Design thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

23 Nov 2021
Book

What It Takes to Build an Organizational Culture That Wins

it.” I see it differently. Think of it as a glass-half-full vs. a glass- half-empty view. An effective culture embodies learning, innovation, and change. Cultures centered around transparency and trust pave the way for change. In this... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

September 2010 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Assembling Smartphones: Takt Time ≠ Cycle Time?

By: Willy Shih and Ethan Bernstein

The case was prepared to be used as part of a process review in the first year Technology and Operations Management course at HBS. It offers students an opportunity to discuss the context of a manufacturing process choice, and then examine actual production numbers... View Details

Keywords: Cognition and Thinking; Research and Development; Design; Six Sigma; Measurement and Metrics; Production

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10 Dec 2007
HBS Case

One Laptop per Child

Drop it on the ground. Sprinkle water on its surface. Let it sit in the sun and expose it to swarms of dust—the XO laptop is designed to handle most any abuse from a child. But the journey of the XO laptop from concept to the educational... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Computer

November 1988
Case

Honeywell Residential Division: New Product Development

By: Steven C. Wheelwright

Describes three different product development efforts at the Residential Controls division of Honeywell, Inc. Each of the three projects was for a different market and competitive environment. Each was tackled in a somewhat different way within the Honeywell... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Construction; Outcome or Result; Situation or Environment; Business Divisions; Product Design; Change Management; Construction Industry

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22 May 2024
HBS Case

Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

understands users’ emotions TikTok presents videos it thinks a user might engage with, rather than waiting for the user to choose posts they prefer or follow those of influencers or friends. Its single-page vertical videos allow the app... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology

16 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Advancing Black Talent: From the Flight Ramp to 'Family-Sustaining' Careers at Delta

there was nothing left for them,” as one talent manager pointed out. “Not everyone has [accepted] skills-first hiring,” Hill says. “[But] Delta’s leadership understands how the business and moral imperatives are intertwined and addressed by skills-first hiring. I View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Air Transportation

13 Feb 2020
Book

Open Your Organization to Honest Conversations

to find out if your changes are working.” Believing in the process In the book, Beer describes how the carefully designed strategic fitness process has helped companies bring their problems into the light. It has been applied by numerous... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Apr 2024
In Practice

Navigating the Mood of Customers Weary of Price Hikes

the Digital, Data, and Design Institute. Chiara Farronato: Dig into data to find regional and product differences When I think of prices, I think of data, lots of data. We... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Retail; Consumer Products

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

marketers think of the customer experience like a play in three acts—pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. However, research by De Freitas and fellow researchers looked more holistically at the customer journey and found that most... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

03 May 2024
Research & Ideas

How Much Does Proximity Influence Startup Innovation? 20 Meters' Worth to Be Exact

real-life interactions and the best way to design collaborative workspaces, including business incubators. “Being physically in the same place as others that have different backgrounds becomes pretty important.” Knowledge and experience... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

Sam’s Club’s parent, once said: “Give me fewer, better-trained, better-paid people and they’ll win every time.”) But think a minute. We’ve mentioned four organizations that all have been quite successful pursuing both high- and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

22 Mar 2024
Research & Ideas

Open Source Software: The $9 Trillion Resource Companies Take for Granted

Hoffmann, a postdoctoral scholar at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH) at the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard, and Yanuo Zhou, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto. To quantify the dollar value... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Computer; Information Technology; Technology

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

31 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

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

decisions. Analytics are important, but judgment and critical thinking ultimately set the roadmap. All employees, not just the data scientists, use data to develop new insights and foresight instead of relying on past experience. Given... View Details

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

21 Mar 2019
HBS Case

The Ferrari Way

“If you drive a Ferrari, you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway, and you step on the gas.” —Soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic That purring engine. The buttery soft leather. Those sleek curves. The essence of a Ferrari transcends any one particular View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Auto

17 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

The Lessons of Business History: A Handbook

Yet for a number of reasons their research rarely permeates into wider literatures. Q: Why does business history research remain in a silo? A: I think there are at least three reasons. First, business historians often write big books on... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

30 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

Tracks of My Tears: Reconstructing Digital Music

those data using an econometric model that relates the growth in online music buying to the revenues per bundle. Q: Could we have real-world definitions of what you mean by bundle, pure bundle, mixed bundle, and unbundling? A: Sure. A "bundle" is any set of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

03 May 2011
Working Paper Summaries

How Do Risk Managers Become Influential? A Field Study of Toolmaking and Expertise in Two Financial Institutions

Keywords: by Matthew Hall, Anette Mikes & Yuval Millo; Banking

15 Aug 2023
HBS Case

(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?

says. “The timeline is perpetually pushed back. And so, for businesses thinking about making a commitment to the metaverse, it’s still unclear if this is the right moment. We've still got a long way to go on the metaverse, but the... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Computer; Information Technology

24 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 24

would not be achieved even if the product offered a payout ratio comparable to U.S. insurance contracts. We present evidence suggesting that lack of trust, liquidity constraints, and limited salience are significant non-price frictions that constrain demand. We suggest... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

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