Publications

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October 2011
Case

Raleigh & Rosse: Measures to Motivate Exceptional Service

By: Robert Simons and Michael Mahoney

In January 2010, U.S. luxury goods retailer Raleigh & Rosse is being sued by its employees for encouraging "off the clock" hours. At the center of the class action lawsuit is the famous Raleigh & Rosse performance measurement system previously thought to be the core of... View Details

Keywords: Control Systems; Performance Measurement; Goal Setting; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Sales Compensation; Motivation and Incentives; Goals and Objectives; Growth Management; Lawsuits and Litigation; Organizational Culture; Management Systems; Customer Focus and Relationships; Employees; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Retail Industry; United States

27 Jul 2020
Book

Reflection: The Pause That Brings Peace and Productivity

Many of us feel time-pressured, tethered to our smartphones so we can stay on top of work and home responsibilities. It can be tough to step off the daily merry-go-round, put our phones, laptops, and to-do lists aside, and find decent... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

25 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

The Importance of Teaming

need to develop and use new capabilities for sharing crucial knowledge quickly. They must learn to ask questions clearly and frequently. They must make the small adjustments through which different skills and knowledge are woven together... View Details

Keywords: Re: Amy C. Edmondson

24 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Do We Tax?

Lawmakers, following public opinion rather than scholars' theories, have put in place very little tagging. Does this mean it's time to bury the Utilitarian approach? Not quite, says economist Matthew C. Weinzierl. The Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Legal Services

16 May 2023
HBS Case

How KKR Got More by Giving Ownership to the Factory Floor: ‘My Kids Are Going to College!’

KKR sold CHI in 2022 for 10 times the equity it had invested, it amounted to the company’s most successful deal in more than two decades—and a payout of $360 million to its 800 employees. It was validation that changing the mindset of... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

17 Oct 2023
Blog Post

HBS Section I Celebrates Parents, Mentors, and Partners Day

If there’s one thing our LEAD (Leadership and Organizational Behavior) Professor David Fubini (MBA 1980) tried to drill into the MBA Class of 2024 Section I, it’s that we should take the time to thank the people who got View Details

20 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Creating a Positive Professional Image

non-verbal behavior (appearance, demeanor), verbal cues (vocal pitch, tone, and rate of speech, grammar and diction, disclosures), and demonstrative acts (citizenship, job performance). My research suggests that, in addition to using... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

15 Dec 2020
Video

New Founder Series: Fundraising Essentials

Working Paper

Shifting Work Patterns with Generative AI

By: Eleanor W. Dillon, Sonia Jaffe, Nicole Immorlica and Christopher T. Stanton

We present evidence on how generative AI changes the work patterns of knowledge workers using data from a 6-month-long, cross-industry, randomized field experiment. Half of the 7,137 workers in the study received access to a generative AI tool integrated into the... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Behavior; Time Management

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August 1974 (Revised November 1974)
Case

Reynolds Construction Company

By: Paul W. Marshall

Deals with the use of critical path method for the construction of remote control building, which is part of a water purification system. Discusses the necessity of determining the shortest possible time in which a job could be done without spending more money. Case... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Construction; Cost Management; Time Management; Wastes and Waste Processing; System; Construction Industry

February 2020 (Revised April 2021)
Case

StockX: The Stock Market of Things

By: Chiara Farronato, John J. Horton, Annelena Lobb and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2015 by Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, and Greg Schwartz, StockX was an online platform where users could buy and sell unworn luxury and limited-edition sneakers. Sneaker resale prices often fluctuated over time based on supply and demand, creating a robust... View Details

03 May 2023
Blog Post

Five Ways to Build Community at HBS

chose one theme for the year which I could use as a north star for how I would prioritize my time and energy. My theme for 2022 was Community, so here are five quick thoughts on building community at HBS. 1.... View Details

05 Sep 2023
Book

Failing Well: How Your ‘Intelligent Failure’ Unlocks Your Full Potential

together, experiencing them all as negative experiences in life or in business, Edmondson contends that some failures are smarter than others because they help us identify a path toward eventual success. In the workplace, an employee may... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Derrick Bransby

Derrick studies how teams accomplish complex work in novel contexts. His dissertation advances the idea of disciplined flexibility: a strategy teams use to navigate uncertainty... View Details

June 2005
Case

CarMax

By: Rajiv Lal and David Kiron

Carmax is the largest multi-market used car dealer in the U.S., and has no format-to-format competitor in the $375 billion used car market. CarMax is trying to do what some analysts believed to be impossible: sell used cars profitably on a national scale, and at the... View Details

Keywords: Profit; Brands and Branding; Digital Platforms; Segmentation; Auto Industry