Publications

03 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

The Power of Rituals in Life, Death, and Business

winning team). But what's the point? Behavioral scientist Michael I. Norton became interested in mourning rituals after reading Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust's This Republic of Suffering, which describes elaborate ways... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

07 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Digital Transformation: A New Roadmap for Success

behaviors from leaders that are different from those required in the past. The final installment of this series will look at how leaders need to change if their companies are to reach digital maturity and be a View Details

Keywords: by Linda A. Hill, Ann Le Cam, Sunand Menon, and Emily Tedards

Article

Brand Tourists: How Non-Core Users Enhance the Brand Image by Eliciting Pride

By: Silvia Bellezza and Anat Keinan

This research examines how core consumers of selective brands react when non-core users obtain access to the brand. Contrary to the view that non-core users and downward brand extensions pose a threat to the brand, this work investigates the conditions under which... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Attitudes; Brands and Branding

04 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Is Government Just Stupid? How Bad Decisions Are Made

fish become extinct. If elected, I will do everything possible to enact an across-the-board fifteen percent tax reduction. Undoubtedly, some of these positions appeal to you more than others. Some you simply do not like. Now consider the... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman, Jonathan Baron & Katherine Shonk

05 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

The Framing Effect of Price Format

Keywords: by Marco Bertini & Luc R. Wathieu

Article

Design of Search Engine Services: Channel Interdependence in Search Engine Results

By: Benjamin Edelman and Zhenyu Lai

The authors examine prominent placement of search engines' own services and effects on users' choices. Evaluating a natural experiment in which different results were shown to users who performed similar searches, they find that Google's prominent placement of its... View Details

Keywords: Search Engine; Organic Search; Sponsored Search Advertising; User Interface; Channel Substitution; Search Technology; Consumer Behavior; Online Advertising

24 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together

differently about their coworkers and their work,” he says. The findings are detailed in the recent paper, Work Group Rituals Enhance the Meaning of Work, published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Norton conducted... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

19 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

What Motivates People to Give Generously—and Why We Sometimes Don't

me when my public radio station uses it. What else do we know about how to positively influence people’s charitable behaviors? Zlatev: The role of self-interest in prosocial behaviors is a really interesting... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint, HBS Alumni Bulletin

13 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 13

PublicationsDriven to Lead: Good, Bad, and Misguided Leadership Author:Paul R. Lawrence Publication:Jossey-Bass, forthcoming (2010) Abstract The author applies the four drive theory of human behavior (to acquire, to defend, to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Article

What We Can Learn from Five Naturalistic Field Experiments that Failed to Shift Commuter Behaviour

By: Ariella S. Kristal and A.V. Whillans

Across five field experiments with employees of a large organization (n = 68,915), we examined whether standard behavioural interventions (“nudges”) successfully reduced single-occupancy vehicle commutes. In Studies 1 and 2, we sent letters and emails with nudges... View Details

Keywords: Commuting; Field Experiments; Nudges; Behavior; Change

Register to Read

27 Feb 2007
First Look

First Look: February 27, 2007

between a standalone videogame console and a PC tailored to play videogames. It remained unclear, however, where along the spectrum from dedicated console to PC Microsoft should position the Xbox. Would it be an open platform like the PC... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

29 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 29, 2018

more sensitive to losses than gains in terms of economic growth? We find that measures of subjective well-being are more than twice as sensitive to negative as compared to positive economic growth. We use Gallup World Poll data from over... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

March 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

Philips: Redefining Telehealth

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Alec Petersen, Natalie Kindred and Sara M. McKinley

As one of the world’s largest healthcare companies, Philips sought to reach beyond the walls of the hospital and expand its hospital-to-home program to gain future competitive advantage through technology solutions combining predictive analytics with care delivery. By... View Details

Educators

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24 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It

growing. Indeed, the appearance of the word “passion” in US job listings increased nearly tenfold from 2007 to 2019, according to the study, published in Research in Organizational Behavior by HBS assistant professor Jon M. Jachimowicz... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 2020
Article

To Be or Not to Be Your Authentic Self? Catering to Others' Expectations and Interests Hinders Performance

By: Francesca Gino, Ovul Sezer and Laura Huang

When approaching interpersonal first meetings (e.g., job interviews), people often cater to the target’s interests and expectations to make a good impression and secure a positive outcome such as being offered the job (pilot study). This strategy is distinct from other... View Details

Keywords: Authenticity; Catering; Honesty; Selection; Impression Management; Interpersonal Communication; Behavior; Performance

24 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

When Tech Platforms Identify Black-Owned Businesses, White Customers Buy

“Business leaders need to think about the social impact of the business decisions they’re making—and then measure their impact.” “Even in markets where there is anti-Black bias on average, making it easy for people who want to support Black-owned businesses can have a... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Food & Beverage

12 Feb 2018
Research & Ideas

Customers at the Back of the Line Are Anxious—Can You Keep Them from Leaving?

customers, and how operational choices affect customer behaviors and firm performance. We all spend a surprising amount of time waiting our turn; by one estimate, Americans wait in line 37 billion hours a year—118 hours for every person.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail; Service

2021
Working Paper

Information Avoidance and Image Concerns

By: Christine L. Exley and Judd B. Kessler

A rich literature finds that individuals avoid information, even information that is instrumental to their choices. A common hypothesis posits that individuals strategically avoid information to hold particular beliefs or to take certain actions--such as behaving... View Details

Keywords: Image Motivation; Self-image; Information; Behavior; Identity; Personal Characteristics