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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,470)
- People (4)
- News (619)
- Research (1,397)
- Events (6)
- Multimedia (67)
- Faculty Publications (994)
- Winter 2020
- Article
A Noble Purpose Alone Won't Transform Your Company: Leadership Behaviors That Nurture Interpersonal Collaboration Are the True Drivers of Change
By: Robert Cross, Amy C. Edmondson and Wendy Murphy
Cross, Robert, Amy C. Edmondson, and Wendy Murphy. "A Noble Purpose Alone Won't Transform Your Company: Leadership Behaviors That Nurture Interpersonal Collaboration Are the True Drivers of Change." MIT Sloan Management Review 61, no. 2 (Winter 2020).
- May 2024 (Revised February 2025)
- Case
Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell
By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Alexis Lefort
Brooke Boyarsky Pratt (HBS ’13) enjoyed considerable success in her early career, quickly climbing the ranks to associate partner at McKinsey, and later becoming an executive vice president at Berkadia, a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company. Throughout these years,... View Details
Keywords: Passion; Career; Career Planning; Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Mission and Purpose; Identity; Business Startups; Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Health Industry; United States
Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Alexis Lefort. "Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell." Harvard Business School Case 424-040, May 2024. (Revised February 2025.)
- Fall 2021
- Article
Strategy as a Way of Life: Businesses Must Root Strategy in Moral Purpose to Thrive in a Complex, Rapidly Changing World
By: Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi
Doing the ordinary things in life a little bit better every day elevates individuals. All of us gained mother's wisdom by living with her, by watching her from behind her, by being scolded by her, and being told over and over again, to be honest, not to tell a lie or... View Details
Nonaka, Ikujiro, and Hirotaka Takeuchi. "Strategy as a Way of Life: Businesses Must Root Strategy in Moral Purpose to Thrive in a Complex, Rapidly Changing World." MIT Sloan Management Review 63, no. 1 (Fall 2021): 56–63.
- Article
Getting Clear on Corporate Culture: Conceptualisation, Measurement and Operationalisation
By: Nien-he Hsieh, Benjamin Lange, David Rodin and Mira L. A. Wolf-Bauwens
This article provides a review of existing literature on corporate culture, drawing on work from the disciplines of business ethics, management studies, psychology, anthropology, and economics, as well as interviews with business leaders. It surveys different... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Culture; Culture Change; Business Ethics; Corporate Purpose; Corporate Culture Significance; Culture Measurements; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Ethics; Mission and Purpose; Measurement and Metrics
Hsieh, Nien-he, Benjamin Lange, David Rodin, and Mira L. A. Wolf-Bauwens. "Getting Clear on Corporate Culture: Conceptualisation, Measurement and Operationalisation." Journal of the British Academy 6, no. s1 (2018): 155–184. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/006s1.155.)
- 2023
- Working Paper
Segmented Going-Public Markets and the Demand for SPACs
By: Angela Ma, Miles Zheng and Jessica Bai
We provide a regulatory-arbitrage-based explanation for the origin and proliferation of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). SPAC sponsors act as non-bank intermediaries, and the SPAC market structure appeals to yield-seeking investors and riskier,... View Details
Keywords: Special Purpose Acquisition Companies; Non-bank Intermediaries; Regulatory Arbitrage; Adverse Selection; Initial Public Offering
Ma, Angela, Miles Zheng, and Jessica Bai. "Segmented Going-Public Markets and the Demand for SPACs." Working Paper, 2023.
- September–October 2020
- Article
Social-Impact Efforts That Create Real Value
By: George Serafeim
Until the mid-2010s few investors paid attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data—information about companies’ carbon footprints, labor policies, board makeup, and so forth. Today the data is widely used by investors. How can organizations create... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Management; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Disclosure; ESG Disclosure Metrics; ESG Ratings; ESG Reporting; Social Impact; Impact Measurement; Social Innovation; Purpose; Corporate Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility; Strategy; Social Enterprise; Society; Accounting; Investment; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Corporate Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Services Industry; Chemical Industry; Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; North America; Europe; Japan; Australia
Serafeim, George. "Social-Impact Efforts That Create Real Value." Harvard Business Review 98, no. 5 (September–October 2020): 38–48.
