Publications

04 May 2007
What Do You Think?

How Do Managers Think?

Summing Up Can managers acquire ways of thinking or ways of learning from doctors? Managers can learn from an understanding of how doctors think. But whether the lessons are profound or even totally... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

Research Summary

Identity Work, Itinerant Careers, and Management Education

I investigate how and where individuals develop, revise and consolidate identity narratives that afford them some degree of self-esteem, a sense of direction and purpose, and social legitimacy, in the context of careers that feature discontinuities, mobility and... View Details

20 Jul 2009
Research & Ideas

Markets or Communities? The Best Ways to Manage Outside Innovation

Thanks to technology and instant global communication, it has never been easier for companies to seek solutions to problems or find new ideas from sources outside their own corporate walls. But the art of managing these external... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

June 2001
Teaching Note

Coordinating + Managing Supply Chains: Course Overview Note TN

By: Ananth Raman

Describes the MBA elective course on supply chain management at HBS. Coordinating and Managing Supply Chains focuses on the managerial aspects of supply chains. Acquaints students with practical issues in a variety of supply chains and then identifies barriers to, and... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Framework; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Management Practices and Processes; Managerial Roles; Marketing; Supply Chain Management; Performance Improvement; Planning; Behavior; Integration

02 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Casino Payoff: Hands-Off Management Works Best

host's local knowledge and experience, reinforced by a less-controlled management apparatus, is an invaluable asset for the specific property and should play a key role in the decision-making process for the... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Entertainment & Recreation

2022
Article

Diffusing Management Practices within the Firm: The Role of Information Provision

By: Michael J. Lenox and Michael W. Toffel

Why are some firms more successful in adopting profitable environmental management practices than others? A key role of corporate managers is to encourage subsidiaries to adopt innovative practices. We examine the conditions under which corporate managers use... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Strategy; Information Provision; Environmental Management; Knowledge Dissemination

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Research Summary

Managing Innovation in the Emerging Industrial Research System

The second track of Chesbrough's research looks at issues of how firms manage technology in an environment where research capability is increasingly distributed across the globe. Chesbrough sees the research system in the United States undergoing significant change,... View Details

March 2006 (Revised March 2007)
Background Note

Winning Legally: Using the Law to Create Value, Marshal Resources, and Manage Risk

Describes the four components of legal astuteness: the attitudes, proactive approach, judgment, and knowledge necessary to manage the legal aspects of business effectively. Identifies a number of legal tools legally astute managers can use during different phases of... View Details

Keywords: Management; Law; Business Strategy

17 Apr 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Diffusing Management Practices within the Firm: The Role of Information Provision

Keywords: by Michael J. Lenox & Michael W. Toffel; Technology

05 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

Middle managers aren’t going extinct. They’re evolving. Once a wasteland where careers stalled or abruptly ended in layoffs, middle management has adapted and is thriving, seeing double-digit growth in some... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

30 Apr 2024
Book

When Managers Set Unrealistic Expectations, Employees Cut Ethical Corners

organization, says Paine, a Baker Foundation Professor. In fact, the fault often lies with managers who set unrealistic deadlines, production targets, or other objectives that lead decent people to take shortcuts to achieve the goal... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Web

General Management - Faculty & Research

General Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Awards & Honors Doctoral Students June 1, 2025 Article How Universities Die: It Has Happened Before in Centers of Learning Such as Berlin and Beijing. Is Boston Next? By: William C. Kirby... View Details

March 2009
Case

The Home Depot: Leadership in Crisis Management

By: Herman B. Leonard, Marc J. Epstein and Melissa Tritter

Examines the challenges The Home Depot faced in the aftermath of natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Andrew. By providing 40,000 to 50,000 items sold by knowledgeable associates, The Home Depot became a destination place for customers in need of... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Leadership; Crisis Management; Logistics; Natural Disasters; Retail Industry

25 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Rapport: The Hidden Advantage That Women Managers Bring to Teams

Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding Feedback or ideas to share? Email the Working Knowledge team at hbswk@hbs.edu. Image: Image created by HBSWK with assets from AdobeStock/Vera... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Food & Beverage

12 May 2015
Blog Post

A Summer Internship in General Management

Like many of his classmates, Andrew Ling (MBA 2015) decided to use the summer between his first and second year to try out something new. Formerly a consultant at McKinsey, he spent his summer working in a marketing and general management... View Details

Article

Management Accounting and Control: Lessons for and from the World's Tiniest Businesses

By: Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein and Kristi Yuthas

The article discusses skills microentrepreneurs need to manage and expand their businesses. After interviewing hundreds of microfinance clients around the globe, the authors were able to identify five tools drawn from management accounting where improved knowledge... View Details

Keywords: Governance Controls; Expansion; Business or Company Management; Microfinance; Cost Management; Risk Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Accounting; Opportunities

Find at Harvard

July 2012
Case

Johannes Linden: Managing the Global Executive Committee

By: Linda A. Hill and Mark Rennella

Johannes Linden is the Director of the Washer and Dryer division of Fluss, a large Swiss appliance manufacturer. Soon after the company completes its revenue projections and bonus targets for the upcoming year, Linden shares some good news with his leadership team, the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Motivation and Incentives; Power and Influence; Multinational Firms and Management; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Switzerland

Web

Accounting & Management - Faculty & Research

risk committee and identifying the committee responsible for reputation management. We also find progress in "input control” related to domain knowledge with an increase of 16% in new bank directors with prior risk View Details

January 2004 (Revised February 2005)
Background Note

A Note on Methodological Fit in Management Field Research

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Stacy McManus

To use in doctoral-level management courses on the design of field research methods. Advocates the importance of fit, or internal consistency, among the different elements of a field research project. Although the scientific method provides an essential framework for... View Details

Keywords: Management; Research