Publications

17 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 17

features of relational pluralism inside and across organizations. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for research. August 2013 Psychological Science A 'Present' for the Future: The Unexpected Value of Rediscovery By:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

Beyond the 'Business Case' in DEI: 6 Steps Toward Meaningful Change

disconnect between a company’s stated argument for diversity and the psychological reality of decision-making. “Your employees, future employees, customers and investors are watching.” As some CEOs weigh the future of their company’s DEI... View Details

Keywords: by Katherine Hutt Scott and Barbara DeLollis

December 2004 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Managing a Public Image: Sophie Chen

By: Robin J. Ely and Ingrid Vargas

Sophie Chen, an Asian-American MBA student at Harvard Business School, describes a professional situation in which she was unable to mentor a junior person effectively because she disapproved of the way her Asian-American mentee conformed to an ethnic stereotype.... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Perception; Relationships; Diversity

Educators

Web

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets - Faculty & Research

National Academy of Sciences 122, no. 31 (August 5, 2025). Punitive but Discerning: Reputation Can Fuel Ambiguously-Deserved Punishment, but Does Not Erode Sensitivity to Nuance By: Jillian J. Jordan and Nour S. Kteily May 2025 | Article | Journal of Personality and... View Details

04 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 4

Colorblindness: Emergence, Practice, and Implications Authors:Evan P. Apfelbaum, Michael I. Norton, and Samuel R. Sommers Publication:Current Directions in Psychological Science (forthcoming) Abstract We examine the pervasive endorsement... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

Article

Risk Attitudes and Personality Traits of Entrepreneurs and Venture Team Members

By: Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr and Margaret Dalton

Personality distinctions between entrepreneurs, nonfounder CEOs/leaders, and inventor employees have received limited attention, especially in innovative settings where they are working together. We surveyed these groups, along with other employees of innovative firms,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Inventors; Innovation; Risk; Personal Characteristics; Innovation and Invention; Risk and Uncertainty; Attitudes

February 1998 (Revised February 1999)
Case

Amway Japan Limited

In April 1997, the president of Amway Japan (AJL, Tokyo, Japan), pondered how to reverse the first performance decline the company has experienced since entering the Japanese direct selling market in 1979. Established as the tenth overseas subsidiary of Amway Corp. of... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Motivation and Incentives; Business Subsidiaries; Distribution Channels; Customer Satisfaction; Consumer Products Industry; Michigan; Tokyo

Educators

17 Jan 2023
In Practice

8 Trends to Watch in 2023

As 2023 begins, businesses and employees face an uncertain economy and labor market, as the twin dilemmas of inflation and interest rates weigh on forecasts. Harvard Business School faculty share the top trends that they believe will shape the workplace and markets... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

October 18, 2024
Article

Why Workplace Well-Being Programs Don’t Achieve Better Outcomes

By: Jazz Croft, Acacia Parks and Ashley Whillans

By 2026, global corporate spending on wellness programs is set to top $94.6 billion, yet anticipated improvements in well-being are not being realized, and, in fact, mental health needs are continuing to rise around the world. Drawing on a large body of recent... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Employees; Well-being

10 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 10, 2009

one of Abu Dhabi's handful of incredibly wealthy families. To be a developed country, Abu Dhabi needed change. Fortune had already played perhaps too large a role. Purchase the case: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 2020
Article

Real-time Data from Mobile Platforms to Evaluate Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure

By: Omar Isaac Asensio, Kevin Alvarez, Arielle Dror, Emerson Wenzel, Catharina Hollauer and Sooji Ha

By displacing gasoline and diesel fuels, electric cars and fleets reduce emissions from the transportation sector, thus offering important public health benefits. However, public confidence in the reliability of charging infrastructure remains a fundamental barrier to... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Transportation; Infrastructure; Behavior; AI and Machine Learning; Demand and Consumers

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

August 2017
Article

Should Governments Invest More in Nudging?

By: Shlomo Benartzi, John Beshears, Katherine L. Milkman, Cass R. Sunstein, Richard H. Thaler, Maya Shankar, Will Tucker-Ray, William J. Congdon and Steven Galing

Governments are increasingly adopting behavioral science techniques for changing individual behavior in pursuit of policy objectives. The types of “nudge” interventions that governments are now adopting alter people’s decisions without coercion or significant changes... View Details

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

grocery stores, restaurants, and manufacturing plants, with median annual earnings of about $10,000. Higher-paying, professional opportunities remain scarce. View VideoVideo: Hise Gibson shares why business leaders need to hear Larry... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

2011
Book

True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development

By: Bill George and Doug Baker

All too often, we find ourselves forced to confront life's challenges on our own. What we need is an intimate group with whom we can examine our beliefs and share our lives. For the past thirty-five years, Bill George and Doug Baker have found the answer in True North... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Problems and Challenges; Groups and Teams; Opportunities; Personal Characteristics

Web

Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

humans could perform. The present research explores the psychology of "botsourcing"—the replacement of human jobs by robots—while examining how understanding botsourcing can inform the psychology of... View Details

February 2020
Article

The Many Minds Problem: Disclosure in Dyadic vs. Group Conversation

By: Gus Cooney, Adam M. Mastroianni, Nicole Abi-Esber and Alison Wood Brooks

What causes people to disclose their preferences or withhold them? Declare their love for each other or keep it a secret? Gossip with a coworker or bite one’s tongue? We argue that to understand disclosure, we need to understand a critical and often overlooked aspect... View Details

Keywords: Disclosure; Interpersonal Communication; Behavior

08 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

feel like they are losing every day. I believe this will be a marathon, not a sprint, and I will need help for the next many months to keep theirs and others’ spirits high so we can keep them for when we recover.” “How to motivate a team... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

June 2010
Article

Change for Change's Sake

By: Freek Vermeulen, Phanish Puranam and Ranjay Gulati

No one disputes that firms have to make organizational changes when the business environment demands them. But the idea that a firm might want change for its own sake often provokes skepticism. Why inflict all that pain if you don't have to? That is a dangerous... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Innovation and Invention; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Creativity; Power and Influence; Adaptation