Publications

Winter 2024
Article

Return to Office Decisions: A Culture Question?

By: Yo-Jud Cheng and Boris Groysberg

Company culture is an important source of competitive advantage and differentiation. Even in times of crisis, leaders must attend to their company’s culture, designing it in alignment with their strategy and priorities. One of the most consequential decisions that... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Employee Relationship Management

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December 1989
Supplement

People Express Philosophy: Interview with Don Burr, Video

By: Michael Beer

Presents an interview with Don Burr as he reviews the philosophy of management and managements approach of People Express. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Management Teams; Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Air Transportation Industry

February 2001 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company

By: Nancy F. Koehn

Investigates the entrepreneur's strategic initiatives to develop a mass market for specialty coffee in the 1980s and 1990s. These initiatives included the development of premium products, rapid expansion of company-owned stores--each with attractive retail environments... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Groups and Teams; Brands and Branding; Growth Management; Employee Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Design; Leadership Style; Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Advantage; Vertical Integration; Food and Beverage Industry

26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

subordinates feels micromanaged, which is bizarre.” It’s a leadership approach focused on self-discipline and personal accountability, one that might be considered refreshing in a business world often bogged down by managers who... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

October 1986 (Revised July 2010)
Case

Karen Leary (A)

By: Linda A. Hill

Describes the evolution of the working relationship of Karen Leary, a new manager of a Merrill Lynch retail branch, and Ted Chung, a new financial consultant in the branch. Leary has some concerns about her working relationship with Chung and with his performance.... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Employee Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Performance Evaluation; Diversity; Financial Services Industry

Program

Authentic Leader Development

eligible for the Certificate of Management Excellence. Learn More Key Benefits Based on leadership visionary Bill George's groundbreaking book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, this program immerses you in a profoundly... View Details

August 2012 (Revised October 2015)
Technical Note

A Note on Trust

By: Jim Sharpe and Charles H. Green

The effective manager and leader understands and appreciates trust at both the personal and the organizational levels. Most managers focus more on being trusted than on trusting. The best way to be trusted is to be worthy of trust—to be trustworthy. View Details

Keywords: Turnarounds; Leadership Skills; Financial Crisis; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Trust; Management Style; Leadership Style

13 Jan 2009
First Look

First Look: January 13, 2009

Long-Run Investment: The Case of Innovation Authors:Josh Lerner, Morten Sørensen, and Per Strömberg Abstract A long-standing controversy is whether LBOs relieve managers from short-term pressures from public shareholders, or whether LBO... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 1973 (Revised July 1982)
Case

Textron, Inc.

By: Norman A. Berg

Covers the historical development, current business, management philosophies, corporate strategy, and the nature and role of the corporate headquarters in managing the highly diversified operations. Based on Textron, Inc. (A). View Details

Keywords: History; Management Style; Business or Company Management; Corporate Strategy; Business Headquarters; Operations

Program

Leadership for Senior Executives

learn how to manage this uncertainty by exploring five different roles: leader as beacon, leader as coach, leader as innovator, leader as change agent, and leader as architect. The Leadership for Senior Executives program is presented... View Details

29 Feb 2024
HBS Case

Beyond Goals: David Beckham's Playbook for Mobilizing Star Talent

ends? Anita Elberse, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, got a behind-the-scenes look from Beckham’s team at how the organization considered an offer from Authentic Brands Management for a... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

Nitin Nohria

Nitin Nohria served as the tenth dean of Harvard Business School from 2010-2020. He previously served as co-chair of the Leadership Initiative, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development, and Head of the Organizational Behavior unit.

As Dean, building on... View Details

03 Apr 2013
What Do You Think?

Will Women Leaders Influence the Way We Work?

leaders on work, "it is extremely naive to expect that stereotypical ideas about what women in general are like will have any meaning for the behavior of women in senior management positions. Women who arrive in such positions will... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

November 1997
Background Note

Note on Knowledge Management, A

By: David A. Garvin and Artemis March

Provides an overview of knowledge management, including descriptions of knowledge management strategies, processes, organization, infrastructure, systems, and challenges. Describes the approaches at two leading consulting firms, Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, that... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Management Style; Management Systems; Infrastructure; Organizations; Business Strategy

05 Jul 2023
HBS Case

What Kind of Leader Are You? How Three Action Orientations Can Help You Meet the Moment

Because change is the only constant, leadership is never one-size-fits-all. Different challenges require different leadership styles. A recent note from Harvard Business School suggests that an organization’s success rides on the ability of its leaders to adapt their... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

December 1999 (Revised August 2004)
Case

Tom Tierney at Bain & Company (A)

By: Ashish Nanda

Bain managing director Tom Tierney is contemplating how best to rotate the office head position between two partners at one of the firm's offices. The case provides background information on Bain's governance structure and Tierney's management style. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Governance Controls; Management Succession; Personal Development and Career; Consulting Industry

September 1955 (Revised April 1983)
Case

Allen Distribution Co.

A new credit department manager plans to set the tone of his department by reviewing marginal accounts. View Details

Keywords: Management Style

August 1984 (Revised March 1989)
Background Note

Direct, Personal Leadership

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Richard R. Ellsworth

Argues that to be effective leaders, general managers must focus on substance, not process, and aggressively combat the forces that can lead to the politicization of the organization. Examines the leader's direct role in setting and communicating goals, managing the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Management Practices and Processes