Cognition and Thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

November 2008 (Revised March 2011)
Case

a-connect: In Search of Talent Partners (A)

By: Robert G. Eccles and Dilyana Karadzhova

a-connect was started in 2002 by three former McKinsey partners who wanted to develop an alternative business model consulting firm, which they have positioned as a high-end staffing company. The company has been very successful, growing to revenues of CHF 30 million... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Initial Public Offering; Selection and Staffing; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketplace Matching; Expansion; Consulting Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

05 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Raise Their Prices: Because They Can

products—in 2019 than they were in 2006. “Here’s one way to think about it: How much would you need to be paid to move from your most preferred brand to your second-most preferred brand?” MacKay says. “Maybe you value a few dollars here... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

04 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Need to Solve a Problem? Take a Break From Collaborating

a mix of open floors, private spaces, and movable surfaces. "Architects have designed our workspaces flexibly so that we can change them and use them in different ways," Bernstein says. "But... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Video Game; Web Services

Web

Leadership Initiative - Leadership

multinational environments she has built a reputation for innovative strategic thinking and transformational leadership. Most recently, Ann served as Wētā FX’s Global Head of Talent View Details

Web

California - Global

workforce and redefining how enterprises think about productivity and automation. Through a detailed look at Agentforce’s internal rollout, early customer deployments, View Details

30 Nov 2015
Research & Ideas

Donors Are Turned Off by Overhead Costs. Here’s What Charities Can Do

their ability to carry out core missions. “Most people donating money wouldn’t choose to contribute to the salary of the organization’s CEO” “As nonprofits try so hard to pare down their overhead expenses, they end up feeding the expectation that the overhead ratio can... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Is There a Method to Musk’s Madness on Twitter?

said, the fallen advertising revenue has probably been more dramatic than anyone expected. The advertisers are right to at least take a pause here and think about whether they want to remain involved with... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Technology

07 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Effective Leaders Share the Spotlight with Their Teams

During a 2017 Amgen earnings call, CEO Robert Bradway began answering an analyst’s question, then turned to colleague Sean Harper and said, “Sean, I'll let you talk about the specifics.” Bradway’s simple act of calling on Harper to add... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

04 Jun 2020
Book

It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward

leading them. And so, if we can make better leaders, we can get to that beautiful, operational Nirvana. Senz: What are some of the biggest and most common barriers to effective leadership? Frei: The first... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

23 Mar 2023
Research & Ideas

As Climate Fears Mount, More Investors Turn to 'ESG' Funds Despite Few Rules

Investor interest in social responsibility has skyrocketed in the past three years, even as US regulations to hold companies accountable remain in flux and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) label itself draws backlash. Investors are willing to pay a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

09 Jan 2020
Book

Rethinking Business Strategy in the Age of AI

control specialists. A lot of people think of this as disruption, like the taxi industry is being disrupted by Uber. It’s not disruption. Rather, it’s a completely different kind of firm. This hasn’t happened in more than 100 years. Firms... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

March 2008
Article

Testing a Purportedly More Learnable Auction Mechanism

We describe an auction mechanism in the class of Groves mechanisms that has received attention in the computer science literature because of its theoretical property of being more "learnable" than the standard second price auction mechanism. We bring this mechanism,... View Details

Keywords: Market Design; Auctions; Learning; Economics

Citation

Read Now

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

Most managers think the legal department is that office down the hall where they go to keep out of trouble or write a binding patent agreement. And that's shortsighted, says Harvard Business School professor... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

finding a life partner, but it’s close. It is critical to think carefully about what you want in a cofounder and spend time nurturing prospective relationships. Key steps in the courtship process include... View Details

23 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Learning Curve: The Brother-and-Sister Team Behind a New Edtech Nonprofit

poverty,” Gupta says. What they lack are the awareness, the information, and the tools required to take a more active role in supporting their children’s early cognitive development—all of which are gaps... View Details

18 May 2016
Research & Ideas

Unethical Amnesia: Why We Tend to Forget Our Own Bad Behavior

amnesia? Prior research had shown that when people behave badly, they experience cognitive dissonance—their brains are addled by simultaneously believing in doing the right thing and actually doing the wrong... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

21 Jul 2021
Research & Ideas

What Does an ESG Score Really Say About a Company?

Receiving more information can clarify the complex, but not when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores. A recent study shows that the more information a company discloses about its ESG practices, the more rating agencies disagree on how well... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

05 Mar 2009
What Do You Think?

How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be?

trends present special challenges or pressing needs for greater honesty, candor, and transparency in the future? In discussing management issues, we often conclude that "it all depends." Does that kind of View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

16 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Can Consumers Be Saved From Their Misguided Decisions?

What’s behind a bad decision? Researchers trying to change behavior tend to focus on one of two main reasons for bad choices: “frictions” and “mental gaps.” In a mental gap analysis, researchers conclude that people just don’t View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Consulting; Retail

02 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Corporate Tax Cuts Don't Increase Middle Class Incomes

Halfpoint In the worlds of economic theory and conservative political orthodoxy, corporate tax cuts, such as the 2017 tax reform in the United States, should create benefits beyond businesses. As the View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

Publications