Firing - Publications - Faculty & Research

2025
Book

Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier

By: Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau

Your guide--using the compelling stories of changemakers and the tools of economics--to the transformation and future possibilities of the business and economics of space.

Space is a place of unparalleled possibility for humanity, and it's undergoing a... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Economics; Innovation and Invention; Market Entry and Exit; Aerospace Industry

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07 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Fail—and How Their Founders Can Bounce Back

that goes against the normal tenets of morality and fair play. Ghosh cites as example a CEO who fires a bunch of employees in order to pay for his own severance package. In such cases, a manager's reputation will be tarnished to the point... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

18 Mar 2013
HBS Case

HBS Cases: LEGO

control. Finally, Knudstorp made big changes to the management team, firing five of seven manufacturing executives and appointing a new leader for the team. A psychoanalyst was brought in to teach the management team how to identify... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Entertainment & Recreation

05 Jul 2012
What Do You Think?

Why Is Trust So Hard to Achieve in Management?

met. Knowledge sharing would seem to foster trust as well. Other research suggests that trust may be associated with managers who hire, recognize, and fire the right people. At an organizational level, an aversion to letting people go in... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

30 Sep 2002
Research & Ideas

Your Crisis Response Plan: The Ten Effective Elements

responses. Response modules might include: facility lockdown, police or fire response, evacuation, isolation (preventing people from entering facilities), medical containment (response to significant epidemic), grief management, as well... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins

04 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Governing the Family-Run Business

policies, debt policies, even fire emergency policies. Brings the right people together at the right time to discuss the right (important) things. No organization is effective for long without doing these things. You should measure the... View Details

24 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together

bonding activity—regular rituals like doing the Walmart Cheer or firing a Nerf toy gun to conclude a project—led to a 16 percent increase in how meaningful employees judged their work to be, according to research by Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

05 Dec 2022
What Do You Think?

How Would Jack Welch’s Leadership Style Fare in Today’s World?

the company). On the other hand, under Welch GE either pioneered or stamped its approval on many useful practices that might not have otherwise enjoyed such widespread adoption. They include the Work-Out, Six Sigma quality, boundaryless behavior, View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Industrial Products; Media & Broadcasting; Medical Devices & Supplies; Manufacturing

29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Is There a Method to Musk’s Madness on Twitter?

Since Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, purchased Twitter for $44 billion last month, the company has undergone a series of abrupt shifts. Some changes, like Musk’s firing of 50 percent of the firm’s 7,000 employees, were deliberate.... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Technology

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

no matter how painful. As CEO, I often emphasized to my employees that no one will get fired for making a mistake, as we all make mistakes, but you will get fired for covering them up. Only after we agree on... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

23 May 2005
Research & Ideas

What Could Bring Globalization Down?

am not sure waves are the right natural-world image here. I would prefer to think of events such as forest fires or earthquakes—sudden crises arising from the advent of what scientists call "criticality." Q: What other... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

18 Aug 2022
Op-Ed

Your Best Employees Are Burning Out: A Framework for Retaining Talent

firings and layoffs close to the age of retirement so businesses could avoid paying pensions. Also, instead of staying with one company for a lifetime, it became the norm for employees to change companies and roles during their careers.... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson and MaShon Wilson

29 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Do Outlet Stores Exist?

that companies are capturing more data on customers than ever before—recording not only demographic information, but also details on every product purchase they make. "So much attention is being put on retail analytics that it's like drinking from a View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Retail

27 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

How the FBI Reinvented Itself After 9/11

It is hard to imagine a more difficult and tragic trial by fire for a new leader. On September 4, 2001, Robert Mueller started his new job as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A mere week later, on September 11,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

27 Jul 2020
Book

Reflection: The Pause That Brings Peace and Productivity

first of the three fundamental approaches to reflection has traditionally been called contemplation, or downshifting from time to time. At work, many people tend to focus on output, and their minds act like race car engines, firing on all... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

20 Apr 2011
Research & Ideas

Blind Spots: We’re Not as Ethical as We Think

practices of their clients, who have the power to fire them if they do notice. Q: The book is full of examples of people making decisions that they thought were ethical but clearly violated their own standards for ethical behavior—for... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

10 Dec 2021
Research & Ideas

Truth Be Told: Unpacking the Risks of Whistleblowing

two-thirds of the cases, the company just ignored the complaint. In another 10 percent of cases, the company is actually engaging in a cover-up. And then on top of that, some companies retaliate against the whistleblower, with firing... View Details

Keywords: by April White

16 Feb 2023
HBS Case

ESG Activists Met the Moment at ExxonMobil, But Did They Succeed?

The impact-investment hedge fund Engine No. 1 made a big splash in May 2021 when it managed to get three nominees elected to the ExxonMobil board of directors. It was an open effort to prod the oil giant toward renewable energy and test whether activist investing could... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Financial Services

09 Nov 2022
In Practice

COP27: What Can Business Leaders Do to Fight Climate Change Now?

The US government’s newly passed Inflation Reduction Act will direct $370 billion toward advancing renewal energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions—the country's largest investment in fighting climate change so far. As business and government leaders around the... View Details

Keywords: by Lynn Schenk and Danielle Kost

29 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

Do Disasters Rally Support for Climate Action? It's Complicated.

Environmental disasters like wildfires can ignite awareness of climate change and boost eco-friendly politicians’ careers. But do voters perceive a tradeoff between environmental policies and local economic growth? In Brazil, home to a majority of the Amazon tropical... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

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