Publications

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01 Sep 2023
News

Solving for Z

With nearly 20 years of experience as a senior human resources executive, Matthew Breitfelder (MBA 2002) has seen a lot of change in the corporate talent space. But what’s happening now looks like a tectonic generational shift. From his perch as global head of human... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Illustrations by Doug Chayka; Administration of Human Resource Programs; Government

08 Dec 2015
First Look

December 8, 2015

Situation versus Character When we think of human behavior, especially from a moral perspective, we often rely on explanations based on character. We think that good decisions and responsible behavior... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

The Clock Is Ticking: 3 Ways to Manage Your Time Better

others, but also from where they are doing it. This is important, given that we are in an era in which options for how, when, and where people spend time are perhaps more varied than ever before. Leslie A. Perlow is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership in... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

Web

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02163 Visit our Support Site or Contact Us Doctoral Programs Wyss House Soldiers Field Boston, MA 02163 +1.617.495.6101 Email: doctoralprograms@hbs.edu Alumni +1.617.495.6890 alumni@hbs.edu Baker Library / Bloomberg Center +1.617.495.6040 infoservices@hbs.edu View Details

Article

People Make It So Hard to Ditch Plastic Straws

By: Scott Duke Kominers

Rarely has a minor consumer product received more vilification than the plastic straw. As a symbol of human wastefulness and our careless disregard for the environment, straws are the near-perfect villain. You use a plastic straw once and toss it, but it stays with us... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Consumer Behavior

16 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

Is Your Workplace Biased Against Introverts?

conducted five studies to explore differences in how extroverts and introverts express, perceive, and experience passion on the job. To extract data from subjective expressions of passion, the team created a novel “passion experiences and View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

13 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

thinking? HBS Working Knowledge staffer Manda Mahoney questioned Zaltman about the new book, published by Harvard Business School Publishing. Mahoney: You state that 95 percent of all cognition occurs in the subconscious mind. How can marketers begin to understand... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

Article

When Hiring CEOs, Focus on Character

By: Aiyesha Dey

The author, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, has studied the ways in which the lifestyle behaviors of CEOs—in particular, materialism and a propensity for rule breaking—may spell trouble for a company. Her research, which includes looking at... View Details

Keywords: CEOs; Lifestyle; Risk Management; Recruitment; Ethics

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April 2023
Article

Perceptions Related to Engaging in Non-driving Activities in an Automated Vehicle While Commuting: A Text Mining Approach

By: Yilun Xing, Linda Ng Boyle, Raffaella Sadun, John D. Lee, Orit Shaer and Andrew Kun

Automated vehicles (AVs) offer human operators the opportunity to participate in non-driving activities while on the move. In this study, we examined and compared drivers' perception of non-driving activities in two driving modes: highly AVs in the future and current... View Details

Keywords: Perception; Behavior; Surveys; Auto Industry

2022
Working Paper

Flight to Safety: How Economic Downturns Affect Talent Flows to Startups

By: Shai Bernstein, Richard Townsend and Ting Xu

Using proprietary data from AngelList Talent, we study how individuals’ job search and application behavior changed during the COVID-19 downturn. We find that job seekers shifted their searches toward more established firms and away from early-stage startups, even... View Details

Keywords: Startup Labor Market; Flight To Safety; COVID-19; Recession; Business Startups; Human Capital; Business Cycles; Health Pandemics

SSRN

July–September 2023
Article

A Systematic Review of Respect Between Acute Care Nurses and Physicians

By: Derrick P. Bransby, Anna T. Mayo, Matthew A. Cronin, Katie Park and Christina Yuan

Background: Interprofessional collaboration between nurses and physicians has become an essential part of patient care, which, when lacking, can lead to well-known challenges. One possible explanation for ineffective nurse–physician collaboration is a lack of... View Details

Keywords: Relationships; Status and Position; Cooperation; Attitudes; Behavior; Outcome or Result; Health Industry

November 1988 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Technology Transfer at a Defense Contractor

By: Linda A. Hill

At a time of great changes in the corporate environment, Larry Yoshino, a design lab manager at Parsons Controls Corp., faces a delay in a costly defense project due to the inability of one of his subordinates to gain the cooperation of engineers at Parsons'... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Conflict Management; Managerial Roles; Management Teams; Employees; Competitive Strategy; Projects

Educators

2017
Working Paper

Task Selection and Workload: A Focus on Completing Easy Tasks Hurts Long-Term Performance

By: Diwas S. KC, Bradley R. Staats, Maryam Kouchaki and Francesca Gino

How individuals manage, organize, and complete their tasks is central to operations management. Recent research in operations focuses on how under conditions of increasing workload, individuals can increase their service time, up to a point, to complete work more... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Decision Making; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Productivity

SSRN

14 Nov 2023
What Do You Think?

Do We Underestimate the Importance of Generosity in Leadership?

(AdobeStock/Kostiantyn) There are numerous studies of character traits in leaders. Human resource experts have advised us on what to look for in those who would be potential leaders. Management development focuses on View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Program

Leading and Building a Culture of Innovation

execute innovative ideas at scale. As you explore the culture and capabilities needed to inspire organization-wide innovation, you will practice the behaviors and skills needed to drive innovation and change, deepening your understanding... View Details

December 2012 (Revised August 2020)
Case

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists

By: Das Narayandas, Michael Roberts and Liz Kind

The case focuses on issues involved in managing the direct multilevel marketing sales consultants who sell R+F skin care products. The company is trying to better manage the inconsistent and highly variable recruitment behavior of the sales force i.e., the degree to... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Salesforce Management; Recruitment; Compensation and Benefits; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; California

Educators

15 Mar 2024
HBS Case

Let's Talk: Why It's Time to Stop Avoiding Taboo Topics at Work

comes to discussing geopolitical issues that might impact the business, Wing says. She suggests keeping the conversations professional, but also not avoiding topics that are relevant. In this case, in particular, management can model View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

12 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing: A Practical Guide

organizations and in the supply chain. In the book, we identify three reasons for perverse incentive misalignment: Incentives exist to induce specific behavior. Managers who design incentives often are not entirely clear on the behavior... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Retail; Auto

September – October 2011
Article

Manage the Culture Cycle

By: James L. Heskett

Organizational culture—the shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that determine "how we do things around here"—can be measured and shaped. In organizations with large numbers of customer-facing employees, it can account for up to half of the difference in operating... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Value; Behavior; Retention; Customer Focus and Relationships; Change Management; Learning; Innovation and Invention; Labor