Publications

Find at Harvard

2006
Working Paper

Defining the Attributes and Processes that Enhance the Effectiveness of Workforce Diversity Initiatives in Knowledge Intensive Firms

By: Modupe Akinola and David A. Thomas

Workforce diversity continues to be a key focus for organizations, driven by globalization of the U.S. economy and the desire for organizations to more accurately reflect the demographic diversity of the US population. Yet, most research on diversity in organizations... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Globalization; Employees; Retention; Knowledge Sharing; Research; United States

October 1996 (Revised January 1997)
Case

AT&T Resource Link: Revisioning the Managerial Workforce

Resource Link is an in-house temporary firm, supplying managers and technical workers to the 26 business units of AT&T on a contract basis. The challenge facing Resource Link is how to grow, since an increasing number of managers are eager to use variable workers to... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Organizational Design; Personal Development and Career; Employment Industry; Telecommunications Industry

Educators

03 Jul 2024
Podcast

Adaptable and inclusive: Kraft Heinz’s brand of workforce

Melissa Werneck, EVP and global chief people officer for the multinational food and beverage firm, on reskilling for web marketing and personalization, AI, hybrid work, and collaboration across time zones and cultures. Also, why diversity is good business for consumer... View Details

17 Nov 2020
News

Why a Blended Workforce May Be Key to Lasting Competitive Advantage

23 Oct 2024
Podcast

The business logic of supporting carers in the workforce

Employers can benefit by remapping their talent strategies to match the realities of workers with caregiving responsibilities. Bill Kerr is joined by his Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host, Joe Fuller, lead author of the project’s latest report,... View Details

25 Sep 2024
Podcast

Collective counsel: Corporate law's changing workforce and culture

Vinson and Elkins' Keith Fullenweider on recruiting team players, boosting collaboration and soft skills through targeted training and mentorship, prioritizing mental health and work-life balance, automating judiciously, and making return-to-office work. View Details

11 Sep 2024
Podcast

Help Wanted: Workforce boards face greater demands and more strings

With legislative changes looming, federally funded boards must juggle the demands of workforce training, economic development, and long-term systemic goals while ensuring accountability to both local communities and federal oversight. Brad Turner-Little, President and... View Details

April 2021
Exercise

Valuing Employment Exercise

By: George Serafeim, Ethan Rouen and Katie Panella

The Valuing Employment exercise can be used to show the importance of impact measurement in designing incentives and contracts. The exercise has two phases. In the first phase, participants play the role of managers at the State of Massachusetts Infrastructure... View Details

Keywords: Bid Evaluation; Workforce; Impact Measurement; Bids and Bidding; Contracts; Design; Measurement and Metrics

15 Jan 2025
Podcast

OneTen CEO Debbie Dyson: Why "skills-first" builds a better workforce

In taking aim at degree inflation, the corporate-led good jobs coalition looks to boost economic opportunity, address skills gaps, and create a more equitable and inclusive workforce. OneTen helps employers navigate the uncertain new normal of hiring and advancement... View Details

03 Apr 2018
Blog Post

Carol Fishman Cohen (MBA 1985) On Getting Back into the Workforce

work at Bain Capital after 11 years out of the full-time workforce is documented in a Harvard Business School case study. I am the author of the HBR article "The 40-year-old Intern” that is considered a seminal article on the topic... View Details

16 Dec 2019
Research & Ideas

Taking on the Taboos That Keep Women Out of India's Workforce

powerful. Despite numerous advances in the Indian economy, reduced birth rates, higher levels of female education, and other promising signals (this year saw the highest-ever number of women elected to Indian Parliament) the number of women in the View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

26 Feb 2025
Podcast

David Deming on workforce shifts and the future of college

AI's early impact on the labor market: Are claims of revolutionary change overblown? The Harvard economist presents the long view on technological disruption and updates the post-secondary picture. View Details

March 2020 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Nadine Vogel: Transforming the Marketplace, Workplace, and Workforce for People with Disabilities

By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Hannah Riley-Bowles and Michael Norris

In 2019, Nadine Vogel, founder and CEO of Springboard Consulting, a firm that worked with Fortune 500 companies on issues related to disability and their workforce, faced the decision of the best path forward to grow her small company. Should she build more and better... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Development; Market Entry and Exit; Consulting Industry; United States; Florida; New York (state, US)

Educators

February 19, 2025
Article

To Break the Cycle of Low-Wage Work, Redesign the Workforce System

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Kerry McKittrick

Keywords: Public Sector; Personal Development and Career; Employees; Government Legislation

August 2000
Case

Developing Nurse Practitioners at the College of St. Catherine

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Sarah S. Khetani

Margaret McLaughlin has just begun her new appointment as the Dean of Health Professions at the College of St. Catherine in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. As an education leader, her charge is to develop Minnesota's health care workforce for the future. She is... View Details

Keywords: Trends; Debates; Decision Choices and Conditions; Higher Education; Teaching; Growth and Development; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Goals and Objectives; Value Creation; Health Industry

Educators

07 Jul 2022
Blog Post

Pathlight: Reimagining the Developer Onboarding Experience

by the time effort. These problems have been intensified by the pandemic and the new hybrid workforce model. What is your solution? Pathlight is an engineer onboarding tool that quickly integrates new hires onto your team with a gamified,... View Details

Summer 2008
Editorial

Will the Stork Return to Europe and Japan? Understanding Fertility within Developed Nations

By: James Feyrer, Bruce Sacerdote and Ariel Dora Stern

Only a few rich nations are currently at replacement levels of fertility and many are considerably below. We believe that changes in the status of women are driving fertility change. At low levels of female status, women specialize in household production and... View Details

Keywords: Income; Household; Gender; Japan; Italy; United States; Sweden; Spain

Find at Harvard

21 May 2025
Podcast

Shake Shack’s test kitchen: Developing a good jobs and automation combo

Shake Shack Chief Growth Officer Steph So and HBS professor Chris Stanton join Bill Kerr to discuss the fast-casual chain’s digital strategy and how technology is changing the dining experience and restaurant work, from frontline to back office. View Details

Article

The C-Suite Skills That Matter Most

By: Raffaella Sadun, Joseph B. Fuller, Stephen Hansen and PJ Neal

Landing a job as a CEO today is no longer all about industry expertise and financial savvy. What companies are really seeking are leaders with strong social skills. That’s what the authors discovered after analyzing nearly 7,000 job descriptions for C-suite roles.... View Details

Keywords: C-Suite; Skills; Skills Development; Social Skills; Management Skills; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management