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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(872)
- News (51)
- Research (733)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (3)
- Faculty Publications (450)
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- January–February 2019
- Article
The Hard Truth About Innovative Cultures
By: Gary P. Pisano
Innovative cultures are generally depicted as pretty fun. They’re characterized by a tolerance for failure and a willingness to experiment. They’re seen as being psychologically safe, highly collaborative, and nonhierarchical. And research suggests that these behaviors... View Details
Pisano, Gary P. "The Hard Truth About Innovative Cultures." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 1 (January–February 2019): 62–71.
- May–June 2025
- Article
What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Michaela J. Kerrissey
Psychological safety—a shared belief among team members that it’s OK to speak up with candor—has become a popular concept. However, as its popularity has grown, so too have misconceptions about it. Such misunderstandings can lead to frustration among leaders and... View Details
Edmondson, Amy C., and Michaela J. Kerrissey. "What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety." Harvard Business Review 103, no. 3 (May–June 2025): 52–59.
- Article
Men as Cultural Ideals: Cultural Values Moderate Gender Stereotype Content.
By: Amy Cuddy, Elizabeth Baily Wolf, Peter Glick, Susan Crotty, Jihye Chong and Michael I. Norton
Four studies tested whether cultural values moderate the content of gender stereotypes, such that male stereotypes more closely align with core cultural values (specifically, individualism vs. collectivism) than do female stereotypes. In Studies 1 and 2, using... View Details
Keywords: Gender Stereotypes; Stereotype Content; Individualism; Collectivism; Prejudice and Bias; Values and Beliefs; Culture; Gender
Cuddy, Amy, Elizabeth Baily Wolf, Peter Glick, Susan Crotty, Jihye Chong, and Michael I. Norton. "Men as Cultural Ideals: Cultural Values Moderate Gender Stereotype Content." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 109, no. 4 (October 2015): 622–635.
- 09 Dec 2013
- Research & Ideas
Cultural Disharmony Undermines Workplace Creativity
In today's global work environment, it's a given that companies need culturally diverse teams to succeed. Both scientific studies and common sense tell us that having people with different viewpoints onboard increases the creativity that... View Details
Keywords: by Michael Blanding
- Article
Consistent Belief in a Good True Self in Misanthropes and Three Interdependent Cultures
By: Julian De Freitas, Hagop Sarkissian, George E. Newman, Igor Grossman, Felipe De Brigard, Andres Luco and Joshua Knobe
People sometimes explain behavior by appealing to an essentialist concept of the self, often
referred to as the true self. Existing studies suggest that people tend to believe that the true self is
morally virtuous; that is deep inside, every person is motivated to... View Details
Keywords: Concepts; Social Cognition; Moral Reasoning; True Self; Culture; Misanthropy; Behavior; Values and Beliefs; Moral Sensibility
De Freitas, Julian, Hagop Sarkissian, George E. Newman, Igor Grossman, Felipe De Brigard, Andres Luco, and Joshua Knobe. "Consistent Belief in a Good True Self in Misanthropes and Three Interdependent Cultures." Cognitive Science 42, no. S1 (2018): 134–160.
- May 2024 (Revised April 2025)
- Case
Leading Culture Change at Microsoft Western Europe
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Cat Huang
In 2023, Cindy Rose, President of Microsoft Western Europe, faced a critical decision. Rose grappled with the potential impact of widespread layoffs on psychological safety and the cultural transformation she had championed since her arrival. When Rose had first joined... View Details
Keywords: Leadership; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Problems and Challenges; Motivation and Incentives; Groups and Teams; Business or Company Management; Technology Industry; Europe
Edmondson, Amy C., and Cat Huang. "Leading Culture Change at Microsoft Western Europe." Harvard Business School Case 624-096, May 2024. (Revised April 2025.)
- 2024
- Working Paper
Corporate Culture Homogeneity and Top Executive Incentive Design: Evidence from CEO Compensation Contracts
By: Dennis Campbell, Ruidi Shang and Zhifang Zhang
We examine how corporate cultures characterized by high degrees of homogeneity in the underlying values and beliefs of organizational members are related to the design of CEO incentive compensation contracts. We argue that culture homogeneity within firms lowers... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Culture; Compensation Design; Accounting; Management Control; Incentive Systems; Organizational Culture; Job Design and Levels; Governance; Executive Compensation; Motivation and Incentives
Campbell, Dennis, Ruidi Shang, and Zhifang Zhang. "Corporate Culture Homogeneity and Top Executive Incentive Design: Evidence from CEO Compensation Contracts." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-054, February 2024.
- Fall 2012
- Article
Climate Science as Culture War
By: Andrew J. Hoffman
Today, there is no doubt that a scientific consensus exists on the issue of climate change. Scientists have documented that anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases are leading to a buildup in the atmosphere, which leads to a general warming of the global climate and... View Details
Hoffman, Andrew J. "Climate Science as Culture War." Stanford Social Innovation Review 10, no. 4 (Fall 2012): 30–37. (Winner of the 2013 Maggie Climate science as culture war Award, Best Feature Article in a Trade Journal.)
- 2025
- Chapter
Culture and Contemporary Political Preferences
By: Vasiliki Fouka and Marco Tabellini
This chapter reviews the literature on the relationship between culture and political preferences. We distinguish conceptually between the direct cultural transmission of political ideology and the transmission of more primitive preferences and beliefs that influence... View Details
Keywords: Political Preferences; Culture; Values and Beliefs; Identity; Perspective; Government and Politics
Fouka, Vasiliki, and Marco Tabellini. "Culture and Contemporary Political Preferences." Chap. 29 in Handbook of Culture and Economic Behavior, by Benjamin Enke, Paola Giuliano, Nathan Nunn, and Leonardo Wantchekon. Handbooks in Economics. Elsevier, forthcoming.
