Systems Thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

16 May 2023
HBS Case

How KKR Got More by Giving Ownership to the Factory Floor: ‘My Kids Are Going to College!’

workers like his father a share of the profits and get them to think like owners. The case studies, written by HBS Professor Dennis Campbell and assistant professor Ethan Rouen, describe the sea change in motivation that happens when... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

05 Nov 2014
HBS Seminar

CV Harquail, Authentic Organizations and Stevens Institute of Technology

12 Mar 2024
HBS Case

How Used Products Can Unlock New Markets: Lessons from Apple's Refurbished iPhones

Some of Apple’s most loyal customers think nothing of upgrading to the latest iPhone every time one comes out. But what about consumers who can’t splurge on a $1,000 iPhone 15 Pro? And what about the electronic waste that would accrue if people threw away functional... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Electronics; Information Technology

Web

Podcasts - Managing the Future of Work

of a diverse clientele with a diverse workforce; skills development; automation; and leveraging employee feedback. Beyond exit interviews: Knowing why workers quit makes for better job matches 20 NOV 2024 | Managing the Future of Work View Details

14 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Keeping Credit Flowing to Consumers in Need

families lost their homes, personal bankruptcies soared, and it seemed that every weekend one financial firm after another failed. There was substantial doubt about the ability of the financial system to return to any kind of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Construction; Real Estate

17 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Teaming in the Twenty-First Century

Even as academic journals and business sections of bookstores fill up with titles devoted to teams, teamwork, and team players, Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmondson wonders if many might be barking up the wrong tree. "I've begun to View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

09 Jan 2024
In Practice

Harnessing AI: What Businesses Need to Know in ChatGPT’s Second Year

limitations of generative AI solutions, discerning optimal use cases, and establishing boundary conditions will be pivotal. Responsible AI and AI ethics. As integration of AI systems deepens into society, businesses, and education, an... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Information Technology

07 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

The Debate over Taxing Foreign Profits

Kerry blasted "Benedict Arnold CEOs" for using tax advantages to do exactly that. We asked Harvard Business School professor Mihir Desai, an expert on international and corporate finance, to guide us through the complicated U.S. tax law on foreign profits,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Web

Podcast - Business & Environment

at BlackRock. Paul discusses how investors approach the complex web of weighing climate priorities with fiduciary responsibilities. He also talks about his career in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and where he thinks the next... View Details

26 Sep 2023
Research & Ideas

Unpacking That Icky Feeling of 'Shopping' for Diverse Job Candidates

offers new insight into the fluid dynamics in the growing and important space of diversity, equity, and inclusion, known as DEI. “It can make you feel like it's objectifying the people who are involved or exploiting them. It can lead to concerns that people might View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

11 Apr 2024
In Practice

Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains

Almost one-third of Americans consider immigration the most important “problem” that the United States faces, according to a new Gallup poll. And yet, companies say they need far more workers than the current system allows. Some business... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

04 Jan 2017
What Do You Think?

How Much Bureaucracy is a Good Thing in Government and Business?

appropriate when addressing complex problems we have not encountered before. But both Systems 1 and 2 can lead to poor decisions both in terms of content and timing. Can we roughly equate bureaucracy to View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett

22 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 22

in the credit market that have deep roots in the system's structure, conduct, and regulation. The time has come for a clear-eyed assessment of what happened and how the system should be strengthened and restructured. Such reform will have... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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

15 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 15, 2008

product design, production, distribution, and system integration may be split up among hundreds or even thousands of firms. Different firms will design and produce the different components of a complex artifact (like the processor,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

09 Feb 2024
HBS Case

Slim Chance: Drugs Will Reshape the Weight Loss Industry, But Habit Change Might Be Elusive

what may at first blush appear to be an easier fix: new drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, says Harvard Business School Professor Regina E. Herzlinger, who has studied the American health care system for decades. Wegovy has been... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Health; Pharmaceutical

14 Jun 2023
Op-Ed

Every Company Should Have These Leaders—or Develop Them if They Don't

how external factors impact the company and leverage this knowledge to create strategy. LTL specialists are transactional leaders. Individual contributors or managers here handle task heavy processes and systems that are primarily inward... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson

26 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

High-Stakes Decision Making: The Lessons of Mount Everest

demonstrates a more holistic approach to learning from large-scale organizational failures. It suggests that we cannot think about individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis in isolation. Instead, we need to examine how... View Details

Keywords: by Michael A. Roberto

01 Dec 2023
News

Wide Horizon

told, was a therapy called applied behavior analysis. “Then they handed us a list of ABA providers and said, ‘good luck.’ And that was all the medical system had for us.” At first, he accepted that answer at face value, but nonetheless... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Photos by Sarah Wilson

12 Apr 2022
Book

Racism, Colonialism, and Britain's Legacy of Violence

Britain’s 20th century empire was the largest in human history, with a quarter of the world’s land and nearly 700 million people. Yet the empire drew its strength from violence. That’s the conclusion Harvard Business School Professor Caroline Elkins draws in her new... View Details