- 2021
- Working Paper
How to Fix ESG Reporting
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Karthik Ramanna
Investors, advocacy groups, academics, and the 200 CEOs of the US Business Roundtable have asked corporations to take on an added purpose beyond a narrow pursuit of shareholder value. In response, many companies now issue ESG (Environmental, Societal, and Governance)... View Details
Keywords: ESG Reporting; Sustainability; Corporate Purpose; Greenhouse Gas; Activity-Based Costing; Environmental Sustainability; Environmental Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Measurement and Metrics; Goals and Objectives; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Accountability
Kaplan, Robert S., and Karthik Ramanna. "How to Fix ESG Reporting." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-005, July 2021.
- June 2025
- Case
Khabar Lahariya
By: Ranjay Gulati and Kanika Jain
Founded and run entirely by women, Khabar Lahariya was a leading digital media portal, known for its uniquely feminist perspective and rural focus. It started in 2002 as a non-profit print publication, and by 2023, had evolved into a multimedia news site that was part... View Details
- 01 Jun 2023
- News
Turning Point: Sum of the Parts
Gregory K. Tanaka (MBA 1974) (Illustration by Gisela Goppel) Gregory K. Tanaka (MBA 1974) (Illustration by Gisela Goppel) In a kind of twisted and sometimes painful way, I learned from a Japanese norm how to achieve great things in life, even if the path I took wasn’t... View Details
- 06 Dec 2021
- News
Turning Point: Makeover
Vicky Tsai (MBA 2006) (Illustration by Gisela Goppel) Vicky Tsai (MBA 2006) (Illustration by Gisela Goppel) My first job was as a derivatives trader. The markets fascinated me; the testosterone-driven culture of the trading floor did not. I tried to fit in, but being... View Details
- November 5, 2013
- Article
How to Turn Around Nearly Anything
In turbulent times, turnarounds are increasingly a fact of life. Some companies need to be rescued from the brink of extinction, but that’s not the only kind of turnaround. Others need a course correction while still profitable, or a momentum shift because of... View Details
Keywords: Turnarounds; Change; Purpose; Team Building; Voice; Positivity; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Value; Assets; Mission and Purpose
Kanter, Rosabeth M. "How to Turn Around Nearly Anything." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (November 5, 2013).
- March 2021 (Revised August 2023)
- Case
Helen Keller: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun
This case describes the rise of Helen Keller who at 19 months became deaf and blind. Refusing to be sidelined from life, Keller showed great determination in learning how to communicate with others, employing tutors and travelling to Boston to enroll in the Perkins... View Details
Keywords: Mission And Purpose; Values And Beliefs; Success; Diversity; Leading Change; Personal Development and Career; Personal Characteristics; Power and Influence
Simons, Robert, and Shirley Sun. "Helen Keller: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 121-071, March 2021. (Revised August 2023.)
- January 2018
- Case
Under Armour
By: Rory McDonald, Clayton M. Christensen, Daniel West and Jonathan E. Palmer
After 20 years of growth unprecedented in the sports apparel industry, Under Armour finds itself with a new record to beat: making the leap from $5 to $10 billion in sales—a feat only accomplished to date by competitors Nike and Adidas. At the heart of this challenge... View Details
Keywords: Under Armour; Nike; Adidas; ＂Jobs To Be Done; Purpose Brands; Entrepreneurship; Customer Focus and Relationships; Innovation Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Growth Management; Innovation Leadership; Sports Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; Health Industry; Technology Industry; Retail Industry; United States; Maryland; Baltimore
McDonald, Rory, Clayton M. Christensen, Daniel West, and Jonathan E. Palmer. "Under Armour." Harvard Business School Case 618-020, January 2018.
