ones Feldberg and Kim used in their studies. Gauge how employees respond to... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

January 15, 2019
Article

Is Your Company's Strategy Aligned with Your Ownership Model?

By: Josh Baron

The legacy of Vanguard founder John Bogle has brought attention to the transformative influence of ownership structures within the business world. Bogle's revolutionary insight into the limitations of active fund management led to the widespread adoption of index... View Details

Keywords: Ownership Type; Business Strategy; Organizational Structure; Strength and Weakness; Competitive Advantage

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16 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Advancing Black Talent: From the Flight Ramp to 'Family-Sustaining' Careers at Delta

that are working to create a more diverse workforce. One lesson Bastian has learned through his efforts: To create a sustainable strategy, business leaders can’t view diversity hiring as a one-time push to... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Air Transportation

2005
Working Paper

Silent Saboteurs: How Implicit Theories of Voice Inhibit the Upward Flow of Knowledge in Organizations

By: James R. Detert and Amy C. Edmondson

This article examines, in a series of three studies, how people working in organizational hierarchies wrestle with the challenge of upward voice. We first undertook in-depth exploratory research in a knowledge-intensive multinational corporation in which employee input... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Working Conditions; Knowledge Management; Attitudes; Organizational Culture

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07 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Digital Transformation: A New Roadmap for Success

address customers‘ evolving needs and desires, rather than simply selling their existing products and solutions. 3. Build a data-informed culture by upskilling talent Fewer than half of survey respondents reported that their organizations... View Details

Keywords: by Linda A. Hill, Ann Le Cam, Sunand Menon, and Emily Tedards

08 Sep 2022
Book

Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?

But, frustrated Gen Xers and Millennials need not give up—their time will come, and they need to prepare now. “We desperately need this generation to learn how to manage diverse people, and manage through our crises.” In the new book True... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

2020
Book

Fit to Compete: Why Honest Conversations About Your Company's Capabilities Are the Key to a Winning Strategy

By: Michael Beer

Is Silence Killing Your Strategy?
In his thirty years of working in corporations, Harvard Business School professor Michael Beer has witnessed firsthand how organizational silence derails strategic objectives. When employees can't speak truth to power, senior... View Details

Keywords: Honesty; Communication; Organizational Culture; Trust; Strategy; Performance Effectiveness

20 Sep 2010
Research & Ideas

Power Posing: Fake It Until You Make It

poses through other means. They might use a whiteboard as a prop that they can reach out and rest a hand on—allowing them to take up more space. "There are implications across cultures as well," she adds. Cuddy believes American... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

July 2022
Article

The Passionate Pygmalion Effect: Passionate Employees Attain Better Outcomes in Part Because of More Preferential Treatment by Others

By: Ke Wang, Erica R. Bailey and Jon M. Jachimowicz

Employees are increasingly exhorted to “pursue their passion” at work. Inherent in this call is the belief that passion will produce higher performance because it promotes intrapersonal processes that propel employees forward. Here, we suggest that the pervasiveness of... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Self-fufilling Prophecy; Lay Beliefs; Interpersonal Processes; Employees; Performance; Attitudes; Organizational Culture; Social Psychology

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08 Feb 2023
Op-Ed

Building an Inclusive Workplace? Prepare to Shield It from Economic Fears

Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, business leaders vowed to change organizational culture to increase diversity and inclusion. Some companies established more robust employee affinity groups,... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and Nicole Gilmore

2025
Book

The World Is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity, and Innovation

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury

A research-based look at a growing phenomenon—companies allowing their employees to work from anywhere in the world—and how those who adopt this model can boost talent, innovation, and productivity.
In recent years, companies in a wide range of industries have... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Telecommuting; Employees; Business Offices; Organizational Culture; Retention; Recruitment; Policy; Competitive Advantage