Job Performance - Publications - Faculty & Research

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

simply a question of doing their jobs even though the result—confinement as a POW—may not seem necessarily fair.” This insight is repeatedly endorsed by studies of survivors. Having a value system, a sense of identity, a purpose for one’s... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

November 2007
Article

Solve the Succession Crisis by Growing Inside-Outside Leaders

By: Joseph L. Bower

This article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. In his interviews and data analysis, Harvard Business School professor Bower found... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Leadership Development; Management Practices and Processes; Management Succession; Planning

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25 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Rapport: The Hidden Advantage That Women Managers Bring to Teams

and wail from the back seat: “Where are the fries?” Disappointment ensues. The reason for the oversight—and the frustrating customer experience—may have nothing to do with the fast-food worker’s skill level. In fact, new research shows that poor View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Food & Beverage

April 2021
Case

Distinct Software

By: Das Narayandas, Arijit Sengupta and Jonathan Wray

Distinct Software (disguised name), a global enterprise software company, is at an important point in its growth trajectory where the luster of its mantra of “grow and win at any cost” has dimmed with increasing competition and margin pressures. To help navigate its... View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Marketing; Sales; Performance Productivity; Technological Innovation; AI and Machine Learning

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26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

Leaders intent on boosting team performance could learn from the old-school, military-style approach of Deion Sanders, a former star athlete and now the unorthodox coach behind the revival of two college football teams. “When I’m teaching... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

2015
Working Paper

The Impact of Funds: An Evaluation of CDC 2004-12

By: Josh Lerner, Ann Leamon, Steve Dew and Dong Ik Lee

CDC was founded in 1948 as part of the U.K. government's efforts to develop the economic resources of Britain's remaining colonies. Since then, CDC has pursued a series of strategies to "do good without losing money," as its original mission was phrased. Its approach... View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Great Britain

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Program

Senior Executive Leadership Program—China

your business as a whole—to look outward and craft local, regional, and global strategies and to look inward and lead organizational changes that create value and drive performance. Developing these skills on the job can take years—but... View Details

20 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Creating a Positive Professional Image

your persona that tells you what they think about your level of competence, character, and commitment. Other times, you may receive indirect signals about your image, through job assignments or referrals and recommendations. Taken... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

23 Jun 2023
HBS Case

This Company Lets Employees Take Charge—Even with Life and Death Decisions

However, even though nurses rotate through administrative roles, every nurse’s primary job remains patient care. Typically, three to four nurses on a team care for one patient, allowing for consistency and closer patient relationships,... View Details

Keywords: by Annelena Lobb; Health

Article

Reclaim Your Commute: Getting To and From Work Doesn't Have to be Soul Crushing

By: Francesca Gino, Bradley Staats, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Julia J. Lee and Jochen I. Menges

Every day, millions of people around the world face long commutes to work. In the United States alone, approximately 25 million workers spend more than 90 minutes each day getting to and from their jobs. And yet few people enjoy their commutes. This distaste for... View Details

Keywords: Commuting; Welfare; Attitudes; Satisfaction; Performance Productivity

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29 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

How Companies Benefit When Employees Work Remotely

interaction between co-workers, and “sequential interdependence,” which involves a series of tasks performed by different employees. POLL Do you prefer to work remotely? We're asking Working Knowledge readers to share their thoughts about... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

14 Sep 2023
Research & Ideas

Working Moms Are Mostly Thriving Again. Can We Finally Achieve Gender Parity?

So much has changed since a groundbreaking study found that daughters of working moms often perform better in their own careers than daughters of stay-at-home moms—and are just as happy, to boot. Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

04 Nov 2008
First Look

First Look: November 4, 2008

organizations to climb the value chain and access higher-margin businesses with powerful incumbents. Purchase this case: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/ b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=609024 PublicationsGender in Job... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

16 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 16, 2018

January–February 2018 Harvard Business Review More Than a Paycheck: How to Create Good Blue-Collar Jobs in the Knowledge Economy By: Campbell, Dennis, John Case, and Bill Fotsch Abstract—Fifty years ago a good blue-collar View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

poor performance. This should be based on metrics that are clearly tied to the company’s mission. Note that we say performance, and not performers. Performance may be based on factors besides the talent and motivation of the individual in... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

30 Apr 2024
Book

When Managers Set Unrealistic Expectations, Employees Cut Ethical Corners

performance against quotas set by their regional managers. Managers falling short were reportedly criticised and embarrassed in front of their colleagues. Between 2011 and 2016, this system seemed to be helping Wells Fargo grow its... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

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

as well as a hiring decision based on a candidate’s performance during a university job interview. In a final study, the researchers allowed participants to generate their own journey lines by watching a... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

26 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

The Power of the Noncompete Clause

company in Boston, I was recruited by another speech recognition firm in Silicon Valley. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to take the job given the noncompete agreement I had signed in Boston, but I was nonetheless able to make the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

17 Feb 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

How Entrepreneurs Can Find the Right Problem to Solve

Ethnography. Observing prospects performing the job you hope to improve or replace can be extremely insightful. You may find hacks they would never tell you about in an interview or discover a whole new set... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

May 2024 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Leading Culture Change at Microsoft Western Europe

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Cat Huang

In 2023, Cindy Rose, President of Microsoft Western Europe, faced a critical decision. Rose grappled with the potential impact of widespread layoffs on psychological safety and the cultural transformation she had championed since her arrival. When Rose had first joined... View Details