Always On - Publications - Faculty & Research

31 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

Where Can Digital Transformation Take You? Insights from 1,700 Leaders

This is the first of our three-part "Leading in the Digital Era" series. Read parts two and three. "Got a driver’s license? Good! Now, step into this Formula 1 racecar." This was how one executive of a Latin American e-commerce company... View Details

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

15 Feb 2022
Book

When Working Harder Doesn’t Work, Time to Reinvent Your Career

Decades ago, a talented young musician pursued his childhood dream of becoming the world’s greatest French horn player, studying with great teachers, attending music festivals, and always earning first chair. At 19, he dropped out of... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

18 Nov 2015
Research & Ideas

Who Really Determines CEO Salary Packages?

Effects on the Design of Executive Compensation Contracts. The answer could help to explain why CEO salaries tend to be very high across the board. “There’s always been this black box surrounding what... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consulting

21 Feb 2005
Op-Ed

Is Business Management a Profession?

implicated in recent acts of corporate malfeasance—could have become so depraved, this is probably the wrong question. Given that human nature does not change much from age to age, the real issue is the effectiveness of the constraints that society places View Details

Keywords: by Rakesh Khurana, Nitin Nohria & Daniel Penrice

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Sam Walton: Great From the Start

"Of course, what really drove Sam was that competition across the street—John Dunham over at the Sterling Store. Sam was always over there checking on John. Always. Looking at his prices, looking at his... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Retail

04 Jan 2017
What Do You Think?

How Much Bureaucracy is a Good Thing in Government and Business?

always seems to be accompanied by several similar themes. One theme is change. For some reason, change has an appeal to voters, pretty much regardless of the performance of the incumbent, at least at the... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett

05 Jun 2009
What Do You Think?

What Does Slower Economic Growth Really Mean?

bad . Quantitative metrics serve as best indicators when they are based on qualitative platforms." Along this line, Ken Ackerman reminded us that "Growth is a product of confidence we spend too little time measuring the mood of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Financial Services; Construction; Real Estate

06 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Are You a Level-Six Leader?

several options)? “Opportunists are the people who always ask, 'What's in it for me?'” Asking the question whom do you serve? is a powerful vector on which to build a useful typology of leadership. Based... View Details

Keywords: by Mitch Maidique

02 Jun 2010
What Do You Think?

How Do You Weigh Strategy, Execution, and Culture in an Organization’s Success?

Summing Up Strategy, execution, and culture: Do we have our priorities right? First, my thanks to all of you who weighed in on the issues of the month regarding ways of thinking and asking questions about the relative importance of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

15 Jun 2007
Research & Ideas

Remembering Alfred Chandler

accessible, friendly man. He was always willing to talk about business, share anecdotes, and exchange ideas. He never stopped. He was a living compendium of information about the history of business. I once had a 2-hour conversation with... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

15 Aug 2023
HBS Case

(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?

technological fiefdoms, similar to how social networks and mobile app stores operate today? The answer is not yet clear—and may not be for years to come. When will the metaverse make a splash? “For the last 10 years, metaverse and virtual reality have View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Computer; Information Technology

04 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Is Government Just Stupid? How Bad Decisions Are Made

decision making. These barriers are: Do no harm. Their gain is our loss. Competition is always good. Support our group. Live for the moment. No pain for us, no gain for them. The antidote? An approach used in the business schools, whereby... View Details

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

18 Sep 2019
Op-Ed

WeWork—The IPO That Shouldn’t?

No IPO in recent memory has received as much negative pre-public publicity as WeWork, which provides shared workspaces and services for startups and other enterprises. The outpouring of criticism has focused on a number of items including... View Details

Keywords: by Nori Gerardo Lietz; Financial Services; Real Estate

06 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

The Truth About Authentic Leaders

The debate over which form of leadership works best seems settled, in my view. Most leading companies globally are focusing on developing "authentic leaders" within their ranks. Executive courses at Harvard Business School in... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

10 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot

the national team to play at a high level and practice the stuff I worked on all summer. I then came back in the winter a better player. I always saw myself as a guy who was evolving.” Stars practice, and... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden

23 May 2023
Research & Ideas

Face Value: Do Certain Physical Features Help People Get Ahead?

Can business leaders harness the star power of celebrities? It might depend on their jawline. A recent study parses 12,000 faces for attributes linked to charisma and proposes a framework to figure out who has it and who doesn’t. Why some... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

11 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Strategy Execution and the Balanced Scorecard

strategy and operations (or tactics) are both important but they are different. The normal course of events is for companies to focus on day-to-day operations and short-term problem solving. Management meetings focus View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

07 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Digital Transformation: A New Roadmap for Success

This is the second of our three-part "Leading in the Digital Era" series. Read parts one and three. For the past two years, we've been asking executives: Where is your company in its digital journey, and where do you want to go?... View Details