Publications

November 1993 (Revised April 1995)
Background Note

Orientation to the Subarctic Survival Situation

By: Linda A. Hill

An orientation to the "Subarctic Survival Situation" (designed by and available from Human Synergistics, Inc., Plymouth, MI, tel. 313-459-1030), an experiental exercise that gives students an opportunity to learn about their personal influence style and their... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Evaluation; Decisions; Power and Influence; Groups and Teams; Decision Choices and Conditions

03 Mar 2023
Research & Ideas

When Showing Know-How Backfires for Women Managers

comparable roles. “One finding in the study is that, when women managers have more women peers in male-dominated parts of the business—in this case, meat or produce—you actually see that it lessens the effect of the task bind. This might... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Retail; Consumer Products

December 2012 (Revised September 2022)
Case

BabbaCo

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Gaurav Jain

Having just raised a Series B financing, the case protagonist is faced with a tough decision: should she "step on the gas" and scale the customer base, or continue focusing on fine-tuning the product and business model. The case describes the various marketing channels... View Details

Keywords: Subscription; Marketing; Scaling; Product-market Fit; Online Marketing; Customers; Decisions; Expansion; Marketing Channels; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Marketing; Marketing Strategy

18 Jun 2021
News

Who do we invent for? Patents by women focus more on women’s health, but few women get to invent

Research Summary

Microwedges: Challenging power one small opening at a time [Dissertation, job market paper]

Based on a 31-month qualitative inductive study of multidisciplinary change teams, I introduce the concept of the “microwedge”—a small action or series of actions by team members that allows the team to examine their own assumptions so that they can begin to engage... View Details

Research Summary

Interaction of biological and psychological drivers of obesity

With a multi-disciplinary team of researchers in nutrition, microbiology, and epidemiology, we received a large grant to fund the Institute for Cardio-Metabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), a major initiative to promote research on obesity and... View Details

13 Apr 2021
News

Why This Harvard Professor Thinks Remote Work Is Here to Stay

09 Apr 2012
News

HBS Prof. Publishes Book on Start-Ups

March 2020 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Social Salary Setting at Spiber

By: Ashley Whillans and John Beshears

Can a “set your own salary” system boost employee happiness and motivation? Spiber made synthetic silk built from proteins mimicking the proteins found in spider silk, the world’s toughest known material by weight. Kazuhide Sekiyama and Junichi Sugahara established... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Happiness; Negotiation Tactics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Biotechnology Industry; Japan; United States

June 18, 2021
Article

Who Do We Invent for? Patents by Women Focus More on Women's Health, but Few Women Get to Invent

By: Rembrand Koning, Sampsa Samila and John-Paul Ferguson

Women engage in less commercial patenting and invention than do men, which may affect what is invented. Using text analysis of all U.S. biomedical patents filed from 1976 through 2010, we found that patents with all-female inventor teams are 35% more likely than... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Gender Bias; Health; Innovation and Invention; Research; Patents; Gender; Prejudice and Bias

Find at Harvard

Register to Read

December 1999 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

In the fall of 1999, Kumio Egashira, president of Ajinomoto, a 90-year old, Japan-based processed foods and specialty chemicals company, and his team of senior executives were deciding how to globally maximize the synergies that existed between their food and amino... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Food; Chemicals; Globalization; Food and Beverage Industry; Chemical Industry; Japan

Find at Harvard

August 1993 (Revised August 2002)
Exercise

Work Methods Design Exercise

Teams of students receive identical product design specifications, a sample unit of the product, and a series of assignment questions that entail time and motion studies, which they must both understand and perform before class discussion. In class, teams explain how... View Details

Keywords: Resource Allocation; Product Development

July 2013
Case

Slicing Pie with a Razor: Ockham Technologies' Founding Agreement

By: Noam Wasserman and Yael Braid

Ockham Technologies' three founders are about to craft their founding agreement and split the equity among themselves. Uncertainty lingers over each member's future contributions, though—how is the team to devise a durable and effective split? Jim Triandiflou and Ken... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Conflict Management; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employees; Management Teams; Product Development; Technology Industry

30 Oct 2015
News

Study: Stressful Jobs Make Life Shorter

21 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Inside the OR: Disrupted Routines and New Technologies

HBS working paper "Disrupted Routines: Effects of Team Learning on New Technology Adaptation" delves into the disruptive nature of MICS technology on the dynamic of the surgical View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

March 2017 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Interline Brands: Don't Stop Believing

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz and Ricardo Andrade

Interline Brands, a leading distributor of residential housing maintenance and repair parts and equipment in the U.S., had just held its November 2014 board meeting. The meeting had been productive but not without some soul searching for both the company’s management... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity Exit; Consumer Goods; IPO; Private Equity; Initial Public Offering; Decision Choices and Conditions

Career Coach

Deborah Resnick

navigating challenging team dynamics and/or role transitions. Work Experience: Effective Engine Group (Founder); McKinsey & Company (Consultant, Director of Professional Development); Clorox; BC Natural... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Consumer Products; Retail

March 2016
Technical Note

Lighting the Fire: Crafting and Delivering Broadly Inspiring Messages

By: Tsedal Neeley and Tom Ryder

Communicating persuasively is a critical skill for leaders of any team or organization. Yet, connecting and resonating with an audience can nevertheless be a challenging task. We outline how to effectively mobilize groups through the power of communication. This note... View Details

Keywords: Messaging; Communication; Leading; Public Speaking; Persuasion; Rhetorical Devices; Communication Intention and Meaning; Forms of Communication; Communication Strategy