Business Improvement - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Jan 2020
What Do You Think?

Why Not Open America's Doors to All the World’s Talent?

Economy & Society, a thoughtful analysis of whether the United States risks losing its preeminent position in attracting global talent. Kerr is the Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff-MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration at... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

06 Mar 2013
What Do You Think?

Who Should Manage Our Work Time?

afternoon nap to adequate vacation, to be more productive. Then Carson Tate suggests ways of reducing time spent in meetings, such things as advance agendas, clear understanding of the results to be achieved, and even eliminating chairs, in order to increase personal... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

05 Feb 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?

research and practice that can guide and improve the selection process and its outcomes. Their message was: "We know how to do it. And here's how." As Al Shealy commented, "The research isn't being used." Dan Erwin... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

14 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Should You Bring Advertising Expertise In-House?

If Mad Men advertising hotshot Don Draper was operating on Madison Avenue today, he would find competition coming from more than just other ad firms. A recent study by Harvard Business School professor emeritus Alvin J. Silk and... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Advertising

20 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

When Predicting Other People's Preferences, You're Probably Wrong

John, an assistant professor in the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets unit at Harvard Business School. “They assume the Bachelor can only like one type of woman.” “When you like one lake, people infer that you hate cities” It turns... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

21 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Faculty Research Looks to Latin America

produce benefits, particularly in light of what's going on now in terms of a number of these privatized firms being de-listed? What is the role of institutional reforms in improving information and accountability?" Global Investor... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

12 Jan 2018
Cold Call Podcast

Leadership Lessons from a Young Martin Luther King, Jr.

writes about extensively, including numerous books, articles, and business cases. He's also the former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic, and he's the author of this really wonderful case that we're going to discuss today.... View Details

02 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 2

Company Authors:Michael Beer and Magnus Finnstrom Publication:Leadership in Action, November-December 2009 Abstract Traditional leadership development programs often fail to achieve the desired results because they don't focus on learning linked to the company's View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

29 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Star Power! How to Win in Professional Services

choices. Suppose the issue is a decision to promote a successful young person to lead a significant business unit. A corporate CEO will typically solicit input from others, including the vice president of human resources. Essentially,... View Details

Keywords: by Jay W. Lorsch & Thomas J. Tierney

27 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 27, 2007

individual's past performance does indicate future performance, the quality of colleagues in one's organization also significantly affects top performers' ability to maintain their performance. Specifically, top performers in professional View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

22 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Balancing the Future Against Today’s Needs

It is a classic leadership challenge of the early twenty-first century: How do you steer your business and motivate your people to pursue breakthrough growth while giving proper attention to executing the here and now with the utmost care... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Michelman

04 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

Worried About the Great Resignation? Be a Good Company to Come From

resignation rates are through the roof. Additionally, there are jobs which have "bad hygiene," by which we mean they are demanding, low paid, and provide few prospects for advancement. Some companies and industries are taking a hard look at View Details

Keywords: by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta

15 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

The Lessons of New-Market Disruption

rewarded with a new line of business that created revenues in excess of $200 million over the next several years. HP backed out of its efforts after two years with multimillion-dollar losses and a considerable amount of bad press. How did... View Details

Keywords: by Clark Gilbert; Technology

23 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Forgiving Medical Debt Won't Make Everyone Happier

patients finds the reality is much more complicated when it comes to languishing hospital bills. Canceling overdue medical debt on average does little or nothing to improve credit access, existing bill payment rates, or even mental... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Health

22 Mar 2010
Research & Ideas

One Strategy: Aligning Planning and Execution

patterns of behavior, not the other way around," writes Harvard Business School professor Marco Iansiti, an expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and operations. “The planning process we describe is going to surprise many... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

19 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

Doomsday Coming for Catastrophic Risk Insurers?

Kenneth A. Froot spends more time thinking about natural disasters than the average business school professor. In addition to the rise and fall of the Dow and the long-term implications of the financial crisis in Greece, he has natural... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Financial Services

23 Dec 2014
First Look

First Look: December 23

reinterpretation of ideas related to agency conflicts and a holistic view of corporate financial strategy that examines payout and capital structure decisions jointly. Download working paper: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2535675 Cases &... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

12 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 12

notably higher entry rates and increases in plant productivity. These results are not present for districts located on another major highway system, the North-South East-West corridor (NS-EW). Improvements for portions of the NS-EW system... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

The Unfulfilled Promise of Educational Technology

inventory without the use of technology," says John Jong-Hyun Kim, a senior lecturer and William Henry Bloomberg fellow at Harvard Business School. "And yet, schools have been slow to adopt and integrate technology in the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Education

06 Aug 2014
Research & Ideas

Climbing Down from the Ivory Tower

creating the final versions. Some companies even base their business model on co-production; Build-a-Bear stores allow consumers to create personalized teddy bears. "With the growth of customizable technology, there is an appreciation of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education; Health

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