Step Processes - Publications - Faculty & Research

28 Aug 2014
Op-Ed

Government Can Do More to Unfreeze Small Business Credit

Business Lending, gaps persist in certain areas of the small-business market, and regulatory overhang continues to create pressures on small business credit. Government Steps To Loosen Credit Three landmark pieces of legislation passed... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills; Banking

23 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Minding the Muse: The Impact of Downsizing on Corporate Creativity

challenging assignments, adequate resources, supportive work groups, management that places a premium on creativity, and project leaders who understand the creative process and have strong communications skills. At the other end of the... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Bright Ideas: The Creative Power of Groups

Business School Press), a new book by HBS professor Dorothy Leonard and Professor Walter Swap of Tufts University. The authors not only disprove the stereotypical perception of group creativity as an oxymoron but show how the group creative View Details

Keywords: by Laurie Joan Aron

26 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 26

Hall, Anette Mikes, and Yuval Millo Abstract In this study, we examine transformations in the influence of risk managers in two large UK banks over a period of six years. Our analysis highlights that a process we term toolmaking, whereby... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Businesses Need a 'Catalyst' to Make CSR Practices Stick

local maize farmers. By providing purchasing commitment and quality standards, the catalyst was able to access seed financing to invest in post-harvest handling and processing equipment, as well as structure on-farm training and access to... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Computer Security is For Managers, Too

Companies need to have smart technicians who stay abreast of emerging digital threats and defenses, of course, but the technicians shouldn't be calling the shots. General managers need to take the lead in building processes that will... View Details

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin & Christopher A.R. Darby

19 Jun 2009
Research Event

Business Summit: The Evolution of Agribusiness

to be seen not just as economically important, but as a critical part of society. Agribusiness touches on health, nutrition, safety, science, and government. One particular step in the evolutionary process... View Details

Keywords: Re: David E. Bell & Ray A. Goldberg; Agriculture & Agribusiness

05 Nov 2007
What Do You Think?

Why Is Succession So Badly Managed?

Summing Up Should CEO succession processes be certified? Respondents to this month's column agree that CEO succession is badly managed, perhaps accounting in large part for the fact that few "inside outsiders" ever make it into... View Details

Keywords: Re: James L. Heskett

12 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Break the Rules of How Business is Done

stepped up their game by revamping the offer letter. CEO Henry Ward decided that, being in the business of equity management, they should excel in helping job candidates and new employees fully understand what it means to have options in... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

01 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

Sometimes Success Begins at Failure

discovered these negative results, some firms might have thrown in the towel and moved on to other projects. But Pfizer's scientists picked up on—and decided to pursue—what they thought might be an interesting side effect. That side effect led the View Details

Keywords: by Henry Chesbrough; Health; Pharmaceutical

02 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Modern Indian Art: The Birth of a Market

categories assigned value? One of the first studies of value construction as a detailed process in new market categories has been written by Mukti Khaire, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, and R. Daniel Wadhwani, an... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

13 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

How to Pick Managers for Disruptive Growth

succeed in that context. The "graduates" of this school would have finely honed operational skills in managing quality programs, process improvement teams, and cost-control efforts. Even the most senior manufacturing executives... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Raynor

11 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: ’The Future of Boards’

judgment and be loyal to the corporation. As one director told us, "Our board lawyers say, 'You know, the board members are not supposed to be making the management decisions. You're just supposed to be comfortable that the management is going through the appropriate... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Lorsch

25 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

An Organization Your Customers Understand

structures and systems should be configured to ensure that the firm delivers superior value to these (and only these) customers. Making this critical decision involves two steps. Step 1: Identify your constituents The first View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

04 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

How Female Stars Succeed in New Jobs

females. In the process of due diligence, star women learn a lot of valuable information about the company that helps them make good strategic decisions. They scrutinize prospective employers on receptivity to women, managerial support,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

08 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 8

intentional attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate the key lessons taught by experience. Drawing on dual-process theory, we focus on the reflective dimension of the learning process and propose that learning can be augmented by... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Sep 2009
Research & Ideas

Improving Accountability at the World Bank

assurance that decision-making will be transparent and participatory, particularly for those that are marginalized in the domestic political process and (d) assessing the political risks faced by those who participate in its consultation... View Details

Keywords: by Alnoor Ebrahim

02 Aug 2004
What Do You Think?

For Greater Transparency, Is Section 404 an Effective Response?

Summing Up Responses to this month's column raise questions about whether Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requiring that senior managers certify the integrity of the processes by which their companies' financial reports are... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

09 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Are Management Consulting Firms Failing to Manage Themselves?

top-management counsel, hiring the most qualified staff, and an apprenticeship process that built excellence. For example, Marvin Bower, founder of McKinsey, preached that partners had to focus on serving the right senior clients on their... View Details

Keywords: by David Fubini; Consulting

30 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

How Your Employees and Customers Drive a New Value Profit Chain

transfer into their organizations? How can companies be sure they are collecting the right information? Heskett: The collection and processing of information about customers is one of the most critical functions performed by the... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

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