Publications

18 Oct 2021
Blog Post

Embracing Activism for Social Change

much of her first post-HBS year managing the pilot. Resolving Crisis Situations Mendu and other members of the partnership developed a three-part initiative informed by the best practices they gathered from local stakeholders and... View Details

May 2024
Case

SofMedica Group: Managing Growth

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

SofMedica Group had expanded from its origins as a medical equipment distributor in Romania to a holding company with four business lines operating in six countries. This expansion had been driven by SofMedica’s mission: to make cutting edge medical technology... View Details

August 2002 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Gillette Company (C): Strategies for Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and James Weber

Examines the strategic change agenda set by a new CEO as the initial priorities in the turnaround of this leading global consumer products company. View Details

Keywords: Business History; Global Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Leading Change; Change Management; Retail Industry

Research Summary

Dynamic Customer Relationship Management

Professor Lemon's work on dynamic customer relationships provides insight into how the customer's view of the relationship changes over time. Her research shows that current customers will adjust usage levels of a service in response to firm price changes in order to... View Details

The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership

The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership is an examination of how the role of the business leader in the U.S. has changed from World War II to the present. A small number of high-profile individuals have transformed the face of modern-day... View Details

April 2008
Case

Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing the Reorganization

By: Anne Donnellon and Dun Gifford Jr

Ken Winston, the regional sales manager at a securities brokerage firm, has reorganized his generalist salespeople into Key Account Teams (KAT) to increase sales of specialized, higher-margin fixed income products. Winston is also implementing a new corporate... View Details

July 2012
Case

LEGO

By: Jan W. Rivkin, Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer

LEGO has emerged as one of the most successful companies in the toy industry. The case describes LEGO's gradual rise, rapid decline, and recent revitalization as it is keeping up with a changing market place. Central to LEGO's management model is the ability to find... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Management; Innovation; Operations Management; Organizational Change And Transformation; Operations; Competitive Strategy; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

March 2015
Teaching Note

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American (A), (B), and (C)

By: Gautam Mukunda

This is a teaching note for the Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American case. It describes how to teach the case to demonstrate theories of leading change and Leader Filtration Theory. The case is a dramatic story of organizational transformation as Carroll attempts to... View Details

Keywords: Leadership And Change Management; Leadership, Personal Strategy ＆ Style; Change Management; Change; Safety; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Leadership Style; Mining Industry; South Africa

13 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

When Gender Changes the Negotiation

The last few months have been trying for Maureen Park, the managing director of a small portfolio management firm. The firm's parent company, a large financial services concern, was performing below... View Details

Keywords: by Dina W. Pradel, Hannah Riley Bowles & Kathleen L. McGinn

July 2005 (Revised February 2007)
Background Note

Principles of Family Business System Change

By: John A. Davis

Identifies several practical principles to keep in mind when changing a family business system. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation

10 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

Has #MeToo Changed How Hollywood Hires?

light in 2017 are substantially more likely than those without such prior ties to bring on female writers following the #MeToo movement, according to a forthcoming article in Management Science titled Scandal, Social Movement, and Change:... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Media & Broadcasting

Managing Growth

But marketing was important. Even if we produced the greatest drugs in the world, we’d be in trouble if we couldn’t get doctors to prescribe them or insurers to pay for them. As for our reluctance to look outside the company for ideas, I like to say that 0.1% of the... View Details

December 2019 (Revised June 2020)
Case

The New LAX: Ready for Takeoff?

By: Boris Groysberg, Kerry Herman and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Chair of LAX Board Sean Burton and LAX CEO Deborah Flint have made progress on streamlining and modernizing LAX's complex capital projects ($12 billion worth) while reorganizing and retooling Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) staff resources, management processes, and... View Details

Keywords: Leadership And Change Management; Leadership; Change Management; Performance Improvement; Strategic Planning; Air Transportation; Outcome or Result; Air Transportation Industry; Los Angeles

13 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

How 'Small C' Change Can Beat Large-Scale Rebuilding

Even as COVID vaccines begin early deployment, pressure on leaders continues to mount to engage in “Big C” change: rapid course corrections through job cuts, recruiting a fresh management team, and redesigning roles and responsibilities... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Sascha L. Schmidt, and Sebastian Flegr; Sports

May 1993 (Revised May 1994)
Case

Managing for Integrity: Three Vignettes

By: Lynn S. Paine

Three situations are described. A branch manager for a retail brokerage firm must decide whether to change the branch's cash management techniques to increase interest earnings. An auto mechanic must decide whether to oversell parts and repairs to meet sales and... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Ethics; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Financial Management; Sales; Organizational Change and Adaptation

May 3, 2023
Article

What Top-Performing Sales Managers Do Differently

By: Mike Schultz and Frank V. Cespedes

Sales managers hire reps, influence their training, provide (we hope) feedback and so reinforce good selling behaviors, and are key in the execution of growth and change initiatives. In a study of more than 1,000 sales managers and sellers across industries, we found... View Details

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Sales; Performance Effectiveness