- Article
Cut from the Same Cloth: Similarly Dishonest Individuals Across Countries
By: Heather E. Mann, Ximena Garcia-Rada, Lars Hornuf, Juan Tafurt and Dan Ariely
Norms for dishonest behaviors vary across societies, but whether this variation is related to differences in individuals’ core tendencies toward dishonesty is unknown. We compare individual dishonesty on a novel task across 10 participant samples from five countries... View Details
Keywords: Morality; Decision-making; Dishonesty; Cultural Psychology; Country; Decision Making; Culture
Mann, Heather E., Ximena Garcia-Rada, Lars Hornuf, Juan Tafurt, and Dan Ariely. "Cut from the Same Cloth: Similarly Dishonest Individuals Across Countries." Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 47, no. 6 (July 2016): 858–874.
- January 2023
- Article
Psychological Safety Comes of Age: Observed Themes in an Established Literature
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Derrick P. Bransby
Since its renaissance in the 1990s, psychological safety research has
flourished—a boom motivated by recognition of the challenge of navigating uncertainty and change. Today, its theoretical and practical significance
is amplified by the increasingly complex and... View Details
Keywords: Safety; Risk and Uncertainty; Leadership; Working Conditions; Research; Performance; Learning; Organizational Culture
Edmondson, Amy C., and Derrick P. Bransby. "Psychological Safety Comes of Age: Observed Themes in an Established Literature." Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 10 (January 2023): 55–78.
- 14 Jun 2023
- Research & Ideas
Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need
authors identify four research-backed steps that leaders can take to cultivate psychological safety among their employees. When properly understood, focusing on these four areas can boost team performance and work View Details
Keywords: by Kara Baskin
- February 2003
- Supplement
Silvio Napoli Cross Cultural Management
Presents an interview with Silvio Napoli regarding cultural aspects of an Italian manager in a Swiss company opening an Indian subsidiary. Issues range from personal and family adjustment to management style, corporate culture, and differences in national... View Details
Keywords: Management Style; Business Subsidiaries; Nationality; Organizational Culture; Personal Characteristics; Business Startups; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Italy; Switzerland; India
Bartlett, Christopher A. "Silvio Napoli Cross Cultural Management." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 303-806, February 2003.
- January–February 2014
- Article
IDEO's Culture of Helping
By: Teresa Amabile, Colin M. Fisher and Julianna Pillemer
Leaders can do few things more important than encouraging helping behavior within their organizations. In the highest-performing companies, it is a norm that colleagues support one another's efforts to do the best work they can. That has always been true for efficiency... View Details
Keywords: Management Style; Behavior; Attitudes; Organizational Culture; Relationships; Social and Collaborative Networks
Amabile, Teresa, Colin M. Fisher, and Julianna Pillemer. "IDEO's Culture of Helping." Harvard Business Review 92, nos. 1-2 (January–February 2014): 54–61.
- February 1991 (Revised July 1993)
- Case
Cultural Change at Nissan Motors
By: John P. Kotter
Depicts the reformation of Nissan Motor Co.'s corporate culture and the company's subsequent turnaround in market share and profits. In 1985, Yutaka Kume became president of Nissan and thereafter, he continually emphasized the need for internal change throughout the... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Behavior; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Change Management; Management; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry
Kotter, John P. "Cultural Change at Nissan Motors." Harvard Business School Case 491-079, February 1991. (Revised July 1993.)
- 2008
- Working Paper
Cultural Notes on Chinese Negotiating Behavior
By: James K. Sebenius and Cheng (Jason) Qian
Western businesses negotiating with Chinese firms face many challenges, from initiating and smoothing communication to establishing long-lasting relationships and mutual trust, and from bargaining and drafting agreements to securing their implementation. Chinese... View Details
Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Style; Perception; Societal Protocols; China
Sebenius, James K., and Cheng (Jason) Qian. "Cultural Notes on Chinese Negotiating Behavior." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-076, December 2008.
- 2010
- Working Paper
Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal
By: Lara B. Aknin, Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James and Michael I. Norton
This research provides the first support for a possible psychological universal: human beings around the world derive emotional benefits from using their financial resources to help others (prosocial spending). Analyzing survey data from 136 countries, we show that... View Details
Keywords: Spending; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Happiness; Motivation and Incentives; Welfare; Uganda; Canada
Aknin, Lara B., Christopher P. Barrington-Leigh, Elizabeth W. Dunn, John F. Helliwell, Robert Biswas-Diener, Imelda Kemeza, Paul Nyende, Claire Ashton-James, and Michael I. Norton. "Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-038, September 2010.
- September 30, 2019
- Article
Climate Change and Our Emerging Cultural Shift
By: Andrew J. Hoffman
Today, we have made climate change trivial by making its solutions easy, looking for simple answers that are palatable, generally framing it in the language of commerce. In the long run, it won’t work. There is no technological or political silver bullet to solving our... View Details
Hoffman, Andrew J. "Climate Change and Our Emerging Cultural Shift." Behavioral Scientist (September 30, 2019).
- April 2013 (Revised April 2014)
- Case
Transitions Asia: Managing Across Cultures
By: Roy Y.J. Chua and Dawn H. Lau
The director of an interim executive search firm, Chee Lung Tham, faced a clash of culture and management styles when his mainland Chinese client threatened to fire the American interim manager that Tham had assigned. The client, Wong Lung, ran a family-owned garment... View Details
Keywords: China; Cross-cultural Management; Management Style; Conflict Management; Family Business; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Service Industry; China
Chua, Roy Y.J., and Dawn H. Lau. "Transitions Asia: Managing Across Cultures." Harvard Business School Case 413-099, April 2013. (Revised April 2014.)
- 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