Publications

June 1996 (Revised January 2000)
Case

McKinsey & Co.: Managing Knowledge and Learning

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the development of McKinsey & Co. as a worldwide management consulting firm from 1926 to 1996. In particular, it focuses on the way in which McKinsey has developed structures, systems, processes, and practices to help it develop, transfer, and disseminate... View Details

Keywords: Management; Managerial Roles; Management Practices and Processes; Competitive Advantage; Global Range; Knowledge Dissemination; Business Processes; Consulting Industry

Web

Entrepreneurial Management - Faculty & Research

Entrepreneurial Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors Doctoral Students Fall 2025 Article The Rise of Remote Work: Evidence on Productivity and Preferences from Firm and Worker Surveys By: Alexander... View Details

Article

Managing Alliances with the Balanced Scorecard

By: Robert S. Kaplan, David P. Norton and Bjarne Rugelsjoen

The article addresses failures in strategic alliances and illustrates, via a detailed description of the successful strategic alliance between Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Quintiles company how the creation of a strategy map and Balanced Scorecard helps align the... View Details

Keywords: Alliances; Balanced Scorecard; Employees; Alignment; Corporate Governance; Interests; Management Practices and Processes; Goals and Objectives; Partners and Partnerships

Find at Harvard

27 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

These Management Practices, Like Certain Technologies, Boost Company Performance

practices that act exactly as a new technology would, like advanced machinery might help companies increase output. Universal management practices can help increase a company’s productivity, just as technology can do. Credit: Kadmy “The... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

05 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

changes in the economy than it does about firms allowing themselves to return to days of bloated, ineffective managerial ranks. Managers are handling a more complex set of technologically driven tasks that require substantial skill in... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

29 Jun 2017
News

HBX Launches New Certificate Program, Becoming a Better Manager

August 1991
Background Note

Industrial Market Research: Beta Test Site Management

By: Robert J. Dolan

Describes the role of BETA tests in the new product development process and presents guidelines for effective test program development. View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Mathematical Methods; Marketing

02 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Casino Payoff: Hands-Off Management Works Best

host's local knowledge and experience, reinforced by a less-controlled management apparatus, is an invaluable asset for the specific property and should play a key role in the decision-making process for the... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Entertainment & Recreation

October 1994
Case

Yokohama Corporation, Ltd. (B): Cost Management System

Illustrates the budget planning process at a Japanese firm. Also describes a highly traditional cost accounting system, and shows how variances are used for performance measurement. View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Performance Evaluation; Budgets and Budgeting; Japan

September 2013
Case

Management Levels at Staples (A): Company and Organization (Abridged)

By: David A. Garvin

Abridged version of one of six cases that describe the roles and responsibilities of managers at each of the hierarchical levels of management within the U.S. Stores business unit of Staples, the world's largest office supply company. Together, the cases form a... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Managerial Roles; Organizational Design; Management Practices and Processes; Job Design and Levels; Business Processes; Consumer Products Industry; United States

09 Mar 2017
Cold Call Podcast

IDEO is Changing the Way Managers Think About Thinking

Keywords: Re: Ryan W. Buell; Motion Pictures & Video; Consulting

Teaching Interest

Technology and Operations Management - MBA Required Curriculum

This course enables students to develop the skills and concepts needed to ensure the ongoing contribution of a firm's operations to its competitive position. It helps them to understand the complex processes underlying the development and manufacture of products as... View Details

05 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

The Cycles of Theory Building in Management Research

Keywords: by Paul R. Carlile & Clayton M. Christensen

August 1995 (Revised September 1995)
Background Note

Designing and Managing the Information Age IT Architecture

By: Lynda M. Applegate

The co-evolution of technology, work, and the workforce over the past 30 years has dramatically influenced our concept of organizations and the industries within which they compete. No longer simply a tool to support "back-office" transactions, IT has become a... View Details

Keywords: Design; Management; Organizations; Information Technology

January 2013
Case

Cabot Corporation: The Fuel Cell Decision (A)

By: Willy Shih and Ying Zhou

Managers at Cabot Corporation are faced with deciding the future of its fuel cell program. The (A) case recounts the view of the business manager and the technical project lead, and the (B) case describes the perspective of a senior manager who is the head of the New... View Details

10 Jan 2007
HBS Case

The Challenge of Managing National Security

attacks. Garry Emmons: The focus of your work is on how to manage integration within a highly differentiated organization. Post-9/11, how's the intelligence community doing on that score? Jan Rivkin: Intelligence issues are enormously... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Service

December 2012
Background Note

Glossary of Municipal Finance Terms

A note on municipal bond structuring. View Details

Keywords: Local Government; Political Process; Debt Management; Financial Planning; Financial Management; Bonds; Urban Development; Local Range; Government Administration

June 1989
Background Note

Mastering the Art of Change: Managing Convergence and Upheaval

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Leonard A. Schlesinger

Outlines the differences between convergent change, which is a process of incremental innovation and continuous improvement, and divergent change, which involves revolutionary changes. Discusses how to manage each type of change and the consequences associated with... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Change