Publications

September 1991
Case

Rethinking the Corporate Workplace: Case Managers at Mutual Benefit Life

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr.

In early 1991, a spirit of innovation and organizational change was in the air at Mutual Benefit Life, with the success of the new "case manager" program its most concrete manifestation. Using powerful computer workstations, case managers could see insurance... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Change Management; Information Technology; Insurance; Human Resources; Insurance Industry

10 Nov 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

Research News and Tips: Innovating Across Time Zones

Harvard Business Review 98, no. 5 (September–October 2020): 98–105. Weaknesses in supply chain strategy exposed As anyone who went grocery shopping in the early days of the pandemic can tell you, empty shelves revealed how COVID-19 did a number on global supply chains.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Oct 2016
Blog Post

An Interview with Corporate Relations Director, Cathy Hutchinson

so vast, creative and constantly evolving. Staying up on the latest technologies & innovations is challenging, but something I truly enjoy. I also appreciate that the tech and media focused students and alumni I speak with are equally... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Entertainment / Media / Sports

June 2010 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Tennant Company: Innovating Within and Beyond the Core

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Toby E. Stuart and James Weber

Tennant, a leading producer of floor cleaning equipment, must determine the business model to use for its new chemical-free cleaning technology. In 2005, Tennant Company had developed an innovative, environmentally friendly cleaning technology that could potentially... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Disruptive Innovation; Organizational Structure; Business Strategy; Value Creation; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry

03 Feb 2018
Op-Ed

How to Heed BlackRock's Call for Corporate Social Responsibility

the need for change, innovate by developing new standards and certification systems, and orchestrate the diffusion of these changes to have an impact. What is different now is that the movement that they launched is gaining increased... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Battilana

Web

Managing and Innovating in Financial Services - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Managing and Innovating in Financial Services Course Number 1509 Professor David Scharfstein Spring; Q3Q4; 3.0 credits 27 Sessions Exam Course Content Financial services firms play a critically important role in the... View Details

1990
Chapter

Implementing New Production Technologies: Exercises in Corporate Learning

By: D. A. Leonard-Barton

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Innovation and Management; Production; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Ventures; Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry

January 2014 (Revised June 2015)
Teaching Note

Amgen Inc: Pursuing Innovation and Imitation? (A), (B)

By: Ian Mackenzie

Keywords: Strategic Change; Biosimilars; Medical Biotechnology; Emerging Markets; Industry Structure; Uncertainty; Strategy Development; Implementation; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States

This article analyzes the closing gap between regulation and enforcement of environmental protection in China and explores its implications for doing business there. It identifies three major dimensions that characterize change in regulatory systems: priorities and... View Details

Web

Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy | HBS Online

Introduction to Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy This Credential Includes Leading in the Digital World, Design Thinking and Innovation, Digital Marketing Strategy, and Winning with Digital Platforms + team activities and a... View Details

05 Jun 2013
Op-Ed

Corporate Leaders Need to Step Up on Climate Change

will solve this one. But nobody seems to have noticed. Most green scorecards, corporate strategies, media, and shareholder analyses of businesses focus almost entirely on operational greening activities and policies, but not on whether... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Toffel & Auden Schendler

16 Jul 2024
Op-Ed

Corporate Boards Are Failing in Their No. 1 Duty

they realize the disparity between the CEO’s chosen direction and their expectations, which can lead to a permanent breach. When Omar Ishrak became the first outsider CEO of Medtronic in 2011, the board gave him a clear mandate: to revive the company’s reputable View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

February 2023
Article

Disruption and Credit Markets

By: Bo Becker and Victoria Ivashina

We show that over the past half century innovative disruptions were central to understanding corporate defaults. In a given year, industries experiencing abnormally high VC or IPO activity subsequently see higher default rates, higher segment exits by conglomerates,... View Details

Keywords: Default; Corporate Bonds; Disruption; Corporate Finance; Bonds

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23 Apr 2018
News

Governor Baker Swears In New Commission on Digital Innovation and Lifelong Learning

Web

Field Course: Ideation and Prototyping for Innovation - Course Catalog

existing products as PMs or in other roles within established organizations Advising early-stage startups as venture capital investors or corporate innovation teams as consultants In teams of two or three,... View Details

April 1993 (Revised October 1995)
Case

ALZA and Bio-Electro Systems (A): Technological and Financial Innovation

By: Josh Lerner and Peter Tufano

To develop the next generation of risky products, ALZA, a mature and profitable biotechnology firm specializing in drug delivery systems, must raise $40 million. Organizational constraints and competitive concerns demand that the work be done inside the firm. However,... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Technological Innovation; Business Subsidiaries; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Finance; Biotechnology Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

March 2004 (Revised July 2004)
Case

UCB: Managing Information for Globalization and Innovation (A) (Abridged)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey

A medium-size European manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and chemicals faces a number of information strategy issues. The case focuses on the issues of coordinating international IT activities and day-to-day operations as well as balancing the company's IT applications... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Information Technology; Operations; System; Corporate Strategy; Investment Portfolio; Globalization; Pharmaceutical Industry; Information Technology Industry; Brussels