Continuous Improvement - Publications - Faculty & Research

04 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How Schmoozing with the Boss Helps Men Get Promoted

managers. Among the paper’s key points: Women are stuck at the bottom of the ladder Despite the public outrage the pay gap has inspired in recent years, women continue to bring home lighter paychecks. In 2018, a women earned 81 cents for... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

03 Jul 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, July 3, 2018

accounting for contracts and investments in producers, Noble’s stock price continued to fall and stakeholders began to call for improved transparency in financial reporting. This case contains two actions... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

10 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot

from the examples set by these world-class athletes, who are never satisfied, even at the top of their games and seemingly at the peak of their performance. Like Phelps and Nowitzki, two examples of organizations that excel at continuous... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden

06 Nov 2018
Research & Ideas

8 Ways to Make Olympic Stadiums Useful After the Games End

when necessary improvements weren’t made to the facility. In addition, the site’s access to public transportation was generally poor. Major Renovations After the Olympic Games and Major Tenants A bird's nest helps In one... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Sports

02 May 2022
What Do You Think?

Can the Case Method Survive Another Hundred Years?

corporation’s behalf, management has seen Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s legislature continue to litigate the issue by dissolving Disney’s 55-year-old Reedy Creek Improvement District on June... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

06 Aug 2013
First Look

First Look: August 6

outcomes and costs empowers local personnel-physicians, nurses, and administrators-to improve the value of care they deliver. It also permits benchmarking across the group's multiple hospital sites to identify best practices that can be... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

08 Sep 2008
HBS Case

The Value of Environmental Activists

There are many methods, most financial, to measure the success of companies in meeting goals. But the question becomes a lot harder at Harvard Business School when MBAs are challenged to measure the efforts of environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the World... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

01 Feb 2021
What Do You Think?

Has the New Economy Finally Arrived?

for revising or proving shortcomings in the model. Nevertheless, it continues to influence fiscal and monetary policy across the globe from time to time. "Did the economic experiment in the United States during the past four years show us... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

02 Oct 2012
First Look

First Look: October 2

development. Although from the early 1970s Britain experienced a revival in the quality of innovation and improved productivity growth, structural weaknesses in the commercialization environment still remain. Download the paper:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Looking in the Mirror: Questions Every Leader Must Ask

The book discusses several key areas of inquiry that can help leaders improve the success of their companies and nonprofit organizations including: vision and priorities, managing your time, giving and getting feedback, succession... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

29 Jan 2013
First Look

First Look: Jan. 29

"Client Development Centre (CDC)," an innovative idea and set of services launched by Dr. Jim Hever who holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership Development. The mission of the CDC is to improve the capabilities of clients'... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Dec 2014
What Do You Think?

Can the Brilliant Jerk Be Managed Effectively?

for the phenomenon. Munyaradzi Mushato suggested that, "my experience in industry tells me that most jerks are created by the very systems that are designed to improve performance that is, about 70% of the jerks are bred! Most... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Enron’s Lessons for Managers

of death. His own task for Enron is complicated by the fact that the patient was constantly evolving long before it collapsed. Its business model, control system, and culture were in continuous motion, and by 1997 these factors were... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Do You Have Change Fatigue?

one continual change initiative. Maybe it's a relief to know that only a few of these efforts will actually be carried through to completion, but that knowledge doesn't do much for morale. Change fatigue is rampant, and it's exacerbated... View Details

Keywords: by Nick Morgan

29 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Harley-Davidson’s Management Do?

company executives, who “biked” there on their own machines. Executives and employees alike shared a devotion to motorcycle culture. Its outlook was improved by the 2017 tax cut that would have reduced its tax bill by $80 to $90 million.... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Auto

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

square foot have not improved significantly since the depths of the recession—and the decline in ROIC is even more stunning for category killers. “Best Buy and many similar businesses didn't see the bullet coming” The inexorable adoption... View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

18 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization

business interests, while Malaysia’s government took a softer approach, allowing companies to continue operations in exchange for training and development programs that helped smallholder farmers switch from rubber—which, with the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Agriculture & Agribusiness

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

in February, which helped it operate in the critical weeks of March with limited problems. Third, by continuously and effectively sharing the learnings emerging from the Chinese subsidiary when the knowledge on the new virus was very... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

16 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow

operations that Guide Dogs had been responsible for, such as running hotels and holiday programs for the blind. "She sought partners who would have the capability to take ownership and continue running those programs. The contract... View Details