Closed Systems - Publications - Faculty & Research

02 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

A Rare Find in Health Care: A Simple Solution to Racial Inequity

George Floyd’s murder last year forced many people to recognize the systemic racism that pervades American institutions, from law enforcement to health care. Even so, identifying those inequities is different than fixing them. “I don’t... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

10 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

High Commitment, High Performance Management

Learning and Governance System that can help leaders avoid destruction, their own or their firm. These three goals are paradoxical. That is, leaders who focus on one often undermine the others. Consider how hardheaded performance... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

05 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

Is the Business World Finally Ready for the Wisdom of Shibusawa?

Eiichi Shibusawa continues to gain influence in Japan—even though he died almost a century ago. Japan’s government announced earlier this year that the 19th century business leader would be the face on 10,000 yen ($90) bank notes—the highest value denomination in... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones and Rei Morimoto; Financial Services; Retail

28 Mar 2012
What Do You Think?

Are Factory Jobs Important to the Economy?

in his recent book, some are less fungible than others. Germany was cited by Peter Sebregondi as a country that has pursued an enlightened strategy toward manufacturing, through its continued support of an apprentice system that provides... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Manufacturing

03 Dec 2014
What Do You Think?

Can the Brilliant Jerk Be Managed Effectively?

for the phenomenon. Munyaradzi Mushato suggested that, "my experience in industry tells me that most jerks are created by the very systems that are designed to improve performance that is, about 70% of the jerks are bred! Most... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

level of productivity that companies can achieve in a location given the full breadth of conditions that affect their activities there. It is the structured approach towards organizing these conditions and the systemic relationships... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

15 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

Women Leaders and Organizational Change

success, are closely aligned with idealized masculine interests, attributes, and life situations is a hard sell, especially to those who have become successful within this system—whether men or women, rich or poor, white or minority.... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

01 Sep 2023
News

Alumni and Faculty Books

Edited by Margie Kelley The Happiness Handbook By Landon Carter (MBA 1967) Marshall and McClintic Publishing Have you ever wished you had the instruction manual for being a happy human on planet Earth? This book will answer some of life’s fundamental questions: Who am... View Details

16 May 2000
Research & Ideas

The Simple Economics of Open Source

firm. So in a sense they have to start all over again when they switch jobs. In their working paper, Lerner and Tirole also point out that people in open source can use their projects as a "port of entry." For example, a systems... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Technology

Web

Research - Race, Gender & Equity

Alptug Yorulmaz We study funding gaps on Kickstarter across multiple ethnic groups from 2009 to 2021. Scaling the concept of racially salient events, we quantify the close co-movement of minority funding gaps in crowd-funding to inflamed... View Details

17 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 17

serve as an accountability system for restaurants. However, cities (which are responsible for inspections) have limited resources to dispatch inspectors, which in turn limits the number of inspections that can be performed. We argue that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

The Most Powerful Workplace Motivator

indifferent to waiting for greater commissions and closing the deal now and getting inducted into the club. The willingness-to-pay statistic at the software firm is calculated to be nearly $30,000, or approximately 5 percent of take-home... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

20 Jul 2021
Research & Ideas

Bankruptcy Spells Death for Too Many Businesses

creditors, ‘I'm only paying you half of what I owe.’” Meanwhile, creditors should be open to working more closely with management on a plan for reorganization before heading into court, especially knowing many firms are experiencing only... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

22 Feb 2022
News

New Urban Order

surface, a green roof, or supporting solar panels or wind turbines when possible,” Carty says. “And building wastewater can be treated and reused for flushing toilets and watering plants, for example, which has the added benefit of diverting water discharge from... View Details

Keywords: Kathleen Fu, Deborah Blagg, Julia Hanna, and Maureen Harmon; illustrations by; energy; environment; sustainability; entrepreneurship; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems

24 Jan 2011
HBS Case

Terror at the Taj

On November 26, 2008, 175 people died in Mumbai, India, when 10 terrorists simultaneously struck sites. Of the five locations—all well-known landmarks—the beautiful domes of the hotel known as the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower would become most View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Accommodations

27 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

When Rights of First Refusal Are a Bad Deal

also markets as a whole. (Details matter there, too, and the wrong details can lead to bad outcomes.) My colleagues and I have recently helped redesign the labor market for gastroenterologists, the high school choice system for New York... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Construction; Real Estate; Entertainment & Recreation

08 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency

Street Journal published an explosive article spelling out many of the firm's problems. The CEO had two weeks' warning, but instead of alerting others or working to kill the story, he deliberately chose to do nothing. Not only did he not warn others, except one View Details

Keywords: by John P. Kotter

10 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot

Danaher, a conglomerate with brands in diagnostics, life sciences, and environmental and applied solutions. "Stars practice, and they keep practicing long after they become stars." Toyota employs a system known as the Toyota Production... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden

09 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 9

conditions improve and the (B) case recounts some of those choices. The case focuses on the question of the importance in Austal's maintaining manufacturing close to its design center and how it will do this as its center of gravity... View Details