by John P. Kotter - Publications - Faculty & Research

05 Jun 2009
What Do You Think?

What Does Slower Economic Growth Really Mean?

economy without continued expansion." P. Maxson, assuming also that growth has limits, asked, "will we manage this change, or will we let ourselves be mauled by it?" A more basic question may... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Financial Services; Construction; Real Estate

05 Jul 2006
What Do You Think?

How Important Is “Executive Intelligence” for Leaders?

concluded in his classic study, Good to Great, that among the most important attributes of leaders, people who John Kotter maintains achieve "extremely useful change," was the right mix of humility... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

17 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Being the Boss

responsibility for the relationship, because it's definitely two-way. I'm building on the traditions of [HBS professors emeriti] John Kotter and John Gabarro, who [in 1980]... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

05 Sep 2012
What Do You Think?

Will Business Management Save US Health Care?

Summing Up What Role Will Management Play in Saving US Health Care? The verdict is in, according to respondents of this month's column: Problems confronting health care in the US are much larger and broader than those that can be solved View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

07 Aug 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t Americans Get Health Care Right?

anything, can we learn from solutions implemented by other countries? For example, should Americans have a public option? What else? What do you think? To read more: N. Gregory Mankiw, "The Pitfalls of the Public Option," The... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Mar 2021
What Do You Think?

What Does Remote Work Mean for Middle Managers?

information, creating surprises for top management. That claim was part of the defense used by top management in the Wells Fargo customer fraud scandal. Even academics are loath to probe middle management. A 1993 study about middle... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Encouraging Dissent in Decision-Making

What lessons could the humid shores of the Caribbean, the freezing heights of the Himalayas, or the farthest reaches of Earth's atmosphere hold for your company or organization? Although those places couldn't be more different, all were the scenes of disastrous... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

15 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Five Imperatives for Improving Health Care

Health Care Policy at HMS; and Joseph P. Newhouse, John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard University. The key findings from the conference and survey are detailed in the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

03 Jul 2008
What Do You Think?

Are Followers About to Get Their Due?

followership? Why isn't followership addressed by business school curricula along with leadership? Does it belong in a course of study? Or does this just run the risk of deteriorating into a discussion of how to manipulate your boss? What... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

16 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

John Macomber (@cleantechcities) is a senior lecturer of business administration in the Finance Unit Gary P. Pisano: In-person meetings will be less important All organizations will learn that they can... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Oct 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

18 Tips Managers Can Use to Lead Through COVID's Rising Waters

Protect and Pivot Boris Groysberg, Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration. MARKETING Tip: Tailor your brand stories to the new reality. Which types of brand stories should companies tell? After KFC was chastised View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

“Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

recipients' actual trustworthiness. This lax approach gives rise to adverse selection: the sites that seek and obtain trust certifications are actually less trustworthy than others. Using an original dataset on web site safety, I demonstrate that sites certified View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 1976 (Revised June 1984)
Case

Megalith, Inc. -- Hay Associates (A)

By: John P. Kotter

In 1969, Megalith centralized its financial and control functions. John Boyd, senior vice president for finance, hired four brilliant young managers to "bring the group out of the stone age." By 1975, this management team had created a near-perfect finance office of... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Problems and Challenges

Citation

Educators

Purchase

01 Apr 2019
What Do You Think?

Does Our Bias Against Federal Deficits Need Rethinking?

accompanied by lower inflation and interest rates—that justify deficit spending to produce both economic growth and social programs designed to improve our quality of life and reduce social inequality” (JohnfrmClevelnd). Or, it prompts... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Sep 2001
What Do You Think?

Do MBAs Need More Street Smarts?

obtained. Is it a matter of the genes? Do they result from experience, therefore precluding most newly-minted MBAs in their twenties from having them? Or does their presence depend on the environment in which one grows up? For example, a study View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

03 Dec 2014
What Do You Think?

Can the Brilliant Jerk Be Managed Effectively?

Maxweles, who asked, "Was Steve Jobs possibly a 'brilliant jerk'? Could innovation be stifled by simply eliminating the uncomfortable individuals?" Lawrence Nwaru added, "We are all brilliant jerks in one form or the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Are You a Level-Six Leader?

the Builder, strives not to reach a goal but to build an institution. Builders are legendary leaders such as IBM's Tom Watson Jr., GM's Alfred P. Sloan, and Harpo's Oprah Winfrey. These people serve their institutions View Details

Keywords: by Mitch Maidique