Publications

Educators

Article

Raiffa Transformed the Field of Negotiation—and Me

By: Max Bazerman

Howard Raiffa was a role model, friend, and inspiration. He transformed the field of negotiation, and he transformed my career. This brief article provides a recollection of how Howard revolutionized the field of negotiation and how those insights are now affecting... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Decision Making; Analysis; Game Theory; Personal Development and Career

Article

Enacting Rituals to Improve Self-control

By: D. A. Tian, J. Schroeder, G. Haubl, J. Risen, M. I. Norton and F. Gino

Rituals are predefined sequences of actions characterized by rigidity and repetition. We propose that enacting ritualized actions can enhance subjective feelings of self-discipline, such that rituals can be harnessed to improve behavioral self-control. We test this... View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Perception; Personal Characteristics; Health

June 2014
Technical Note

A Note on Seeking, Receiving, and Giving Advice

By: David A. Garvin and Joshua D. Margolis

This note examines the processes of seeking, receiving, and giving advice by drawing on both academic research and the lessons of skilled practitioners. It begins with a discussion of the potential benefits and costs of advice-seeking and advice-giving. The note then... View Details

Keywords: Advice Taking; Coaching; Decision-making; Leadership; Interpersonal Communication; Personal Development and Career; Management Skills

Educators

November 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

General Motors Corporation: Retiree Benefit Risk Management (A)

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

General Motors issues $17 billion and uses $10 billion to reduce an unfunded pension obligation. View Details

Keywords: Retirement; Accounting; Compensation and Benefits; Auto Industry; United States

2000
Chapter

Is a Career in Finance (and which one?) Right for You?

By: James Waldroop and Timothy Butler

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Finance; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry

01 Mar 2025
News

Origin Story: Ricky Cordova (MS/MBA 2025)

South of the border: “Both sides of my family are from northern Mexico; my mom’s side is from Hermosillo, Sonora, just a four- or five-hour drive from Tucson.” On the beat: “I was captain of the drumline in my high school marching band and played in the jazz band with... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

01 Sep 2012
News

What’s the Big Idea?

Issue Focus: Ideas & Impact Illustration by Timothy Cook An Intellectual Capital: Some Influential HBS Ideas, at a Glance Pleasure in Progress Teresa Amabile It sounds so obvious: Employees who make meaningful progress in their work enjoy greater engagement,... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons;Julia Hanna;Roger Thompson; Corporate Services; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management

25 Jun 2001
Lessons from the Classroom

Machiavelli, Morals, and You

Stevens — we never learn his first name—set out early in life to become a great butler, one of the very best. He didn't want to get rich at it. He didn't care for fancy clothes. What Stevens wanted more than anything, according to HBS professor Joseph L. Badaracco,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

July 19, 2024
Article

The CEO’s Journey Is a 3-Act Play: Planning for the Distinct Phases of Your Tenure Increases Your Odds of Success.

By: Nitin Nohria

Instead of treating a leadership role as an unending sprint, CEOs should approach their tenure as a series of three phases. Act one requires a leader to establish legitimacy, build a top team, and begin to communicate and implement a change agenda. Act two requires... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Business or Company Management; Leadership

Register to Read

November 27, 2023
Article

How James Mwangi Worked to Democratize Banking Across Africa

By: Ranjay Gulati

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Moral Sensibility; Decisions; Financial Services Industry

November 2023
Article

Knowledge About the Source of Emotion Predicts Emotion-Regulation Attempts, Strategies, and Perceived Emotion-Regulation Success

By: Yael Millgram, Matthew K. Nock, David D. Bailey and Amit Goldenberg

People’s ability to regulate emotions is crucial to healthy emotional functioning. One overlooked aspect in emotion-regulation research is that knowledge about the source of emotions can vary across situations and individuals, which could impact people’s ability to... View Details

Keywords: Emotions; Personal Characteristics; Well-being

Forthcoming
Article

Second Chance: Life with Less Student Debt

By: Marco Di Maggio, Ankit Kalda and Vincent Yao

This paper examines the effect of student debt relief on individual credit and labor market outcomes. We exploit an episode of plausibly random debt discharge due to the loss of paperwork for thousands of borrowers to examine the effects of private student debt relief... View Details

Keywords: Student Debt; Private Student Loans; Legal Settlement; Mobility; Debt Collection; Debt Relief; Personal Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Outcome or Result

SSRN

26 Feb 2015 - 28 Feb 2015
Conference Presentation

Is That All There Is to Happiness?

By: J. Phillips, C. Mott, Julian De Freitas, J. Gruber and J. Knobe

Happiness researchers have started to converge on a conception of happiness that involves some combination of high positive affect, low negative affect, and high life satisfaction. We present three studies which demonstrate that the ordinary understanding... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Happiness; Personal Characteristics

March 2018
Supplement

McKinsey & Company: Early Career Choices (B)

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Nathaniel Schwalb

The (B) case outlines the choices made by the associates in real life and the consequences of such choices. View Details

Keywords: Early Career Experiences; Career Progression; Experiences; Personal Development and Career; Decisions; Outcome or Result; Consulting Industry

March 2018
Case

McKinsey & Company: Early Career Choices (A)

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Nathaniel Schwalb

This case profiles the early career choices faced by three McKinsey associates. The (A) case profiles the dilemma faced by each individual and sets up the class discussion. View Details

Keywords: Early Career Experiences; Career Progression; Experiences; Personal Development and Career; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consulting Industry

Educators

2016
Working Paper

Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments

By: James K. Sebenius, Laurence A. Green and Eugene B. Kogan

Following a brief summary of Henry A. Kissinger’s career, this paper describes six of his most pivotal negotiations: the historic establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, the easing of geopolitical tension with the Soviet Union,... View Details

Keywords: Kissinger; Bargaining; Diplomacy; Multiparty Negotiations; Dispute Resolution; Mediation; Coercive Diplomacy; Negotiation; International Relations; Personal Development and Career; United States

SSRN

1988
Chapter

Promoting Career-Enhancing Relationships in Organization: The Role of the Human Resource Professional

By: D. A. Thomas and Kathy E. Kram

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Employee Relationship Management

March 2008 (Revised June 2009)
Compilation

"Doer's Profile" Bill Gates (William H.) (1955 - )

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Shirley M. Spence

Profile of Bill Gates designed to facilitate a discussion of the nature of enduring success. Includes both biographical data and excerpts from autobiographical records. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Personal Development and Career; Success; Computer Industry; Information Technology Industry