Leaders - Publications - Faculty & Research

The Challenge of Digital Transformation

The ubiquity of digital technology and internet connectivity is driving both new and old players across all industries to invest in new capabilities, define new business models, and compete in new ways. From software to automobiles, from healthcare to financial... View Details

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

ended with a satisfying conclusion. The data could prove especially meaningful at a time when marketing leaders are stretching their budgets and thinking more strategically about spending, according to recent surveys. “We ended up... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

10 Feb 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Investing in Improvement: Strategy and Resource Allocation in Public School Districts

Keywords: by Stacey Childress; Education

23 Jul 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Informed and Interconnected: A Manifesto for Smarter Cities

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter & Stanley S. Litow; Technology

February 1999
Case

Volant Skis

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Matt Verlinden

Volant brought innovation to the ski equipment industry in 1989 by developing a stainless steel ski. He claimed the skis could turn more easily, could hold an edge in icy conditions, and were more stable than aluminum or fiberglass skis. The company's "soft-flex"... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Operations; Product Development; Performance Improvement; Quality; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation

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06 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

How Younger Immigrants Gain an Edge in American Business

they have a particular type of early career experience?” You Might Also Like: Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains How Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Crushed Crowdfunding for Minority Entrepreneurs Why Aren’t Business View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

January–February 2020
Article

Are You Undervaluing Your Customers?: It’s Time to Start Measuring and Managing Their Worth

By: Rob Markey

Leaders recognize that they should manage their businesses to maximize the value of the customer base. But too often, earnings pressures result in cost-cutting measures that hurt customers.

Loyalty-leading companies operate differently. They create systems for... View Details

Keywords: Customer Experience; Customer Value; Customer Centric Initiative; Customer Focused Organization; Customer Lifetime Value; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Operations; Business Strategy

Article

The Messy but Essential Pursuit of Purpose

By: Ranjay Gulati

Most forward-thinking executives have embraced the notion that purpose-driven companies can solve social and environmental problems while also generating wealth, creating win-win outcomes that benefit everyone. But ideal solutions are rare. Many purpose-driven... View Details

Keywords: Purpose; Sustainability; Mission and Purpose; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Profit; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Decision Making

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Article

New Sales Realities

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Business leaders need to understand that it’s the fit of People, Process, Pricing, and Partners that drives sales effectiveness. As firms confront new buying processes, required sales competencies affect hiring, training, and development (People). Without a coherent... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Performance Effectiveness

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Article

Assessing the Impact of CEO Activism

By: Aaron K Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel

CEO activism refers to corporate leaders speaking out on social and environmental policy issues not directly related to their company’s core business. Distinct from nonmarket strategy and traditional corporate social responsibility, the recent wave of CEO activism... View Details

Keywords: Business And Society; Leadership; Policy; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Governance; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Public Opinion

June 2014
Article

Collective Genius

By: Linda A. Hill, Greg Brandeau, Emily Truelove and Kent Lineback

Competitiveness depends in great part on the ability to innovate. The perennial challenge, then, is to build an organization capable of innovating again and again. Traditional, direction-setting leadership can work well when the solution to a problem is known and... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Innovation Leadership; Leadership; Innovation and Invention; Organizational Culture

August 2005 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Young Minister Confronts the Challenges of Montgomery

By: William W. George, Rick Buhrman and Andrew N. McLean

As the Montgomery Bus Boycott starts, the young Martin Luther King Jr. faces challenges to his leadership goals, strategic vision, and personal and family safety. Makes extensive use of King's own words and writings and builds a portrait of a young, talented, and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Education; Values and Beliefs; Biography; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Family and Family Relationships; Alabama

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