Human Behavior - Publications - Faculty & Research

15 Mar 2024
HBS Case

Let's Talk: Why It's Time to Stop Avoiding Taboo Topics at Work

comes to discussing geopolitical issues that might impact the business, Wing says. She suggests keeping the conversations professional, but also not avoiding topics that are relevant. In this case, in particular, management can model View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

November–December 2019
Article

Head, Heart or Hands: How Do Employees Respond to a Radical Global Language Change Over Time?

By: Sebastian Reiche and Tsedal Neeley

To understand how recipients respond to radical change over time across cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, we conducted a longitudinal study of a mandated language change at a Chilean subsidiary of a large U.S. multinational organization. The... View Details

Keywords: Language; Communication; Change; Employees; Attitudes; Emotions; Globalized Firms and Management

Citation

Find at Harvard

2022
Working Paper

Values as Luxury Goods and Political Polarization

By: Benjamin Enke, Mattias Polborn and Alex A Wu

Motivated by novel survey evidence, this paper develops a theory of political behavior in which values are a luxury good: the relative weight voters place on values rather than material considerations increases in income. The model predicts (i) voters who are... View Details

Keywords: Political Polarization; Government and Politics; Moral Sensibility; Luxury; Values and Beliefs; Voting

Citation

Read Now

Web

Accounting & Management - Faculty & Research

value-based care ecosystem. Under its CenterWell brand, the several millions of members in Humana Medicare Advantage plans now had access to Humana-provided primary care, home care, behavioral health, and mail order pharmacy services.... View Details

11 Jun 2024
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2024

As the vacation season looms, Harvard Business School faculty members share recommendations for a little light reading. Spoiler alert: Lessons in Chemistry tops two of their beach-read lists. For those whose brains can’t—or won’t—turn off, HBS faculty also suggest some... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

10 Apr 2007
First Look

First Look: April 10, 2007

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=607064 Ascent Media Group (B) Harvard Business School Supplement 607-080 Supplements the (A) case. Purchase this supplement: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=607080 View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Nov 2023
What Do You Think?

Do We Underestimate the Importance of Generosity in Leadership?

(AdobeStock/Kostiantyn) There are numerous studies of character traits in leaders. Human resource experts have advised us on what to look for in those who would be potential leaders. Management development focuses on View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

2025
Working Paper

Training Within Firms

By: Brayan Diaz, Andrea Neyra-Nazarrett, Julian Ramirez, Raffaella Sadun and Jorge Tamayo

Training investments are essential for improving worker and firm productivity, yet their implementation is often hindered by low participation rates and insufficient worker engagement. This study uses data from three firms–a car manufacturer, a quick-service... View Details

Keywords: Productivity; Absenteeism; Middle Managers; Training; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Productivity; Employees

Citation

SSRN

Read Now

January 29, 2018
Article

How to Build Trust with Colleagues You Rarely See

By: Tsedal Neeley

Building trust is key to success for any organization. But that can be tricky when it comes to colleagues that you only interact with virtually. What does it take to build trust when you can’t meet in person? In this piece, the author suggests that professionals should... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Trust; Organizational Culture; Familiarity; Employees

Citation

Register to Read

Purchase

Web

Marketing - Faculty & Research

Leads (B)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 525-702, April 2025. Serving with a Smile on Airbnb: Analyzing the Economic Returns and Behavioral Underpinnings of the Host’s Smile By: Shunyuan Zhang , Elizabeth Friedman,... View Details

22 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Master the One-on-One Meeting

for you for awhile and you’re just kicking off 1:1s, or they are a new hire and you’re rolling them into the fold, set expectations up front. I am a big believer in being clear about behavior changes. If this is a new process you are... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

27 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 27

scrutinizing the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing things; (4) Experimenting: constructing interactive experiences and provoking unorthodox responses to see what insights emerge; and (5)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2010
Working Paper

Employee Selection as a Control System

By: Dennis Campbell

Theories from the economics, management control, and organizational behavior literatures predict that when it is difficult to align incentives by contracting on output, aligning preferences via employee selection may provide a useful alternative. This study... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Decision Making; Governance Controls; Employees; Selection and Staffing; Management Systems; Financial Services Industry

Citation

16 May 2023
HBS Case

How KKR Got More by Giving Ownership to the Factory Floor: ‘My Kids Are Going to College!’

to companies.” Employees started changing their behaviors to go out of their way to help CHI achieve its objectives, understanding that doing so helped them, too. When Stavros accompanied Larry Beal, a truck driver who had invested $5,000... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

Article

Can Wages Buy Honesty?: The Relationship Between Relative Wages and Employee Theft

By: C. X. Chen and Tatiana Sandino

In this study we examine whether, for a sample of retail chains, high levels of employee compensation can deter employee theft, an increasingly common type of fraudulent behavior. Specifically, we examine the extent to which relative wages (i.e., employee wages... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Behavior; Compensation and Benefits; Societal Protocols

Citation

SSRN

Find at Harvard

08 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

How to Demotivate Your Best Employees

It would seem to make sense that when companies recognize their workers with awards, they are likely to see a boost in morale and perhaps even inspire them to work harder. It turns out that sometimes rewarding employees for good behavior... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Service

12 Sep 2023
Book

Successful, But Still Feel Empty? A Happiness Scholar and Oprah Have Advice for You

goals, is the backbone of Brooks’ new book with Oprah Winfrey, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. They weave together the best happiness how-tos from social psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

now is that our intrinsic survival mechanisms—such basic behaviors as how to enter a building, or bring in the mail, or greet a friend—require conscious thought in a way they have not since toddlerhood. The services and businesses that... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

24 Mar 2022
News

Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together

Keywords: Rituals

2022
Book

Decision Leadership: Empowering Others to Make Better Choices

By: Don A. Moore and Max H. Bazerman

When we think of leaders, we often imagine lone, inspirational figures lauded for their behaviors, attributes, and personal decisions, and leadership books often reinforce that view. However, this approach ignores a leader’s mission to empower others. Applying decades... View Details

Keywords: Empowerment Leadership; Leadership; Employees; Decision Making; Management Style

Citation

Find at Harvard

Purchase