Publications

April 16, 2019
Article

Research Confirms: When Receiving Bad News, We Shoot the Messenger

By: Leslie John, Hayley Blunden and Heidi Liu

Most jobs require us at some point to deliver bad news—whether it be a minor revelation such as a recruiter telling a prospective employee that there’s no wiggle room in salary, or something major, like when a manager must fire an employee. We dread such discussions... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Perception; Judgments

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Akshita Joshi is a doctoral candidate in the Organizational Behavior program at Harvard Business School. She has 15 years of work experience & holds an MBA from Stanford GSB & an M.A. in Psychology from UCP Portugal. Her research is focused on the emotional,... View Details

November 1994
Background Note

Why Bad Things Happen to Good Companies

By: Benson P. Shapiro, Adrian J. Slywotsky and Richard S. Tedlow

Describes the Darwinian internal and external processes that lead to poor performance from a previously well performing company. Demonstrates why any business design eventually fails and the role of organizational calcification and poor leadership in the failure. Also... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Design; Failure; Performance

March 2022
Article

From Proprietary to Collective Governance: How Do Platform Participation Strategies Evolve?

By: Siobhan O'Mahony and Rebecca Karp

When platform leaders change the rules guiding who can access and control a platform, the strategies of those who create value from the platform can be upended. Little research examines how platform participants adapt their strategies when a platform leader changes the... View Details

Keywords: Platform Governance; Access; Crowdsourcing; Applications and Software; Employees; Leadership Style; Cybersecurity; Risk Management

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June 1997
Case

VeriFone: The Transaction Automation Company (A) Abridged

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Describes VeriFone's new organizational model and its role in catapulting VeriFone to a market leadership position. Examines the impact of information technology and information access on the ability to leverage global resources, market responsiveness, and... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Organizational Structure; Globalized Markets and Industries; Information Management; Strategic Planning; Resource Allocation; Leadership Development; Information Technology Industry

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November 15, 2021
Article

Putting Your Corporate Purpose to Work

By: Hubert Joly

Making a company purpose come to life is an arduous journey that requires a multi-pronged and sustained approach. Yet as hard as it is, the journey is well worth it and will yield positive transformation not only for the company, but also for the people who work there.... View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Culture; Business and Stakeholder Relations

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November 2005 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Publicis Groupe: Leading Creative Acquisitions

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ryan Raffaelli

The CEO of a French-based advertising agency network led a series of high-profile acquisitions that created the world's 4th largest global communications company, after a failed strategic alliance taught him lessons about leadership and business relationships. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership; Management Succession; Partners and Partnerships; Cooperation; Integration; France

18 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Learning in Action

and, it was impossible to anticipate upcoming events. But it was possible to manage the change process more effectively. What was needed was a set of concepts, tools, and techniques for making rapid... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin

14 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Top 5 Myths About HBS

of their experience and their thought leadership is something that really resonates with me still to this day. Even being vocal at HBS doesn't even have to be through words. It can be through your... View Details

Career Coach

Gail Chang

into all facets of finance through a leadership rotational program. Then she worked as a consultant under the risk management & pricing function of the company. During her RC summer, Gail interned at an... View Details

December 2004 (Revised August 2005)
Exercise

Orientation to the Public Image Assessment Exercise

By: Robin J. Ely

The Public Image Assessment exercise acquaints students with the ideal images they hold of themselves, the actions they engage in to convey these images, and the benefits and costs of these behaviors to themselves and to others. Social psychologists call this process... View Details

Keywords: Reputation; Perception

19 Sep 2005
Research & Ideas

Rethinking Company Loyalty

to Medtronic's 30,000 employees worldwide, featuring the stories of patients who have benefited from the company's products. "Our people end up feeling personally involved in our company's mission to restore View Details

Keywords: by Lauren Keller Johnson

Jeffrey F. Rayport

Jeffrey F Rayport is a faculty member in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches in the School’s MBA and Executive Education Programs and on HBS Online. His primary focus in teaching and research is growth-stage technology... View Details

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 17 Feb 2016
Webinars: Trending@HBS

Everything I Needed to Know About Parenting I Learned at HBS

During the webinar, Denise will translate leadership principles into a family-friendly context to help parents foster kindness and reduce tension at home. Everyone benefits! Well show you how to adapt these tools to your own family vision and action plan. 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

August 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Supplement

Narayana Hrudayalaya Heart Hospital: Cardiac Care for the Poor (B)

By: Tarun Khanna and Tanya Bijlani

Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) has expanded into a multi-specialty health city in Bangalore and has grown to twelve locations across India. The hospital plans to build 300-bed secondary-care hospitals in smaller cities across India, with a goal to operate 30,000 beds in... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Growth and Development Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Social Enterprise; Health Care and Treatment; Poverty; Welfare; Health Industry; Bangalore; Cayman Islands; Africa

January 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Satera Team at Imatron Systems, Inc. (A), The

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Elizabeth Schatzel

Escalating conflict has erupted within the Satera product development team, resulting from the conflicting cognitive styles of the two senior mechanical engineers. The conflict has taken a toll on both project progress and team morale, endangering one of the most... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Management; Business or Company Management; Groups and Teams; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry