Publications

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September 8, 2009
Article

The New Governance Paradigm

By: Nathaniel Foote and Michael Beer

Boards members of failed banks in 2008 or of the many companies like Enron who were caught up in scandals are by and large honorable, well intentioned, and competent people. So what went wrong and what can be done about it. This article argues that the problem lies in... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Competency and Skills; Banks and Banking; Failure; Goals and Objectives; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Performance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crime and Corruption

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12 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

The Three Components of Family Governance

of statement. The rare family in business may have a more elaborate family governance structure, with a separate meeting for family-owner-managers or a separate council for family shareholders or periodic meetings between shareholders,... View Details

24 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Building an IT Governance Committee

firms." Instead, they argue, directors need their own framework to develop IT policies. First step: Determine your current approach, or mode (support, factory, turnaround, or strategic), to IT. (See sidebar.) In this excerpt, Nolan and McFarlan discuss how to... View Details

Keywords: by Richard Nolan & Warren McFarlan

04 Dec 2019
Book

Creating the Experimentation Organization

serve as a role model, showing employees they live by the same rules and allow themselves to be governed by results as much as anyone else. 5 steps for scaling While developing that culture may seem daunting for companies that aren’t the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

29 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

How Organizations Create Social Value

organizations in Latin America and Spain. For good governance you need some degree of overlap between governance and management.— Ezequiel A. Reficco This research will be... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

August 2006 (Revised July 2007)
Background Note

Governance of the Family Business

By: John A. Davis

Reviews the ways to achieve governance of the family business. Points out the importance of plans (e.g., strategic plans), statements (e.g., mission statements), policies, rules, and agreements to the governance process. Discusses the roles of three structures in... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Teams; Mission and Purpose

25 Jan 2008
Working Paper Summaries

What Do Non-Governmental Organizations Do?

Keywords: by Eric D. Werker & Faisal Z. Ahmed

25 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Adjusting the Fit for Government

press governments to allow space for business to work and innovate. The tenet of predictability is vital, said Wagle. "If people are going to invest in very bad conditions, they have to know the rules of the game," he charged.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

September 2021
Case

Vignettes on Professional Service Firm Governance

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni

The two vignettes within “Vignettes on Professional Service Firm Governance” (HBS No. 122-024) present various issues relating to governance in professional service firms (“PSFs”). In the first, the Managing Director of a U.S. consulting firm contemplates whether to... View Details

Article

What Do Nongovernmental Organizations Do?

By: Eric D. Werker and Faisal Z. Ahmand

Nongovernmental organizations are one group of players who are active in the efforts of international development and increasing the welfare of poor people in poor countries. Nongovernmental organizations are largely staffed by altruistic employees and volunteers... View Details

Keywords: Non-Governmental Organizations; Growth and Development; Welfare or Wellbeing; Poverty; Service Delivery; Crime and Corruption; Social Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Resource Allocation; Product Development; Framework

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Research Summary

Venture Capital Organizations and Entrepreneurial Finance

By: Paul A. Gompers

Paul A. Gompers is examining corporate control and governance issues in venture capital organizations and entrepreneurial firms in an effort to understand how their relationships with their investors affect the venture capitalists' investment decisions. Using... View Details

01 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Organizing the Family-Run Business

subsystems influences the direction and operations of the family company, as well as of the family. It is essential, therefore, that each subsystem has a defined role and a clear voice in the governance of the overall system. These three... View Details

June 2011
Case

Changes to Harvard University's Governing Board

By: Rakesh Khurana and Eric Baldwin

This case examines the decision made by the governing board of Harvard University, known as the Harvard Corporation, to alter its size and operations. The case provides background on Harvard's history, its existing governance structure, and some of the issues that... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Decisions; Education Industry

October 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Governance and Growth at GenUnity

By: Brian Trelstad, Paul Healy and Annelena Lobb

Jerren Chang, CEO and co-founder of GenUnity, had to choose a strategy to scale his civic engagement-focused nonprofit. Based in Boston, Chang could grow the organization there or begin to expand to other cities. He also had to select candidates for a board of... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Nonprofit Organizations; Expansion; Governing and Advisory Boards; Boston

25 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

An Organization Your Customers Understand

constituent (and ultimately a customer) to include only those who transact with the firm through markets. As a result, this analysis considers only organizations whose customers have choices. I include business firms, non-profit... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

November 2017 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations

By: George Serafeim

In 2015, Reynir Indahl left top Nordic private equity firm Altor Equity Partners to found Summa Equity (Summa). After long contemplation following the financial crisis, Indahl was convinced the financial system was producing negative externalities and that the current... View Details