Publications

June 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Technical Note

Note on the Future of Commerce

By: William R. Kerr, Daniel O'Connor and Nathaniel Schwalb

In 2019, the retail and consumer product industries were undergoing a significant transformation. Over the past 50 years, what was once a highly fragmented industry began to consolidate, digitize, and increase convenience while lowering costs. The winning enterprises... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Demand and Consumers; Demographics; Transformation; Global Range; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Model; Leading Change; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry

October 2007 (Revised July 2016)
Teaching Note

Gordon Bethune at Continental Airlines

By: Anthony J. Mayo

A $385 million loss for the final months of fiscal year 1994 signaled Continental might go bankrupt. Could new CEO Gordon Bethune turn Continental around? Continental was in dire straits because the deregulation of the commercial airline industry in 1978 ushered in a... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Profit; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Labor and Management Relations

June 2019 (Revised November 2019)
Case

Malaysia: An 'Asian Tiger' Reawakens

By: Richard H. K. Vietor

On May 9, 2018, in an extraordinary upset, Mahathir Mohamad again became Malaysia’s Prime Minister. Najib Razak, who had headed the government since 2009, had been swept up in the 1MDB scandal—perhaps the biggest state-corruption incident in history. Although... View Details

Keywords: Government and Politics; Crime and Corruption; Financial Crisis; Business and Government Relations; Economy; Leading Change; Malaysia

December 2007 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Leadership in Energy: Jim Rogers at Cinergy

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria, Colleen Kaftan and Geoff Eckman Marietta

Jim Rogers, CEO of the energy company Cinergy, has led the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier energy companies through selecting a focused strategy, aligning the organization to support it, and mobilizing all the employees to implementation. The... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Alignment; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry

25 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Steer Clear of the Blind Spots That Derail Experiments

made a series of changes and created a process for analyzing bias. Had the executives considered how to account for unintended consequences in their outcome metrics—and perhaps engaged a diverse user group to understand their... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

March 2023 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Akamai Technologies: Expanding the Talent Pipeline

By: Christopher Stanton, Lynda M. Applegate, Allison Ciechanover, Emily Grandjean and Sophie Beck

In 2022, senior executives of Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies met to consider whether and how to scale a successful technical training program. The program, Akamai Technical Academy (ATA), was launched in 2016 to address a key challenge at Akamai and in the... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Diversity; Talent and Talent Management; Technology Industry; United States; Boston

April 1996 (Revised June 1996)
Background Note

Cleveland Turnaround (C), The: Facts and Figures

By: James E. Austin and Jaan Elias

Traces the Cleveland community's efforts to move the city from economic, social, and political crisis in the late 1970s into revitalization and progress in the 1980s and 1990s. Special attention is given to the role of business leaders and the public-private... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Analytics and Data Science; Economic Growth; Business and Community Relations; Cleveland

Find at Harvard

25 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

How Disruptive Innovation is Remaking the University

universities. In this excerpt, they discuss the idea of a university's DNA. In the absence of a disruptive new technology, the combination of prestige and loyal support from donors and legislators has allowed traditional universities to weather occasional storms.... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen & Henry J. Eyring; Education

06 Dec 2021
News

Leadership in the Digital Age

As Professor Linda Hill set out to study “digital leaders,” the first thing she learned is that there is no such thing. All leaders—regardless of their sector—must think differently to lead a successful company in the digital age,... View Details

Keywords: April White

02 Dec 2018
News

An Investor’s Guide to Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities

consumers bear the true cost of their own energy consumption. This event was part of a series of alumni events focused on climate change organized by BEI and leading up to an HBS alumni conference in the... View Details

Keywords: Allison Webster; Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

01 Dec 2018
News

Competencies and Credentials

pace of technological change, the emergence of a gig economy, and shifting global and labor markets. As faculty co-chairs of the Managing the Future of Work project, William Kerr and Joseph Fuller are leading efforts to prepare leaders... View Details

November 2015 (Revised February 2016)
Case

Allianz Turkey: Focus on the Customer (A)

By: W. Earl Sasser and Gamze Yucaoglu

At the age of 39, Solmaz Altın took over the helm at Allianz Turkey. Solmaz quickly realized that, although the insurance market was thinly penetrated in Turkey, the company was operating in a very competitive environment with pressure on prices and, hence, cost... View Details

Keywords: Service Excellence; Customer Experience; Customer Service; Emerging Market; Customer Focus; Net Promoter Score; Customer Relationship Management; Competition; Leading Change; Service Operations; Emerging Markets; Customer Satisfaction; Insurance Industry; Turkey

21 Jun 2020
News

Rooting out Racism

John Rice (MBA 1992) John Rice (MBA 1992) Will the weeks of protest and statements of support for racial equity lead to lasting change for the country—or will we once again lose steam and move on to the next... View Details

October 2005 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Bennie Wiley at The Partnership, Inc.

Benaree Wiley, an African American, female HBS graduate (class of 1972), was appointed CEO and president in 1991 of The Partnership, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to developing leadership potential in professionals of color and in increasing their representation... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Leading Change; Nonprofit Organizations; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; Boston

04 Aug 2020
News

How Business Can Advance Racial Equity

In this episode of Skydeck, Lewin speaks with contributor April White about the impetus behind the pledge, what success might look like, and why she remains optimistic that real change is possible. Lisa Lewin (MBA 2003) READ MORE April... View Details

May 2018
Supplement

Abe on Womenomics, part 3: International Efforts & Conclusions: Excerpt from Opening Address to the World Assembly of Women, Tokyo, August 28, 2015

By: Boris Groysberg

This video supplement is a lightly edited excerpt of a 2015 speech by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in which he describes Womenomics--policies and aspirations to promote greater economic participation by Japan's women, thereby promoting economic growth, greater... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Gender; Business and Government Relations; Employment; Growth and Development; Working Conditions; Japan