Publications

Article

Learning by Thinking: The Role of Reflection in Individual Learning

By: Giada Di Stefano, Francesca Gino, Gary P. Pisano and Bradley R. Staats

It is common wisdom that practice makes perfect. And, in fact, we find evidence that when given a choice between practicing a task and reflecting on their previously accumulated practice, most people opt for the former. We argue in this paper that this preference is... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Cognition and Thinking; Practice; Experience and Expertise

17 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

How Managers Stifle Creativity

conducive work environment, is external. The internal components are: Expertise. People need expertise to be creative. So, to the extent that you can continue to learn not only in your primary domain, but in other, related domains, you'll... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

25 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Fool vs. Jerk: Whom Would You Hire?

department of a professional services firm: "I really care about the skills and expertise you bring to the table. If you're a nice person on top of that, that's simply a bonus." But despite what such people might say about their... View Details

Keywords: by Tiziana Casciaro & Miguel Sousa Lobo

15 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

The New Global Business Manager

quickly move to Europe?" or "Who is this key person in Europe we can transfer to Japan to drive this initiative?" So they've got to be the pollinators, the cross-fertilizers, very much in touch with their expertise and with... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

December 2004 (Revised April 2014)
Case

Stan Lapidus: Profile of a Medical Entrepreneur

By: Robert F. Higgins and Sophie LaMontagne

Describes the career path and insights of Stanley Lapidus, a successful serial entrepreneur in the medical and life sciences industry. Lapidus is the founder of Cytyc Corp. (NASDAQ: CYTC) and EXACT Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS) and is currently the CEO of his third start-up,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Experience and Expertise; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Managerial Roles; Health Industry

14 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

The Business Case for Becoming a Jack-of-All-Trades

farther away from your expertise in ways that can be beneficial,” Nagle says. “That can have important impacts on the future of science, the future of ideas, and innovation for companies.” About the Author Michael Blanding is a writer... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

April 2012
Article

Teamwork on the Fly

By: Amy C. Edmondson

In a fast-paced and ever-changing business environment, traditional teams aren't always practical. Instead, companies increasingly employ teaming: gathering experts in temporary groups to solve problems they may be encountering for the first and only time. This... View Details

Keywords: Teaming; Cross-functional Integration; Organizational Learning; Groups and Teams; Experience and Expertise; Interpersonal Communication; Projects; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competency and Skills; Learning

Read Now

January 2016
Case

Haiti Hope: Innovating the Mango Value Chain

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jean-François Harvey

This case study examines a market-based approach to economic development through the eyes of NGO TechnoServe's project manager, implementing a US$9.5 million five-year public-private partnership between Coca-Cola, IDB, and USAID. The case ends at the beginning of the... View Details

17 Jun 2015
Lessons from the Classroom

Excellence Comes From Saying No

The next lesson in the course is about collaboration. Once you decide to compete on your own particular area of strength, says Frei, you need to learn how to work with others to complement your weaknesses. That's where Schulman's View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

March 2015
Case

BOLT: Seed Venture Capital Firm

By: William A. Sahlman and Robert F. White

BOLT is a different kind of seed venture capital firm built to serve the needs of early-stage startups at the intersection of hardware and software.

In the past decade, the cost of entrepreneurial experimentation has dropped dramatically, particularly in web... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Accelerator; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Venture Capital; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Strategy

March 2022
Case

Skills-First Hiring at IBM

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah Mehta

This case reviews IBM’s efforts to widen its hiring funnel and broaden its talent pool. View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Experience and Expertise; Talent and Talent Management; Human Resources; Employees; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Jobs and Positions; Job Design and Levels; Job Interviews; Society; Social Issues; Technology Industry; United States; New York (city, NY)

18 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

How New Managers Become Great Managers

stretch assignments. From these assignments, they develop more expertise and more relationships and therefore are in an even better position to contribute to key organizational objectives. Soon, this cycle of success becomes... View Details

Keywords: by Linda Hill

17 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Why a Blended Workforce May Be Key to Lasting Competitive Advantage

In recent years, companies have been anxious about the lack of skilled workers to fill pivotal jobs. But then came COVID-19 and a subsequent recession. The ensuing business turmoil and record-high unemployment may have temporarily distracted companies from their... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph B. Fuller

21 Feb 2005
Op-Ed

Is Business Management a Profession?

the benefits of managerial expertise may be offered for purely private gain and that this is equivalent to advancing societal interests. Having given rise to the notion of making managers "think and behave like owners" through... View Details

Keywords: by Rakesh Khurana, Nitin Nohria & Daniel Penrice

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

"Category killers," those highly focused retailers that specialize in a category of goods including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, and Staples, were once the bane of mass-market retailers' existence. Their wide assortment, aggressive pricing, large stores, extensive... View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

07 Nov 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Sir Alex Ferguson--Managing Manchester United

knowledge of the game of soccer, too. The breadth and depth of his expertise is truly astounding. Over dinner one night in Manchester, I told him about a game I had seen live in the early 1990s in Italy—one between two Italian teams, AC... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports; Entertainment & Recreation

02 Apr 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

Making the Move to General Manager

entry strategy for China. So we each have something different, but we know each other well from having lived and worked together in the program. After getting advice from the people in your living group, the next step is to match people with similar leadership... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

18 Dec 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Grooming Next-Generation Leaders

of action rather than say, 'I've been given $50,000, now let me try to do the best I can.'" You have to understand what you're leading, adds Sasser. Expertise in only one area—think John Sculley's unsuccessful jump from Pepsi... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

May 2010 (Revised May 2011)
Case

Kent Thiry: "Mayor" of DaVita

By: William W. George and Natalie Kindred

Kent Thiry, CEO of dialysis provider DaVita, is considering how to integrate employees from recently acquired Gambro Healthcare without damaging DaVita's robust, unconventional internal culture. When Thiry joined DaVita in 1999, breaking an important promise to his... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Experience and Expertise; Employee Relationship Management; Leadership Style; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Personal Development and Career; Integration; Health Industry