Publications

Educators

August 2002 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Launching the War on Terrorism

Describes the decision-making process employed by President George W. Bush's War Cabinet in the days following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Examines how the president and his advisers framed the problem, exchanged ideas, generated alternatives, and developed a... View Details

Keywords: War; National Security; Decision Making; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Public Administration Industry; United States

Educators

Third Quarter 2015
Article

Should Boards Mentor Their CEOs?: It Is a Complex Question. Here Are the Significant Considerations.

By: Jay W. Lorsch

It's a complex question with significant considerations, including how open the CEO is likely to be to such advice, the company's situation, and the characteristics of the board. View Details

Keywords: Directors; CEO Mentoring; Governing and Advisory Boards; Rank and Position; Management Teams

2015
Working Paper

Executives' Financial Preferences and Shareholder Tax Outcomes

By: Gerardo Pérez Cavazos and Andreya M. Perez-Silva

We demonstrate that executives’ personal financial preferences impact both layers of shareholder taxes, corporate taxes and corporate payouts. We reconstruct executives’ insider equity portfolios to quantify their personal incentives and analyze stock sales that reveal... View Details

Keywords: Executives; Capital Gain; Dividends; Effective Tax Rate; Tax Avoidance; Taxation; Management Teams; Business and Shareholder Relations

SSRN

01 Oct 2024
Research & Ideas

How Politics Drives Business Decisions in a Polarized Nation

at Harvard Business School. “Political polarization can create distortions within the economy,” says Kempf, one of the coauthors of the new review. “Partisanship seems to be a really important determinant of many decisions made by businesses.” “Political homogeneity of... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

2014
Working Paper

Higher-Ambition CEOs Need Higher-Ambition Boards

By: Edward Ludwig, Elise Walton and Michael Beer

Over the past years, forward-looking CEOs have adopted a higher-ambition approach to strategy and leadership. These "higher-ambition CEOs" are driven by a sense of purpose that goes beyond achieving financial success. They aspire to build organizations that succeed in... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Leadership Style; Management Teams

SSRN

Read Now

2005
Class Lecture

The Power of Supporting Players in High-Performance Industries

By: Thomas J. DeLong

Keywords: Management Style; Groups and Teams

January 1983 (Revised July 1985)
Case

Cable News Network

By: John A. Quelch

The vice president of advertising and promotion is reviewing his advertising program for 1982. In particular, he is assessing an agency proposal for a new advertising campaign for cable news network. View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Management Teams; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

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; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

01 Sep 2009
News

Ready for Launch

MBA ’09, all have worked in Africa), with Jamie Yang, Jukka Valimaki, and Blandine Antoine, all of MIT. Org chart: A Tanzania-based management team (Emmanuel, Jukka, Jamie) and U.S.-based advisory View Details

01 Mar 2007
News

The Joy of Work

focused, where people feel they are on a mission, actually inspires creativity. An example might be an impending project launch or a customer with a critical need. In these instances, the creative team is concentrating on a problem where... View Details

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

March 12, 2021
Article

Is Your C-Suite Equipped to Lead a Digital Transformation?

By: J. Yo-Jud Cheng, Cassandra Frangos and Boris Groysberg

The pandemic has rapidly accelerated many companies’ digital efforts, but do they have the right executives in place to lead this sort of transformation? To answer this question, the authors analyzed more than 100 search specifications for C-suite positions in Fortune... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Information Technology; Transformation; Competency and Skills; Digital Transformation

Register to Read

August 2011
Supplement

Better World Books Video

By: Michael I. Norton, Fiona Wilson, Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh

This video contains an interview with David Murphy, CEO of Better World Books. Topics discussed include: the opportunities and constraints offered by having a social mission, an update on the company, and the future of Better World Books. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Management Teams; Business Model; Social Enterprise; Publishing Industry

March 1999 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Coop, The: Market Research

By: Ruth Bolton and Youngme E. Moon

Daryl Buckmeister, CEO of The Chicken Coop, must decide whether to invest in market research, how much money to spend, and which programs to fund. His two vice presidents (of quality and marketing) have presented very different proposals. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Cost; Research; Markets; Quality; Decisions; Management Teams; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry

Educators

2013
Chapter

The Most Successful CEOs Come from Within

By: Joseph L. Bower

The financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession caused a crisis of public confidence in business and American-style capitalism, with its focus on maximizing shareholder value. Corporate leaders understood that reform was needed and that they needed to commit... View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Succession; Business and Community Relations; Management Teams

06 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

How Small Wins Unleash Creativity

All good managers understand the importance of making sure that every member of a team feels personally motivated and necessary throughout the workday, lest their work should stagnate and suffer. But what's... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Student-Profile

Patrick Ferguson

sports analytics consulting group, where he helped professional sports teams identify undervalued players. His next position—as an accounting research assistant at his alma mater—brought these threads together. The senior faculty members... View Details

March 2001 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Corning 1983-1996: Transition at the Top

By: Michael J. Roberts and Michael L. Tushman

Focuses on Jamie Houghton's efforts to revitalize Corning from 1983-1996, including the development of a very strong set of values and culture. The issue centers around Roger Ackerman's rise to president, then chairman/CEO, and his drive to both change the business... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Management Teams; Strategy

Article

The Role of the Board Chair During a Crisis

By: Achim Schmitt, Gilbert Probst and Michael Tushman

A company’s long-term survival during a crisis depends on complementary roles, strategic alignment, and chemistry between the chair and CEO. View Details

Keywords: Board Chair; Management Teams; Crisis Management; Relationships