- Editorial
How Laws and Culture Hold Back Socially Minded Companies
By: George Serafeim, Daniela Saltzman and Bronagh Ward
Keywords: Corporate Purpose; Benefit Corporation; Short-termism; Culture; Corporate Law; Shareholder Activism
Serafeim, George, Daniela Saltzman, and Bronagh Ward. "How Laws and Culture Hold Back Socially Minded Companies." Harvard Business Review (website) (May 18, 2017).
- January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
Jackie Robinson: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer
This case traces the rise of Jackie Robinson from the poor streets of Pasadena, California to one of the most famous people in America after he overturned the color barrier in baseball. The case describes how as a youth he excelled at basketball, football, baseball,... View Details
Keywords: Diversity; Power And Influence; Personal Characteristics; Values And Beliefs; Mission And Purpose; Sports; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Leading Change; Personal Development and Career; United States
Simons, Robert, and Max Saffer. "Jackie Robinson: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 122-042, January 2022. (Revised August 2022.)
- October 2017 (Revised October 2022)
- Case
JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership
By: George Serafeim
In 2017, JetBlue, the airline founded on the mission to “bring humanity back to air travel,” was considering becoming one of the first companies to report its sustainability performance according to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards. SASB... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Metrics; Leadership And Change Management; Airlines; Innovation; Purpose; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Sustainability Reporting; Change Management; Leadership; Financial Reporting; Environmental Sustainability; Mission and Purpose; Reports; Competitive Strategy; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Air Transportation Industry; United States
Serafeim, George, and David Freiberg. "JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership (A)." Harvard Business School Case 118-030, October 2017. (Revised October 2022.)
- July 2025
- Case
Greenwood Online: A Fin-Tech Service for Culture and Community (B)
By: James Riley and Bernal Cortés
This B case follows Greenwood’s development after launch, including its decision to partner with a White-owned bank for backend support and its rapid growth despite that controversial choice. It traces the company’s scaling efforts, major fundraising rounds,... View Details
- March 2022 (Revised October 2022)
- Case
Transforming Kimball International, Inc. (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz
Kimball International, Inc. (KII), led by CEO Kristie Juster, and its board of directors, chaired by Kim Ryan, faced critical questions about KII’s future in the spring of 2021. Two years earlier, the board had appointed Juster as the new CEO of KII, a publicly traded,... View Details
Keywords: Board Of Directors; Board Committees; Board Decisions; Board Dynamics; CEO Compensation; CEO Succession; Compensation Committee; Compensation Consultants; Compensation Design; Compensation Mix; Corporate Purpose; COVID-19; ESG; Furniture; Furniture Industry; Manufacturing; Midwest; Pandemic; Purpose; Spin Off; Strategic Change; Strategic Decisions; Strategic Evolution; Target-setting; Executive Compensation; Family Ownership; Governance; Restructuring; Strategy; Transformation; Manufacturing Industry; United States
Paine, Lynn S., and Will Hurwitz. "Transforming Kimball International, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 322-083, March 2022. (Revised October 2022.)
- November 2017 (Revised April 2019)
- Case
Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations
By: George Serafeim
In 2015, Reynir Indahl left top Nordic private equity firm Altor Equity Partners to found Summa Equity (Summa). After long contemplation following the financial crisis, Indahl was convinced the financial system was producing negative externalities and that the current... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Purpose; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Social Impact; Investment Management; Management Practices; Innovation; Voice; Environmental Impact; Private Equity; Social Enterprise; Finance; Capital Markets; Management Practices and Processes; Innovation Leadership; Leadership; Innovation and Management; Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; Norway; Sweden; Scandinavia
Serafeim, George, and David Freiberg. "Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations." Harvard Business School Case 118-028, November 2017. (Revised April 2019.)