Publications

28 Aug 2020
Video

Mavath R. Chandran

Mavath R. Chandran, a veteran executive in the Malaysian palm oil industry and an advisor to the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil, discusses how the British colonial regime contributed to the complex ethnic make-up of modern day Malaysia. He discusses at length the... View Details

Research Summary

Overview

My research seeks to understand and improve service integration across specialized professions and organizations. A critical idea driving my research is that work is becoming more dynamic, complex and interconnected, particularly for work that addresses difficult... View Details

Keywords: Organization Behavior; Health Care Delivery; Team Effectiveness; Organizational Learning

November 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Background Note

Designing Products and Processes: Aligning Hierarchical Problem Levels with Problem-Solving Team Forms

All complex systems have four distinct hierarchical design levels: system objectives, architecture, interfaces, and components. Each level has a distinct design question associated with it. Distinguishing among these levels and understanding the questions associated... View Details

Keywords: Design; Complexity

November 1989 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Managing Xerox's Multinational Development Center

Describes a manager's role in developing a staff group responsible for enhancing the efficiency of Xerox's worldwide logistics and inventory management systems. Illustrates a range of management strategies for upward and lateral influence in a complex organizational... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management

Leaders from global companies face complex challenges. Bruce Harreld discusses how these challenges can translate into executable strategies. For more information, visit: View Details

14 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

Difficulties for Women Bridging Racial, Generational, and Global Divides

one reader in the comments section of Oprah.com. "Oprah—you should be ashamed of yourself!" “Let's replace our judgment with curiosity” Among scholars, it's called "intersectionality"—the obvious yet complex idea that gender interacts... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

12 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Private Sector, Public Good

Should business play a role in supporting public institutions, and perhaps addressing the world's social challenges? When Harvard Professor Rebecca Henderson asked her colleagues and business executives that question over the last few years, the reaction was often... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Managing the Future of Work

The nature of work is changing. As companies grapple with forces—such as rapid technological change, shifting global product and labor markets, evolving regulatory regimes, outsourcing, and the fast emergence of the gig economy—they must overcome challenges and... View Details

Thomas W. Graeber

Thomas Graeber is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit at Harvard Business School. He teaches Negotiations in the MBA elective curriculum.

As an empirical behavioral and experimental... View Details

November 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Making Lemonade in Chicago's Troubled Neighborhoods

By: Nicolas Retsinas, Jazzmin Lamas and Lisa Strope

This case focuses on the complexities of building a real estate investment company in two Chicago low-income neighborhoods, Roseland and Englewood, during the foreclosure crisis in 2011. View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Investment Management; Financial Management; Social Issues; Investment; Real Estate Industry; Chicago

Teaching Interest

Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on Entrepreneurship (Doctoral)

By: Josh Lerner

Entrepreneurship—the formation and growth of new firms—is a complex phenomenon that has historically attracted relatively little academic attention. In recent years, however, scholars in a variety of disciplines have been devoting increasing attention to this topic.... View Details

25 Apr 2014
Video

Norm Merritt - Making A Difference

21 Mar 2012
Op-Ed

Finding the Right Jeremy Lin Storyline

difficult to understand multiple identity stories in combination. It means holding on to complexity and not using simple reasoning around one category or another to guide our thinking. The second is fear. It is difficult to talk about the... View Details

Keywords: by Lakshmi Ramarajan; Entertainment & Recreation

18 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Getting It Done: Improving Nonprofit Performance

measurement, mediocre performance often goes unnoticed and unpunished by the philanthropic capital markets, while, ironically, a record of successful achievements can make the next round of grants seem less compelling to potential givers. "The disorderliness and View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

November 2007 (Revised June 2016)
Background Note

Differences at Work: The Individual Experience

By: Sandra J. Sucher

This note presents some basic concepts and findings from social science research that can help you anticipate and manage some of the complexities of differences at work. View Details

Keywords: Demographics