Publications

2001
Case

Encylopedia Britannica (A)

By: Vijay Govindarajan and Praveen Kopalle

Two Scotsmen, Colin Macfarquhar, a printer, and Andrew Bell, an engraver, formed a partnership in 1768 to publish a "Dictionary of Arts and Sciences." The initial three-volume set was published as Encyclopedia Britannica. By 1990, consumers were purchasing the volumes... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Software; Books; Information Publishing; Publishing Industry

Read Now

June 1985 (Revised April 1989)
Case

Benetton (B)

By: James L. Heskett

The managing director of Benetton is faced with several issues concerning the adequacy of the company's organization to capitalize on the early success it has achieved in an important foreign market, the United States. Specifically, the case raises questions about... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Global Strategy; Transition; Growth and Development Strategy; Success; Business Headquarters; Business Subsidiaries; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Growth and Maturation; United States; Italy

18 Feb 2010
Working Paper Summaries

The Mirroring Hypothesis: Theory, Evidence and Exceptions

Keywords: by Lyra Colfer & Carliss Y. Baldwin

03 Dec 2017
News

GE Struggles To Show It Still Has Magic Touch

31 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

Where Can Digital Transformation Take You? Insights from 1,700 Leaders

growth, offering organizations unprecedented opportunities to develop new products and services, and even reimagine their businesses. In mid-2020, we set out to understand the challenges View Details

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

Web

Medium of Artistic Expression - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

Home Site map Map / Directions Search: General Information HBS Home About Annual Report Campus Commencement Dean Nohria Employment Fifty Years of Women Give News New... View Details

April 1994 (Revised January 1995)
Case

Buck & Pulleyn

A woman CEO believes that industry and organizational conditions require for a reengineering/restructuring job her company. However, she wants to gain maximum commitment and buy-in form the entire company. She does this by setting up employee task forces and teams, but... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring

27 Jul 2021
Video

Aroon Purie

Aroon Purie, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India Today, describes diversifying first into different magazine variations by launching regional editions of India Today, Business Today, men’s health, and moving into women’s lifestyle magazines and acquiring... View Details

01 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Encouraging Dissent in Decision-Making

which all organized human groups are susceptible—the suppression, especially during planning and decision-making, of views that might be perceived as contentious or disruptive to an organization's... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

13 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

Managing to Learn: How Companies Can Turn Knowledge into Action

concept of a learning organization is one that is "skilled at creating, acquiring, interpreting, transferring, and retaining knowledge and at purposefully modifying its behavior to reflect View Details

Keywords: by Laurie Joan Aron

February 2019 (Revised September 2021)
Case

The a2 Milk Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher

The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details

June 2020 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Deloitte's Pixel (A): Consulting with Open Talent

By: Michael L. Tushman, John Winsor and Kerry Herman

Deloitte Consulting’s General Manager Balaji Bondili, head of Pixel, considers how best to grow Deloitte Consulting’s use of open (on-demand) talent, as consulting companies and their clients face transformative change in the way client engagements and projects get... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Talent and Talent Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Consulting Industry; United States

October 2020 (Revised February 2025)
Technical Note

Reinvention

By: Ryan Raffaelli

This note is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of leading innovation in established organizations. Reinvention is a process whereby organizations respond to changes in the environment that threaten their core business model, technologies,... View Details

Keywords: Innovation And Strategy; Leadership And Change Management; Organizational Ambidexterity; Exploration And Exploitation; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Leading Change; Technology Adoption; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation

January 2018 (Revised June 2018)
Case

Medtronic: Navigating a Shifting Healthcare Landscape

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Michael E. Porter, Thomas W. Feeley and Alee Hernandez

Medtronic is adapting its strategy to changes in healthcare competition and payments. It has decided to develop new relationships with payers, hospitals, and physicians to become more accountable for patient outcomes and total costs. The case describes new forms of... View Details

Keywords: Value Based Health Care; Bundled Payments; Health Care and Treatment; Cost Management; Value Creation; Supply Chain Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States; Netherlands

December 2010
Case

Leadership, Culture, and Transition at lululemon

By: Michael Tushman, Ruth Page and Tom Ryder

The case examines leadership and organizational change within a strong culture context through a multimedia study of lululemon, a specialty retailer of high-end athletic apparel. Video segments trace the company's history from its founding in 1998 as a single retail... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Transition; Growth Management; Management Teams; Organizational Structure; Governing and Advisory Boards; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Vancouver; United States

Web

Research Links: Secondary Sources - Railroads and the Transformation of Capitalism | Harvard Business School

Railroads" Personal Papers, 1885, in The Railroads: Pioneers in Modern Management Alfred Chandler, ed. New York: Arno Press, 1979. Perrow, Charles. Organizing America: Wealth, Power, and the Origins View Details

Web

Dream Realities - The High Art of Photographic Advertising - Baker Library | Bloomberg Center

Commercial photographers worked their medium not only to capture the realistic elements of a subject but also to imbue it with idealized qualities. The modernist sensibility manifested itself in the creation View Details

October 2021
Background Note

How to Write an Action-Planning Memo

By: Ryan Raffaelli and Akshaya Varghese

The ability to communicate an action plan through writing is essential for advancing ideas, earning credibility, and garnering support. Research has shown that leaders who write formal plans are more likely to execute successfully—written plans help members of an... View Details

Keywords: Writing; Action Plan; Communication; Competency and Skills; Planning