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May–June 2021
Article

Eliminate Strategic Overload

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

As companies respond to intensifying competitive pressures and challenges, they ask more and more of their employees. But organizations often have very little to show for the efforts of their talented and engaged workers. By selecting fewer initiatives with greater... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Initiatives; Value-based Strategy; Organizational Effectiveness; Strategy; Value Creation

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January–February 2021
Article

How to Help (Without Micromanaging)

By: Colin M. Fisher, Teresa M. Amabile and Julianna Pillemer

Extensive research shows that when employees get hands-on managerial support, they perform better than when they’re left to their own devices, but unnecessary or unwanted help can be demoralizing and counterproductive. So how do you intervene constructively? The... View Details

Keywords: Helping; Employees; Groups and Teams; Management

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01 Sep 2006
What Do You Think?

Are We Ready for Self-Management?

as many cited obstacles to its implementation, chief among them management itself. Many respondents were enthusiastic. For example, Leeor Geva characterized self-management as a "win-win strategy." In Jonathan Narducci's words, "Any method that gets all... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

04 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

The Real Cost of Bribery

headaches it causes. Rather, bribery's most significant impact is its negative effect on employee morale. Initiation, Detection, And Response Serafeim aimed to find out how bribery affected a firm's operations across four dimensions of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Dennis Campbell

Dennis W. Campbell is currently the Dwight P. Robinson Jr. Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. His research and teaching activities focus broadly on how management control systems can be designed to balance short-term strategy execution... View Details

Keywords: financial services; service industry; hotels ＆ motels; consumer products; restaurant; manufacturing; professional services

01 Jun 2022
What Do You Think?

Is Stakeholder Management Facing New Headwinds?

influence on the decision. That’s all well and good—until factors like cultural issues and employee power begin to creep into the picture. For example, the state has had power but only now seems to be exhibiting higher levels of interest... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

April 2023 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Levels: The Remote, Asynchronous, Deep Work Management System

By: Joseph B. Fuller and George Gonzalez

Levels is a highly innovative startup in the health care space. They intend to revolutionize health by linking behavior—eating, exercise, sleeping, etc.—to changes in metabolism. They believe metabolic health can be managed through careful monitoring of changes in... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Business Startups; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Technology Industry; United States

October 2014 (Revised May 2015)
Case

HandsOn Bay Area: Scaling Up Community Service

By: James Heskett

HandsOn Bay Area, an organization devoted to the performance of (and development of leaders for) community service, is undergoing a significant (and internally controversial) shift in its business model from "retail" projects involving individual volunteers to... View Details

July 2011
Case

Shifting the Diversity Climate: The Sodexo Solution

By: David A. Thomas and Stephanie J. Creary

This case profiles the evolution of Sodexo's diversity initiative. Diversity became a key priority for Sodexo, North America in 2001 after a class-action lawsuit was filed and certified in Washington, D.C. against Sodexo Marriot Services, Inc., the food services... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Business Strategy; Globalization; Management Teams; Gender; Race; Ethnicity; Age; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; Washington (state, US)

09 Nov 2015
Working Paper Summaries

Toxic Workers

Keywords: by Dylan Minor

How to Help (Without Micromanaging)

Extensive research shows that when employees get hands-on managerial support, they perform better than when they’re left to their own devices, but unnecessary or unwanted help can be demoralizing and counterproductive. So how do you intervene... View Details

03 Mar 2003
What Do You Think?

Are Conditions Right for the Next Accounting Scandal?

on the books of a company, Zulu Inc., being considered for acquisition. It comes to the attention of the acquirer that for some years Zulu has employed the same accounting firm. Directors at Acme, concerned about having their accountant review the working papers... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Accounting; Financial Services

Research Summary

The Effect of the Internet on Wages

Who benefits from the adoption of technology in the workplace? To explore, I combine worker-level wage data with information on broadband adoption by Brazilian firms to estimate the effects of broadband on wages. Overall, wages increase 2.3 percent following... View Details

Keywords: Internet; Organization Design; Brazil; Technology; Wages; Brazil

20 Aug 2020
Blog Post

“Business as Usual, In a Different Way” – Creating an Impactful Remote Internship at Actis

to onboard 17 Summer Associates around the globe, they focused on engaging their current Actis employees in the process. In a typical year, each Summer Associate would be assigned a line manager and team... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital / Private Equity; Other Financial Services

2012
Book

Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24-7 Habit and Change the Way you Work

By: Leslie A. Perlow

Does it have to be this way? Can't resist checking your smartphone or mobile device? Sure, all this connectivity keeps you in touch with your team and the office—but at what cost? In "Sleeping with Your Smartphone," Leslie Perlow reveals how you can disconnect and... View Details

Keywords: Time Management; Internet and the Web; Groups and Teams; Performance Productivity; Globalized Firms and Management; Service Industry

Article

Strong Leadership and Teamwork Drive Culture and Performance Change: Ohio State University Medical Center 2000–2006

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger, Fred Sanfilippo, Neeli Bendapudi and Anthony Rucci

Several characteristics of academic health centers have the potential to create high levels of internal conflict and misalignment that can pose significant leadership challenges.

In September 2000, the positions of Ohio State University (OSU) senior vice... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Organizational Structure; Performance Improvement; Customer Satisfaction; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Service Delivery; Satisfaction; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; Ohio

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04 Sep 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Wellsprings of Creation: Perturbation and the Paradox of the Highly Disciplined Organization

Keywords: by David James Brunner, Bradley R. Staats, Michael L. Tushman & David M. Upton

19 Apr 2016
Blog Post

First Minutes are Critical in New-Employee Orientation

HBS Career & Professional Development (CPD) is sharing Working Knowledge articles to further educate our recruiting partners about best practices in human resources. Employee orientation programs ought to be less about the company and... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

August 2015 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Turnaround at Norsk Gjenvinning (A)

By: George Serafeim

Erik Osmundsen, CEO of Norsk Gjenvinning (NG), had initiated a program to strenghten corporate governance, eliminate corruption and improve compliance, and as a result the company had experienced a turnover of almost half of its top 70 line managers and strained... View Details