Publications

2008
Book

Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations

By: Abraham Zaleznik

In this compelling look at charismatic leaders and their leadership styles, Abraham Zaleznik asserts that leaders are either "hedgehogs," who view leadership as a single-minded track driven by unwavering rules, or "foxes," who assess and re-evaluate their... View Details

Keywords: Attitudes; Leadership Style; Government and Politics; Power and Influence; Innovation and Invention

November 2001 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Smartix (A): Dancing with Elephants

By: Donald N. Sull, James K. Sebenius and Noam Wasserman

This case describes issues facing the founder-CEO of a high-tech start-up in Boston, as he negotiates with multiple large potential partners and investors. The negotiations include a potential business partnership with FleetCenter and Madison Square Garden, and a... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Venture Capital; Negotiation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Power and Influence; Technology Industry; Boston

20 Jun 2011
Lessons from the Classroom

Fame, Faith, and Social Activism: Business Lessons from Bono

To Nancy F. Koehn, the history of the Irish rock band U2 has it all as a business case study: teamwork, leadership, creative destruction, branding, and strategy. Koehn's case "Bono and U2", co-written with Katherine Miller and Rachel K. Wilcox, reconstructs the story... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Entertainment & Recreation

November 2007
Case

Differences at Work: Alex (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Rachel Gordon

At an interview for his dream job, Alex has been asked an inappropriate question by the interviewer. How will Alex handle the situation? Should he accept the position is offered? View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Behavior; Job Interviews; Ethics; Human Resources; Diversity; Power and Influence

Web

Harvard Business School

Baker Library Special Collections Exhibits More Exhibits Explore the Exhibit Student Pioneers The Value of Business Education The Golden Age of Black Business AASU Early Years & Influence AASU Founders Core Demands & Proposals Early Years... View Details

01 Jun 2001
News

Character Studies: The Class of 2001 Graduates

year’s 844 graduates appear destined to influence the world of business — and the world at large — as they make their mark in the decades ahead. From this group, the Bulletin had the difficult task of selecting six individuals to... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

01 Sep 2004
News

Big Brothers

Cincinnati police lieutenant, and West, president and CEO of Hospice of Cincinnati, remain BBBS supporters; both spoke at BBBS’s national convention last spring. “Big and little have become big and big,” West said. “Tony has accomplished so much and has become such a... View Details

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

24 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

Is Your iPhone Turning You Into a Wimp?

What kind of a device are you using to read this article? And what does your body posture look like? Are you hunching over a smartphone screen, arms tightly at your side? Are you slouching over an iPad or laptop? Or are you stretched out comfortably in an office chair,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology; Consumer Products

2019
Article

Big Data

By: John A. Deighton

Big data is defined and distinguished from a mere moment in the “ancient quest to measure.” Specific discontinuities in the practice of information science are identified that, the paper argues, have large consequences for the social order. The infrastructure that runs... View Details

Keywords: Big Data; Digital Infrastructure; Privacy; Algorithm; Data Generators; Marketplace Icon; Analytics and Data Science; Infrastructure; Power and Influence; Society

Read Now

August 2008 (Revised July 2012)
Background Note

The Power to Persuade (Abridged)

By: Michael Watkins, G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

This note develops and explains a five-part framework for persuading others to support (or not oppose) a desired course of action. View Details

Keywords: Framework; Management Skills; Negotiation Tactics; Power and Influence; Cooperation

01 Oct 2018
News

Get Involved

contribute to leaving the world a little bit different than you found it, but in a good way? It's just touching other people, understanding that you have an influence in how this world is shaped and how this world operates, no matter how... View Details

Keywords: Finance

Profile

Thomas Grenier

How has your HBS experience shaped your career path? I came to HBS from McKinsey and will continue working at McKinsey now that I have completed my MBA. This might lead people to think that HBS didn't really influence my career path, but... View Details

01 Oct 1996
News

New Releases

the social environment on creative motivation and behavior in a variety of contexts, including the organization. From an ongoing multiyear research project into the nature of creativity and how social factors influence its manifestations,... View Details

01 Dec 2010
News

Eight Join HBS Faculty

Torfason is an instructor in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit and teaches the first-year course The Entrepreneurial Manager. His research focuses on how behavior is influenced by the social structures of individuals and organizations.... View Details

01 Feb 2022
What Do You Think?

Is Concierge Management an Answer to the “Big Quit”?

diversity, equity, and inclusion.” It was also found that quit rates varied among and within industries. For example, JetBlue’s quit rate was twice as high as Southwest Airlines’. Another important influence was “poor response to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Jun 2010
Research & Ideas

Improving Brand Recognition in TV Ads

that tracks the eye movements of nearly 2,000 participants over 31 commercials to show how various branding patterns of activity influence consumer "zapping," or ignoring, commercials. “The days when you could tell a consumer... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Media & Broadcasting; Entertainment & Recreation

01 Aug 1979
Conference Presentation

Organizational Locations as a Link between Structure and Behavior: General Considerations and the Case of Opportunity and Power

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Organizations; Social Psychology; Behavior; Power and Influence