Managing Performance - Publications - Faculty & Research

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When AI Chatbots Help People Act More Human | Working Knowledge

between a meal delivery company and its customers to determine how AI affects response times and customer service. According to their study, AI helped human agents respond to chats some 20 percent faster—improving performance even more... View Details

22 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

Getting to Eureka!: How Companies Can Promote Creativity

wins were more frequently associated with the positive emotions and intrinsic motivation that in turn generated the creativity needed to develop innovative approaches to problems. That doesn't mean that managers don't have some control... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

30 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Tuning Jobs to Fit Your Company

exhibit "The Four Spans" provides a summary.) The span of control. The first span defines the range of resources—not only people but also assets and infrastructure—for which a manager is given decision rights. These are also the... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

14 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 14

the firm. Recently Gibbons and Henderson (2013) have suggested that one way to formalize this insight is through a focus on the role of relational contracts within the firm. They hypothesize this implies that the performance effects of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Jan 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Why You Are Unhappy at Work

Blues A shockingly low 25 percent of employees feel connection to their company's mission. Bill George discusses fixes to rebuild purpose in their work. How Small Wins Unleash Creativity The most powerful tool managers have to motivate... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Web

William Donaldson | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Full Transcript (PDF) William “Bill” Donaldson, HBS 1958, was one of the founders of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). In the late 1950s, a new breed of institutional fund manager required higher quality research on firms’ projected... View Details

29 May 2001
Research & Ideas

Race Does Matter in Mentoring

reached the executive level at his organization. Why did he make it when so many other minorities plateaued in middle management? First, Williams had the good fortune to be hired by Nathan Barrett, a white manager who continually expanded... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Thomas

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Financial Crisis Caution Urged by Faculty Panel

the importance of risk management and oversight. Robert C. Merton, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor, similarly expressed concern about the unintended consequences of change on Wall Street, closing with the assertion that... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

20 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 20, 2008

world and capture relevant management information. In 2007, ProntoWash, an international car-wash company based in Argentina, was planning for rapid growth through a combination of owned and franchised operations. CEO Sergio Kompel needed... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

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The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports Course Number 1914 Professor Anita Elberse Fall; Q1Q2; 3.0 credits 28 Sessions Paper/Project Career Focus This course is primarily designed for students who are pursuing a career in film, television,... View Details

04 Jun 2014
News

Swizz Beatz Wants Harvard Degree To Save Hip-Hop

Keywords: Kasseem Dean; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries

June 2020
Supplement

TransDigm in 2017: Congressional Hearing on the DoD Inspector General’s Report (5/15/19)

By: Benjamin C. Esty

This video accompanies the case, “TransDigm in 2017: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?” View Details

Citation

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01 Dec 2010
News

Faculty Books

critical performance variables are we tracking? What strategic boundaries have we set? How are we generating creative tension? How committed should our employees be to helping each other? And what strategic uncertainties keep us awake at... View Details

Keywords: business proposals; financial regulation

19 Dec 2016
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular Stories of 2016

entrepreneurs. Resolve Your Toughest Work Problems With 5 Questions In his book Managing in the Gray, Joseph Badaracco offers managers a five-question framework for facing murky situations and solving tough... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

December 1994 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Jensen Shoes: Lyndon Brooks' Story

Jane Kravitz (Caucasian female), strategic product manager, and Lyndon Brooks (African American male), a member of her staff at Jensen Shoes, a successful producer and marketer of casual, athletic, and children's footwear, are assigned to new positions and to each... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Ethnicity; Race Characteristics; Performance Evaluation; Gender Characteristics; Management Skills; Diversity; Apparel and Accessories Industry

Citation

Educators

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January 2019
Case

Arrow Electronics—The Apollo Integration

By: Stephen P. Kaufman

Having already made 10 acquisitions of competitors in the last decade, the CEO and Senior Vice President of Arrow are evaluating the acquisition of another small competitor to boost sales, become #1 in a niche market segment, and achieve economies of scale. They are... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Integration; Valuation; Performance Evaluation; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Strategic Planning; Growth and Development Strategy; Electronics Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

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01 Dec 2002
News

Books

approach that takes both ethical and economic imperatives seriously. Paine's book speaks directly to those responsible for a company's performance —executives, entrepreneurs, directors, managers — but any... View Details

04 Oct 2024
In Practice

Research-Based Advice for the Seasonally Overwhelmed and Schedule Challenged

inability to do so for just as long. How can someone overcome that cultural inheritance? It starts with managing one’s time at work. Technology allows work to encroach relentlessly on employees’ personal lives. If a person fails to put... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Oct 1997
News

Theory & Practice

of a product you know will be controversial? Resolving such dilemmas often requires more than simply following the injunction to "do the right thing," says HBS professor Joseph Badaracco in Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose... View Details

June 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Reckitt Benckiser: Fast and Focused Innovation

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Ryan Johnson

Since its 1999 merger Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods company, led by its CEO Bart Becht, RB developed a reputation for rapid product innovation and industry leading profit margins. RB's stated strategy was to focus on its Powerbrands and high growth... View Details