Publications

17 Feb 2022
Book

When Employees Feel a Sense of Purpose, Companies Succeed

organization or business is to improve the quality of life, period,” Chopra says. “Focus on the quality of life for your employees because if your employees are happy, then your customers are going to be... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati

April 2023 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Levels: The Remote, Asynchronous, Deep Work Management System

By: Joseph B. Fuller and George Gonzalez

Levels is a highly innovative startup in the health care space. They intend to revolutionize health by linking behavior—eating, exercise, sleeping, etc.—to changes in metabolism. They believe metabolic health can be managed through careful monitoring of changes in... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Business Startups; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Technology Industry; United States

17 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

How Managers Stifle Creativity

breakthroughs in an Academy of Management Discoveries article, Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and a World of Surprises. "Your immediate manager plays a huge role in establishing your work... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

December 1997 (Revised February 2000)
Case

Hewlett Packard: Creating, Running, and Growing an Enduring Company

By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington

Traces the development of Hewlett-Packard Co. from a small start-up company in 1938 to a world-class manufacturer of electronic instruments and computer products. Examines the challenges of starting and running a small company, including financing, human resources... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Product Positioning; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Computer Industry; Electronics Industry

March 1994
Background Note

National Culture and Management

The note examines the relationship of national culture to management. Offers a definition of culture, explains the scope of culture and its many dimensions, and describes how culture is manifested in business settings. The research of Edward Man, Geert Hofstede, and... View Details

Keywords: Country; Business or Company Management; Culture

March 1997 (Revised March 1997)
Case

Business Teams at Rubbermaid, Inc.

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Dean Whitney

Rubbermaid, a consumer-products company widely praised for its innovation, has instituted a company-wide experiment to stimulate innovation even further. The experiment consists of creating small cross-functional business teams within each division, with each team... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Innovation Strategy; Groups and Teams; Innovation and Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Consumer Products Industry; United States

December 2000 (Revised April 2006)
Case

Promise (A): Building a Consumer Finance Company in Japan

Describes Promise, the third-largest consumer finance company in Japan. Promise was created in 1963 by an entrepreneur and has grown rapidly, especially in the 1990s when commercial banks struggled. Promise's core business consists of providing unsecured loans of up to... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Entrepreneurship; Financial Institutions; Financial Services Industry; Japan

Find at Harvard

13 Apr 2021
Book

How Inclusive Managers Create Glass-Shattering Organizations

managers about the gender biases that influence hiring decisions. Companies should also anonymize resumes, diversify interview panels, and evaluate candidates as a group against a set of defined criteria.... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

June 2001
Background Note

Dot com Business Models

By: Richard L. Nolan

Describes dot com business models. Intended to be used as a handout with a case about dot com companies following case discussion. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business or Company Management; Web Sites; Web Services Industry

Find at Harvard

October 2002 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Emerging Giants: Building World-Class Companies in Emerging Markets

By: Tarun Khanna and Krishna G. Palepu

Presents a conceptual framework to examine successful companies in emerging markets and what enables them to avoid traditional emerging market obstacles. Examines those characteristics that allow these successful local companies to overcome market voids and become... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Success

14 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating a Global Business Code

The turn of the 21st century has been laden with high-profile corporate scandals, prompting widespread concern about the standards of conduct followed by big business. Intrigued by the complexity of managing corporate behavior in a global... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

April 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Urbi and the City Licensee Managers

By: John D. Macomber and Regina Garcia-Cuellar

A leading low income housing builder in Mexico decides which prospective new local partner best extends its advantages in managing twin production lines of homes and clients. URBI has built substantial competitive advantage in the technology and culture that matches... View Details

Keywords: Mortgages; Government and Politics; Housing; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Market Entry and Exit; Production; Supply Chain; Organizational Culture; Franchise Ownership; Partners and Partnerships; Competitive Advantage; Real Estate Industry; China; India; Mexico; United States

02 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Casino Payoff: Hands-Off Management Works Best

ensure that the casinos' best customers return to play another day. “It's not absolute freedom—it's freedom within a framework" —Francisco de Asís Martinez-Jerez And it turns out that casino hosts are ideal subjects to gain insight into an ongoing question debated for... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Entertainment & Recreation

15 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: It Takes a Village

leader is the chairman of the family holding company and the clear leader of the family owners. In general, family business system leaders are the individuals with the most resources under their control;... View Details

2013
Supplement

Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited: Overseas Acquisitions (B)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Yongjun Jin and Xiaohui Li

Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited (Yanzhou Coal) is a listed company controlled by Yankuang Group Co., Ltd. (Yankuang Group) which is affiliated to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of Shandong Provincial Government, China.... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; China; Electric Power Generation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Strategy; China

06 Jun 2018
Research & Ideas

Cut Salaries or Cut People? The Best Way to Survive a Downturn

opportunity to use a “natural experiment” to explore how the agents would react. In November 2016, as the busy summer sales season was ending, the division head of the affected group changed incentives, de-emphasizing rewards for the most... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

September 2, 2020
Article

What Really Prevents Companies from Thriving in a Recession

By: Ranjay Gulati and Mark Wiedman

Even in the best of times, many companies fail to fund and staff new opportunities. As decades of research have shown, leaders fear threats to their status and power and so become attached to existing businesses and budgets, regarding them as entitlements and as a... View Details

Keywords: Recessions; Resource Allocation; Budgets and Budgeting