Publications

January 2023 (Revised August 2023)
Case

Nick Saban: Embracing 'The Process' of Sustaining Success

By: Ranjay Gulati and Eppa Rixey

Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama football team from 2007-2022, fielded teams that won 183 of 208 games (88%), including a record-tying six national championships. Saban’s approach to coaching, known to many as “The Process,” and the consistent... View Details

Keywords: Purpose; Leadership And Managing People; Football; Recruiting; Talent Acquisition; Talent And Talent Management; Talent Development And Retention; Organization Change And Adaptation; Organizational Behavior; Sports; Leadership; Leadership Development; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Sports Industry; United States

April 2008
Case

Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing the Reorganization

By: Anne Donnellon and Dun Gifford Jr

Ken Winston, the regional sales manager at a securities brokerage firm, has reorganized his generalist salespeople into Key Account Teams (KAT) to increase sales of specialized, higher-margin fixed income products. Winston is also implementing a new corporate... View Details

March 2014
Case

Babcock International Plc

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

In 2013, Babcock International Plc (Babcock) was the largest engineering services provider in the UK with sales of over £3 billion. Under the leadership of CEO Peter Rogers, Babcock had grown revenues and profits nearly tenfold over the previous decade as it benefited... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Change; Strategy And Leadership; Diversification; United Kingdom; Military; Nuclear Power; Nuclear; Engineering And Construction; Conglomerates; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Global Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Construction Industry; Energy Industry; United Kingdom

10 Mar 2021
News

Turning Point: Coming to Cambodia

Cambodian or otherwise, to teach the next generation the skills to revive the arts, to manage cultural organizations, or to lead the country. I made about 10 trips to Cambodia over 10 years. At the National Museum, I worked with a team to... View Details

Keywords: mentorship; nonprofit management; retirement; leadership

December 2016
Supplement

Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Joshua D. Margolis and Das Narayandas

This is a video supplement, to be used when teaching the Ron Johnson case. See abstract:

In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected for his... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Leadership Development; Legal Industry; Procurement; Professional Service Firms; Pricing; Competition; Organizational Behavior; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Situation or Environment; Failure; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

01 Jun 2023
News

Buy Big, Sell Small

connection. “But then COVID-19 hit,” she says, “and all of India stopped traveling.” The risks Shruti had considered in the abstract became real. “The 15 people on my team had devoted a year of their lives to the travel venture,” she... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; retail; supply chain management; entrepreneurship; leadership; innovation; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

10 Mar 2021
News

Vision: A Unicorn Evolves

envisioned had not materialized. In a last-ditch effort to jumpstart the stalled exchange, the team built some software that created email templates and provided easy access to sales-contact data to personalize them quickly, making the... View Details

Keywords: April White; entrepreneurship; technology; startups; leadership

01 Dec 2019
News

Turning Point: Living History

For me, being part of a team that created a space for these stories to be heard and acknowledged—to create a dialogue—was a new form of social impact. I’ve also grown a lot as a leader, in terms of building a View Details

Keywords: museums; India; nonprofits; career paths; leadership; Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions; Arts, Entertainment

01 Jun 2024
News

Quantum Leap

it,” he says. That intuition has served him well: Over the past three decades, Levy has founded and led several tech companies and played a role as an investor and board member at dozens more. Now he and his team of scientists and... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photographed by Chris Sorensen; quantum computing; innovation; leadership; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

Feb 29 2024
Testimonial

Leading with Self-Awareness

01 Sep 2017
News

Alumni Connections: Photos of Recent Alumni Events

the role of board members. 1 Alumni gathered in Shad Hall to discuss the cases that were the basis for presentations from the 156 six-person student teams. 2 Across campus, student teams made their presentations to alumni. European Club... View Details

Keywords: HBS Boardroom; European Club Leadership Meeting; reunion; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

27 Jul 2016
News

The Values Crisis Shaking the Republican Party

Keywords: values; beliefs; Donald Trump; Republican Party; leadership; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; Government

April 2008
Teaching Note

Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing The Reorganization (Brief Case)

Teaching Note for (2182) View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Fixed Costs; Group Dynamics; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Matrix Organization; Leading Teams; Leadership; Change Management; Organizational Design; Groups and Teams; Compensation and Benefits; Sales

August 2016 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Tom Kalil: Leading Technology & Innovation at the White House

By: Linda A. Hill and Allison J. Wigen

This case explores the role of Tom Kalil as Deputy Director for Technology & Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. With the end of President Obama's Administration drawing near, Kalil and his team of "policy entrepreneurs" must work to... View Details

January 2014 (Revised January 2014)
Case

Henry Schein: Doing Well by Doing Good?

By: Rebecca Henderson, Raffaella Sadun, Aldo Sesia and Russell Eisenstat

Henry Schein Inc., a distributor of supplies to dentist, physician, and veterinary practices, had sales approaching $9 billion and employed nearly 16,000 people. The company had experienced impressive growth under the leadership of Stanley Bergman and his executive... View Details

10 Mar 2021
News

Dream Job: Higher Ed’s New Hire

when a headhunter reached out, Lew decided to explore the opportunity at Columbia. “I’ve always encouraged members of my team to openly interview for positions that seem interesting,” she says. “When you interview for a job, you either... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; investing; leadership; diversity; career experience; higher education; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

October 2020 (Revised February 2025)
Technical Note

Reinvention

By: Ryan Raffaelli

This note is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of leading innovation in established organizations. Reinvention is a process whereby organizations respond to changes in the environment that threaten their core business model, technologies,... View Details

Keywords: Innovation And Strategy; Leadership And Change Management; Organizational Ambidexterity; Exploration And Exploitation; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Leading Change; Technology Adoption; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation