professional services - Publications - Faculty & Research

February 2022 (Revised January 2024)
Supplement

Winning Business at Russell Reynolds (C)

In an effort to make compensation drive collaboration, Russell Reynolds Associates’ (RRA) CEO Clarke Murphy sought to re-engineer the bonus system for his executive search consultants in 2016. As his HR analytics guru, Kelly Smith, points out, that risks upsetting—and... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Talent and Talent Management; Compensation and Benefits; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Motivation and Incentives; Consulting Industry

Citation

Purchase

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

the writing of popular film scripts like The Matrix or Star Wars. Character behaviors, actions, and motivations hook the interest of readers at all levels, regardless of their professional experience with IT, while the plot sets up a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

05 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

How Anchor Investors Help Impact Funds Succeed

the experience of development and fundraising professionals in the impact investing space—that anchor investors are motivated by the ability to catalyze additional change by supporting fund managers early in their fund raise, often... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

21 Feb 2005
Op-Ed

Is Business Management a Profession?

vital concern to society, genuine professionals are expected to place that knowledge at the disposal of all who require it and to provide services in a way that places the maintenance of View Details

Keywords: by Rakesh Khurana, Nitin Nohria & Daniel Penrice

18 Nov 2022
HBS Case

What Does It Take to Safeguard a Legacy in Asset Management?

professionals with an existing track record.” New employees relocate to Baltimore, where the firm is based. Investment teams are composed of generalists, not specialists, which maximizes knowledge sharing. The approach breaks with the... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

17 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

Welcome to Retirement. Who Am I Now?

their work, so they’re searching for something to replace that work identity.” Over four years, the researchers conducted interviews and surveys of 120 professionals at three quite different companies located in different parts of the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Entertainment & Recreation

13 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 13, 2010

case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/610038-PDF-ENG Purchase this supplement (B):http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/610039-PDF-ENG Hiring Professionals in China: A Practitioner's Guide Heidi K. GardnerHarvard Business School Note... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 May 2017
Sharpening Your Skills

The Promises and Limitations of Big Data

services firms are using digital information about their customers to offer them a whole new range of customized products under the category of fintech. Cities are using data from Google Street View to guide economic development. And... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services

01 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Organizing the Family-Run Business

often too big to have everyone participate on the board so the board starts to become representative. Plus, shareholders recognize the value in having the objective, professional experience of external board members. I see... View Details

30 Jan 2018
First Look

January 30, 2018

Sandino Abstract—Many service organizations rely on information sharing systems to boost employee creativity to meet customer needs. We conducted a field experiment in a retail chain, based on a registered report accepted by Journal of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

21 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

How to Predict if a New Business Idea is Any Good

entrepreneurship herself, even applying to the MIT Venture Mentoring Service (MIT VMS)—a program that connects budding entrepreneurs to successful businesspeople to develop their ideas. Whenever an entrepreneur applies to the program, a... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services; Financial Services

05 Oct 2020
Book

Want to Be Happier? Make More Free Time

time more: 1. Prioritize important work and fend off interruptions. On average, business professionals spend 23 hours a week trapped in meetings, and a recent survey of more than 700 workers revealed that 99.9 percent were routinely asked... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

10 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Key to Doing Your Best at Work? Be Yourself

Frances X. Frei, UPS Foundation Professor of Service Management. Too often, people are advised or feel pressured to bury the special or quirky aspects of their personalities, recalibrate their speaking or personal styles, or think twice... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

01 Sep 2021
What Do You Think?

Can We Train for Trust?

with your employees and create processes and standards internally to ensure your products or services are up to standard.” Their model for doing this consists of four elements: Competence: Is the organization good enough at what it does... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

28 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Investor Lawsuits Against Auditors Are Falling, and That's Bad News for Capital Markets

vigilance when they are auditing their clients. Of course, auditors might deny that litigation risk is what motivates them to uphold quality. The profession has high standards of conduct and their reputation matters. Professional... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Financial Services

07 Jun 2021
Book

9 Tips from an Expert Fundraiser: Help Donors 'Invest in Their Passion'

and Beyond F. Warren McFarlan Making the Ask One of the hardest questions to address is do you ask a prospective donor for a specific dollar number and if so, how high should that number be? (For the record, professional fundraisers say... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

06 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

The Problem with Hedge Funds

particularly tough time. During the 1990s small investors lost out to professional financial firms that manipulated the market; this time they're likely to lose out—if they're not careful—to other sophisticated investors as well. The Next... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

23 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap

well, too. Sponsorship is a pretty new concept, but it’s becoming more popular, especially in professional service firms.” Sponsorship programs are meant to boost confidence among protégés, increasing the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

31 Jul 2017
HBS Case

It’s Hard to Fix the Family Business Without Offending the Family

processes and procedures work, dealing with problematic financial accounting, and facing the possibility of deteriorating service as the patriarch pulls away. “This is much harder than anything I find in my big-company cases, and it’s all... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Food & Beverage

28 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Coronavirus Could Create a 'Bankruptcy Pandemic'

to be processed more slowly, leading to longer stays in the bankruptcy “hospital.” Not only would professional fees go up (especially burdensome for smaller businesses), but process delays would force companies to wait longer to obtain... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Financial Services; Financial Services

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