Publications

March 18, 2020
Article

How Honest Conversations Can Accelerate Corporate Transformation

By: Michael Beer

When CEOs engage a cross section of their key people in an honest conversation about organizational strengths and barriers to the execution of strategic changes required by the changing competitive landscape, transformations are accelerated. The honest conversation... View Details

Keywords: Honesty; Communication; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Transformation; Organizational Culture

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20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

interdependence between the IGO network and the domestic institutions of states. The interdependence between these global and domestic institutional forms is complex, with target-country democracy being a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Jul 2024
Book

Five Essential Elements to Build the Capital You Need to Lead

Figuring out the culture component again requires some self-examination, to determine what specific values and what unique lens on the world you bring to situations in order to leverage your unique voice and perspective in the pursuit... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

December 2022 (Revised November 2023)
Module Note

What Is the Game? Understanding the Environment

By: Maria P. Roche

As a strategist, one of your main tasks is to size up the external environment of your organization in its entirety. In this module, you will learn basic concepts and tools that will allow you to better understand the environment in which your organization operates. View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

01 Apr 2001
News

HBS Press Books in Brief

Inside Chinese Business: A Guide for Managers Worldwide reveals the social and cultural values that underpin Chinese business practices and influence day-to-day corporate decisions. Written by Ming-Jer Chen, an expert on business strategy... View Details

February 2013
Article

Exceptional Boards: Environmental Experience and Positive Deviance from Institutional Norms

By: Judith Walls and Andrew J. Hoffman

This paper explores the phenomenon of positive organizational deviance from institutional norms by establishing practices that protect or enhance the natural environment. Seeking to explain why some organizations practice positive environmental deviance while others do... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Networks; Organizational Culture; Governing and Advisory Boards; Environmental Management

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03 May 2021
What Do You Think?

Where Does CEO Activism Go From Here?

“Ensuring social cohesion in democracy is part of a CEO’s job of managing the strategic environment.” "When they identify with their corporations, do CEOs assume that they are... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Mar 2009
News

Faculty Books

economy to foreign trade and investment not result in sustained economic growth? Why has electoral democracy not produced the rule of law? The answers to these questions lie in the ways in which Mexico’s... View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications; Information; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Ian Fuhr

Keywords: Diversified

June 2000 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Nissan Motor Company

By: Thomas R. Piper and Jeremy Cott

Senior executives of Nissan and Renault are considering a major investment in Nissan by Renault. An important consideration is whether a major restructuring of Nissan's operations will be possible, given the value placed on lifetime employment and the impact on... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Organizational Culture; Investment; Problems and Challenges; Equity

24 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

The Surprising Link Between Language and Corporate Responsibility

We've heard that Eskimos have 100 words for snow—a common way of expressing how language affects the way we see the world. Whether or not that particular example is true, cultural linguists have long... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Shinta Kamdani

Keywords: Consumer Products, Energy

May 2012
Case

Columbia's Final Mission (Abridged) (A)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Kerry Herman

This case documents decision-making processes, organizational culture, and other contributors to NASA's failed Columbia mission in 2003. Addresses the question of how organizations should deal with "ambiguous threats" - weak signals of potential crisis - and explores... View Details

Keywords: Cognitive Biases; Teams; Organizational Learning; Ambiguous Threat; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Decision Making; Failure; Crisis Management; Aerospace Industry

14 Aug 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 14, 2018

in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent—but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind? The traditional culture View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

April 1984
Supplement

Johnson & Johnson (A): Philosophy & Culture, James Burke, Video

By: Francis Aguilar

James Burke, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, discusses the company's philosophy and culture, with particular emphasis on the significance of the Credo. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Values and Beliefs; Mission and Purpose; Management Teams; Pharmaceutical Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Consumer Products Industry

June 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: A Merger Proposal

By: Thomas J. DeLong and David L. Ager

Anne Ewers, general director of Utah Opera, is awaiting the decision of the members of the board of the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera about whether to merge Utah's top two arts organizations. If the vote favors the merger, Ewers will be asked to assume the helm of the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Management; Fine Arts Industry; Music Industry; Utah

November 2008 (Revised September 2014)
Background Note

Differences at Work: The Leadership Challenge

By: Sandra J. Sucher

This note reviews research findings on the leadership challenges of diversity, including the social psychology of similarity and difference, the value of multiple perspectives to problem-solving, the relationship between diversity and firm performance, and management... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Leadership; Behavior; Ethics; Organizational Culture; Diversity

March 1994 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Cola Wars Continue: Coke vs. Pepsi in the 1990s

By: David B. Yoffie and Sharon Foley

The competition between Coke and Pepsi is a classic corporate battle that began in America at the turn of the century and has expanded into worldwide competitive warfare in the 1990s. This case examines the economics of the soft drink and bottling industries, and... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Organizational Culture; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; North and Central America