Publications

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February 2008 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG

By: Belen Villalonga, Daniela Beyersdorfer and Vincent Dessain

Der Spiegel is Germany's most influential political news magazine. In the 1970s, its founder Rudolf Augstein gave a 50% ownership stake to his employees and sold another 25% to rival publisher Gruner+Jahr, but retained significant control during his lifetime by... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Governance Controls; Employee Ownership; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Journalism and News Industry; Publishing Industry; Germany

17 Jun 2020
News

The Future of the Office: Remote Work after the Pandemic

10 May 2021
Research & Ideas

Who Has Potential? For Many White Men, It’s Often Other White Men

“Missteps can be perilous for these employees,” Ely says, “because managers see their slip-ups as reason to write them off.” Meanwhile, those deemed stars are given the benefit of the doubt, even when they make mistakes. Ultimately, View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

Does Hybrid Work Actually Work? Insights from 30,000 Emails

Early COVID-19 lockdowns sparked a contentious debate that rages on in the workplace: Can businesses thrive if employees continue to work remotely? Skeptical CEOs, such as the leaders of Goldman Sachs and Starbucks, say they need workers... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

23 Jul 2015
News

Work Schedules: The False Tradeoff Between Fair and Productive

12 May 2020
News

Coronavirus and the future of the workplace: 8 trends to watch

March 2020
Case

Maven Clinic: Women's Health in the Digital Age

By: Ariel D. Stern and Sarah Mehta

In late 2017, Kate Ryder, the founder and CEO of digital women’s health telemedicine company Maven Clinic, faced an important decision. Maven offered both a direct to consumer (D2C) product that anyone could use to book virtual appointments with health practitioners... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Strategy; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Health Industry; Technology Industry; United States

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

April 2019 (Revised December 2021)
Case

Sears: The Demise of an American Icon

By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2019, ESL Investments’ $5.2 billion offer to purchase Sears Holdings out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, was accepted, despite opposition from the company's unsecured creditors and other parties. ESL, which was led by Eddie Lampert, had acquired a stake in Sears following... View Details

Keywords: Bankruptcy; Reorganization; Bonds; Restructuring; Business Divisions; Transformation; Fairness; Borrowing and Debt; Credit; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Motivation and Incentives; Retail Industry; United States

08 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

[This is the sixth installment in a monthly series on management issues in the time of COVID-19.] We recently asked 600 CEOs: What is keeping you awake at night during this global pandemic? A major and multifaceted concern that emerged is how to keep View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

News

Time, Not Money, Buys You Happiness. Here’s How to Get More of It.

04 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Is Government Just Stupid? How Bad Decisions Are Made

The main goal of any government should be, the authors maintain, to enlarge the pie of resources that society has available to distribute. This is done by identifying wise tradeoffs for society as a whole. But it's not just politicians who can View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman, Jonathan Baron & Katherine Shonk

01 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

Dying to Lead: How Reaching the Top Can Kill You Sooner

demands. "What we’re beginning to understand is that life at the top isn’t that easy." The historical study by Harvard Business School Professor Tom Nicholas, who tracked the status and mortality rates of more than 1,000 managers and other View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

June 2016
Article

Vaccination Rates Are Associated with Functional Proximity but Not Base Proximity of Vaccination Clinics

By: John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian and Gwendolyn I. Reynolds

Background: Routine annual influenza vaccinations are recommended for persons 6 months of age and older, but less than half of U.S. adults get vaccinated. Many employers offer employees free influenza vaccinations at workplace clinics, but even then take-up is... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Employees; Health Care and Treatment

Read Now

12 Oct 2022
Video

Lumumba Seegars: Inequality & Agency in ERGs

05 Jul 2012
What Do You Think?

Why Is Trust So Hard to Achieve in Management?

"transparency, honesty, communication, consistency and predictability are present" in everything we do as managers. Jill Machol noted the importance of keeping employees "informed as information (regarding change) becomes... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

March 2014
Case

LGBT Issues at Exxon Mobil Corporation

By: Joseph L. Badaracco and Matthew Preble

In late September 2013, Exxon Mobil Corporation announced that it would begin offering benefits to the spouses of its employees in same-sex marriages. This short supplement touches upon what led Exxon Mobil to this decision, some insights into its previous relationship... View Details

Keywords: Human Capital; Welfare; Human Resources; Utilities Industry; United States