Publications

05 Aug 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Authority versus Persuasion

Keywords: by Eric J. Van den Steen

06 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Don’t Listen to “Yes”

decisions. But conflict does not mean browbeating. In his new book, Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes for an Answer: Managing for Conflict and Consensus (Wharton School Publishing), Roberto describes the toll... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

August 1978 (Revised December 1986)
Case

Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)

By: C. R. Christensen

A student takes a position on a case which is in conflict with the other students' conclusions. The professor believes the student's answer is correct but does not indicate so in class. As a result, the student withdraws from further class participation. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership Style; Emotions; Education Industry

October 2003
Case

Henry Tam and the MGI Team

By: Jeffrey T. Polzer, Ingrid Vargas and Hillary Anger Elfenbein

Within a short time frame, seven diverse team members assemble to write a business plan for a new company and struggle to define their roles, make decisions together, and resolve conflict. Henry Tam, a second-year Harvard MBA student, who joins an aspiring start-up... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Business Plan; Groups and Teams; Decision Making; Jobs and Positions; Leadership Style; Human Resources; Management Teams; Conflict and Resolution; Diversity

September 2008
Supplement

Adobe Systems: Working Towards a "Suite" Release (B)

By: David A. Thomas and Lauren Barley

The case examines the tools a manager can use to keep her project on track and manage conflict and tension as Adobe prepares to launch Creative Suite 3, the biggest software release in the company's 25-year history. The protagonist, Yvonne Murray, is a group program... View Details

Keywords: Change; Interpersonal Communication; Crisis Management; Product Launch; Projects; Conflict of Interests; Integration; Software

January 1992 (Revised August 1992)
Case

Lexon Corp. (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine

A general manager at Lexon Computer Corp. must decide whether interception and surveillance of employees' e-mail is acceptable company practice, and whether to follow the advice of his computer operations manager who wants to fire the person who complained that the... View Details

Keywords: Information; Rights; Managerial Roles; Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Ethics; Computer Industry

Article

The Conversational Circumplex: Identifying, Prioritizing, and Pursuing Informational and Relational Motives in Conversation

By: Michael Yeomans, Maurice E. Schweitzer and Alison Wood Brooks

The meaning of success in conversation depends on people’s goals. Often, individuals pursue multiple goals simultaneously, such as establishing shared understanding, making a favorable impression, and persuading a conversation partner. In this article, we introduce a... View Details

Keywords: Conversation; Goal Pursuit; Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Goals and Objectives; Framework

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Research Summary

Dissertation: Is the Ideal Worker Still Real? Sources and Consequences of Men's Professional Identities

My dissertation examines the implications of men's changing lives for their work identities and for gender inequality in organizations. Current theories of workplace gender inequality hinge upon the widely-shared cultural image of an "ideal worker,"... View Details

Web

Organizational Behavior - Doctoral

psychological approach to the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and groups, and the effects that groups have on individuals. In macro organizational behavior, scholars use sociological methods to examine the... View Details

October 2022
Article

Underestimating Counterparts' Learning Goals Impairs Conflictual Conversations

By: Hanne K. Collins, Charles A. Dorison, Francesca Gino and Julia A. Minson

Given the many contexts in which people have difficulty engaging with views that disagree with their own— from political discussions to workplace conflicts—it is critical to understand how conflictual conversations can be improved. Whereas previous work has focused on... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Conflict and Resolution; Values and Beliefs; Learning; Perception

03 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, October 3, 2017

in the conflict zone, with incumbents and insurgents competing for their loyalties. Yet in many cases—such as the current conflict in Syria, which we examine—large numbers of civilians leave the View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

10 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

How to Live Happier in 2023: Diversify Your Social Circle

Virginia’s Darden School of Business and Esade Business School in Barcelona. Close versus weak ties Past studies, says Norton, have shown two seemingly conflicting findings about relationships. On the one hand, spending time with... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Publications

2000-2005 Selected

Chiu, C-y, Morris, M.W., Hong, Y-y, & Menon, T. (2000). Motivated cultural cognition: The impact of implicit cultural theories on dispositional attribution varies as a function of Need for Closure.... View Details

05 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Six Ways to Build Trust in Negotiations

What began as a misunderstanding about specifications and deadlines between a manager at RLX, a software development firm, and a manager at Impress, one of its clients, had escalated into a conflict charged with growing mistrust. Both RLX... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra

Web

Topics - HBS Working Knowledge

Complexity (3) Conflict Management (4) Conflict and Resolution (13) Conflict of Interests (1) Construction (1) Consumer Behavior (173) Contracts (7) Cooperation (3) Cooperative... View Details

26 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

High-Stakes Decision Making: The Lessons of Mount Everest

making, insuring that the process is fair and legitimate, and minimizing the level of interpersonal conflict that emerges during the deliberations. Without strong buy-in, they risk numerous delays including... View Details

Keywords: by Michael A. Roberto

Web

Skydeck - Alumni

for the future fan Keeping the Beat Artist and activist Madame Gandhi (MBA 2015) on writing music in quarantine and migrating musical events online Effective Communication in the Age of Zoom Interpersonal communication expert Rachel... View Details

Web

Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

effect of a unique mediated funding scheme that combines project grants with active facilitation and conflict management on firm performance, comparing the likelihood of bankruptcy and employee count as well as patent count, publication... View Details

October 2009
Case

Medisys Corp.: The IntensCare Product Development Team

By: Anne Donnellon and Joshua D. Margolis

Key topics include designing teams, managing teams, managing conflict, group dynamics, project management, product development, interdepartmental relations, and organizational change. MediSys, a U.S.-based medical equipment maker, has been developing IntensCare, a new... View Details

Keywords: Project Management; Interdepartmental Relations; Organizational Change; Leadership; Conflict Management; Interpersonal Communication; Groups and Teams; Product Design; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Health Care and Treatment; Power and Influence; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States