Publications

July 2019
Article

'Forward Flow': A New Measure to Quantify Free Thought and Predict Creativity

By: Kurt Gray, Stephen Anderson, Eric Evan Chen, John Michael Kelly, Michael S. Christian, John Patrick, Laura Huang, Yoed N. Kenett and Kevin Lewis

When the human mind is free to roam, its subjective experience is characterized by a continuously evolving stream of thought. Although there is a technique that captures people’s streams of free thought—free association—its utility for scientific research is undermined... View Details

Keywords: Cognition and Thinking; Creativity; Forecasting and Prediction

May 2013
Article

How to Negotiate with VCs

By: Deepak Malhotra

VC-entrepreneur partnership agreements often contain flaws that become highly damaging as the parties come up against issues of power, trust, and much more. Yet many of the flaws are systematic and predictable—and hence preventable. The author, a longtime consultant to... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Negotiation Tactics; Entrepreneurship

December 2023 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Research In Motion: Launching and Scaling the World's First Smartphone Empire (A)

By: Tatiana Sandino and Samuel Grad

In 2005, Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry smartphone was a sensation. After its launch in 1999, the groundbreaking BlackBerry had captured the hearts and minds of corporate America through its secure wireless email service. The device was so addictive and... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Management Style; Product Development; Managerial Roles; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; United States; Canada

11 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 11

Publications August 2013 American Journal of Managed Care The Impact of Electronic Health Record Use on Physician Productivity By: Adler-Milstein, Julia, and Robert S. Huckman Abstract—Objectives: To examine the impact of the degree of electronic health record (EHR)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

situation, and their understanding of and expectations about the pandemic, among other factors. Because of this, your team members are likely to be in different phases of reaction to the crisis. Keeping this in mind may be helpful. Here... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

January 2021 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Pearson: Efficacy 2.0

By: Elie Ofek, Marco Bertini, Oded Koenigsberg and James Weber

Pearson, which billed itself as the "world's learning company," faced a host of critical decisions in mid-2020. Several years prior, it had embarked on a new path that put the learner at the heart of the business and committed to a new strategic orientation. The new... View Details

Keywords: Efficacy; Learning; Outcome or Result; Measurement and Metrics; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Strategic Planning; Education Industry

December 2006
Case

Southern Company's Investment in CEMIG

In the spring of 1997, Southern Company had the opportunity to acquire a significant portion of the electric utility in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The shares in the utility, CEMIG, were being sold by the state government as part of a comprehensive... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Privatization; Investment; Acquisition; Globalized Markets and Industries; Utilities Industry; Brazil

10 Apr 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Where Does it Go? Spending by the Financially Constrained

Keywords: by Shawn A. Cole, John Thompson & Peter Tufano; Financial Services

January 2024 (Revised October 2024)
Case

DO & CO: Crafting Luxury in the Fast Lane (A)

By: Juan Alcácer, Esel Cekin, Michael Lee and Noah Roberson

In July 2023, Attila Dogudan, the chairman of DO & CO, a renowned international catering firm, found himself in a deep conversation with his two sons about a potential new venture: catering for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a significant step beyond their 31-year history... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Pandemics; Opportunities; Corporate Strategy; Luxury; Food and Beverage Industry; Las Vegas

28 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

How Workplace Wellness Programs Can Give Employees the Energy Boost They Need

apps and setting up fitness challenges. After all, many employees are struggling with serious mental health issues. Mind Share Partner’s 2021 Mental Health at Work Report showed that three-quarters of full-time US workers reported having... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson

2003
Book

When You Say Yes But Mean No: How Silencing Conflict Wrecks Relationships and Companies

By: Leslie Perlow

“Saying yes when you really mean no” is a problem that haunts organizations from start-ups to multi-nationals. It exists across industries, levels, and functions. And it’s exacerbated by a down economy, when the fear of losing one’s job is on everybody’s mind and the... View Details

Keywords: Conflict and Resolution; Relationships; Business Ventures

03 Oct 2023
Research Event

Build the Life You Want: Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey Share Happiness Tips

those things, quite frankly. And, and, so this is important for us to keep in mind because the truth of the matter is that that's true for all of us. That if we don't, if we want to be fully alive then we need to embrace the fact that we... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Staff

01 May 2024
What Do You Think?

Have You Had Enough?

You’ve made the experiment work.” The column drawing the most comments from among the 287 columns was “Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?” in 2013. Many respondents posed the question of whether or not the term “servant leadership” was an oxymoron.... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

14 Nov 2023
What Do You Think?

Do We Underestimate the Importance of Generosity in Leadership?

related to boundaryless behavior.” We have over the years lauded the notion of boundaryless behaviors—sharing of talent, ideas, and other resources—in organizations. They involve putting the good of the organization above one’s own short-term welfare or performance... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

30 Apr 2024
Book

When Managers Set Unrealistic Expectations, Employees Cut Ethical Corners

distributors and makers (2022)—to name a few. Keep in mind that most cases of corporate malfeasance do not make the headlines. The particulars of these cases are quite varied and well worth studying in their own right. Each involves a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2023

Statistics, They Tell StoriesThat killer fever chart in your slide deck might not be as impressive as you think. In fact, your audience might soon forget that critical data point. If you want them to remember your message, research by Thomas Graeber suggests that... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

23 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 23

Publications 2006 University of Chicago Press Manufacturing Morals: The Values of Silence in Business School Education By: Anteby, Michel Abstract—Corporate accountability is never far from the front page, and Harvard Business School trains many future business... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

Breakthroughs and the 'Long Tail' of Innovation

The largely erroneous perception that breakthroughs are impossible to predict arises from the tendency to focus on just the breakthroughs while ignoring the iterative process of invention and its distribution of outcomes. When all inventions are considered, they... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Independent Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Business Processes; Performance Capacity; Performance Improvement