Publications

2022
Working Paper

Developing a Sustainable High Commitment, High Performance System of Organizing, Managing, and Leading: An Actionable Systems Theory of Change and Development

By: Michael Beer

This paper presents a theory for developing an adaptive high commitment, high performance system of organizing, managing, and leading. It is a synthesis of my 50 years of action and field research presented in my books and articles. It operationalized and makes... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Learning; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes

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December 2023
Other Article

Introduction to the Special Section on Business and Climate Change

By: Rajesh Chandy, Glen Dowell, Colin Mayer, Erica Plambeck, George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, L. Beril Toktay and Elke Weber

Keywords: Climate Change; Adaptation; Policy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Innovation and Invention; Forecasting and Prediction

25 Sep 2012
News

Ten Reasons People Resist Change

February 2003 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Intuit, Inc.: Transforming an Entrepreneurial Company into a Collaborative Organization (A)

Describes how Intuit, Inc.'s CEO, Steve Bennett, changes the company from an entrepreneurial "siloed" organization into a collaborative one. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Organizational Design; Entrepreneurship; Information Industry

18 May 2020
News

Big Structural Change

01 Dec 2018
News

Combating Climate Change

If global temperatures rise by 6 degrees celsius by 2050—as they are on track to do—officials at the International Energy Agency say the changes would bring “devastating consequences for the planet.” And... View Details

June 2011
Case

Changes to Harvard University's Governing Board

By: Rakesh Khurana and Eric Baldwin

This case examines the decision made by the governing board of Harvard University, known as the Harvard Corporation, to alter its size and operations. The case provides background on Harvard's history, its existing governance structure, and some of the issues that... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Decisions; Education Industry

Working Paper

Diversification as an Adaptive Learning Process: An Empirical Study of General-Purpose and Market-Specific Technological Know-How in New Market Entry

By: Dominika Kinga Randle and Gary P. Pisano

An enduring trait of modern corporations is their propensity to diversify into multiple lines of business. Penrosian theories conceptualize diversification as a strategy to exploit a firm’s fungible, yet “untradeable,” resources and point to redeployment of... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Diversification; Market Entry and Exit; Transformation

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February 2004 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Hewlett-Packard: Culture in Changing Times

By: Michael Beer, Rakesh Khurana and James Weber

HP had been a highly successful and respected company for decades. It was well known for its company culture and management practices--the HP way--which emphasized both profits and people. Changing markets, strong competitors, and the growth of its computer business,... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Decision Choices and Conditions; Human Resources; Leading Change; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Performance Effectiveness; Adoption; Competition

November 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

County Department of Public Health: Organizing for Emergency Preparedness and Response

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Ajay Vinze and Minu Ipe

The anthrax attacks of 2001 exposed serious inadequacies in the response of the U.S. public health system to meet such grave threats. The public health infrastructure required rebuilding to respond to any type of large-scale health emergency. The Public Health... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Change Management; Crisis Management; Health Care and Treatment; Infrastructure; Public Administration Industry; Health Industry; United States

September 1990 (Revised March 1993)
Case

General Electric Plastics: Organizing the Marketing Function

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

Describes the rapid growth of General Electric Plastics for over the last decade to a $5 billion (sales) company. The accompanying organizational transitions are described. The task is to design a marketing organization for the coming decade given the anticipated... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Marketing Strategy; Organizational Design; Growth and Development Strategy

Article

Hurry or Wait: The Pros and Cons of Going Fast or Slow on Climate Change

By: Eleanor Denny and Jurgen Weiss

Climate change risk will likely force the de-carbonization of our electricity sector and thus involve massive investments in long-lived assets using many new and emerging technologies. Since technological progress (independent or dependent on deployment) will likely... View Details

Keywords: Electricity Sector; Environmental Risks; Fat Tails; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Climate Change; Information Technology; Investment; Technological Innovation; Cost vs Benefits

Find at Harvard

October 1990 (Revised September 1993)
Case

Changing the Culture at British Airways

By: John P. Kotter

In just 10 years, 1980-1990, British Airways turned around both its declining image and financial situation. Focusing on the paramount importance of customer service, British Airways went from "bloody awful" to "bloody awesome." Experiencing a financial crisis in 1981... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Customer Relationship Management; Corporate Strategy; Privatization; Air Transportation Industry; United Kingdom

2005
Article

Thai Firms' Adaptations Following the Asian Economic Crisis: Market Orientation, Innovativeness and Organizational Culture Five Years After

By: Rohit Deshpandé and John U. Farley

Keywords: Business Ventures; Financial Crisis; Markets; Innovation and Invention; Organizational Culture; Thailand

18 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

How Disruptive Innovation Changes Education

book, coauthored with Michael B. Horn (HBS MBA '06) and Curtis W. Johnson, shows how the theory of disruptive innovation-which in a nutshell explains why organizations experience difficulty with particular... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Education

29 Jul 2021
News

Twitter Closes Offices While Google, Apple and More Change Office-Return Plans amid Delta Surge

2002
Chapter

Institutional Change and Economic Growth: Banks, Financial Markets, and Mexican Industrialization, 1878-1913

By: Noel Maurer and Stephen Haber

Keywords: History; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Financial Markets; Economic Growth; Developing Countries and Economies; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Mexico