Leaders - Publications - Faculty & Research

12 Aug 2019
Research & Ideas

How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities

recognize and try to stay ahead of these changes brought by scale. Here is advice for the CEO/founders of early-stage companies, but it also applies to leaders of any scaling organization, even inside a large corporate entity. Leadership... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

29 Mar 2022
Book

5 Qualities That Help Companies Thrive for Decades—Even Centuries

years. That’s a lot of war, natural disaster, and political turmoil to survive. The new book Leadership to Last: How Great Leaders Leave Legacies Behind looks at the ingredients of long-lasting businesses in South Asia, focusing... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2023
What Do You Think?

How Much Does 'Deep Purpose' Matter to the Bottom Line?

(iStockphoto/PeopleImages) An organization’s mission is widely recognized as its reason for being. Enlightened leaders have long known and believed that the heart of an organization’s culture is described not just by “how we do things... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

14 Jan 2019
Op-Ed

These 4 CEOs Created a New Standard of Leadership

value. Through their leadership they encouraged other corporate leaders to embrace this multi-stakeholder approach. Harvard Business School’s Michael E. Porter called this idea “creating shared value” in January 2011. Let’s examine how... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Health; Banking; Food & Beverage; Consumer Products

30 Apr 2020
Book

Fighting Climate Change Requires a New Capitalism

Rebecca Henderson spent her young adult years living two lives. At work, she preached the risks of resisting change to MBA students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, drawing on lessons she learned while watching factories close as a management consultant.... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Energy

02 Jan 2024
Cold Call Podcast

Should Businesses Take a Stand on Societal Issues?

Keywords: Re: Hubert Joly

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

Every month, another leader creates an onslaught of media coverage for being dishonest. Have we lost sight of the importance of leaders with integrity? Why do failed leaders... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

08 Dec 2022
HBS Case

The War in Ukraine and Nestlé’s Moral Dilemma: Stay or Leave Russia?

today’s leaders face when confronted with a moral dilemma. Even though the business in Russia represented a small portion of Nestlé’s worldwide sales, staying in the country could have had an outsized impact on the company’s reputation.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products

22 May 2024
HBS Case

Banned or Not, TikTok Is a Force Companies Can’t Afford to Ignore

see you. It doesn’t rely on what you say. It observes what you do and choose not to do and builds a model of who you are. And as a consumer or a partner [what] you want most is to be seen.” He says that business leaders need to understand... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology

15 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Five Imperatives for Improving Health Care

Innovation in health care treatment seems to far outpace innovation in health care business management. Just ask President Obama—two weeks ago he delayed enactment of a key provision of the new health care law for fear its requirements would swamp small-business... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

05 Dec 2016
Research & Ideas

How To Deceive Others With Truthful Statements (It's Called 'Paltering,' And It's Risky)

Business executives regularly use sly tactics to get a better deal during negotiations—often making statements that are technically true, but are purposely skewed to mislead the other side. It’s a distinct form of deception called paltering: the active use of truthful... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

20 Dec 2022
Op-Ed

Employee Feedback: The Key to Retention During the Great Resignation

“Great Resignation” and other challenges from a constantly changing competitive landscape? First, these companies have CEOs—indeed, leaders at all levels—who care equally about profits and employee well-being and don’t see them as... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer

04 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Shackleton: An Entrepreneur of Survival

lessons for business leaders to be found in areas outside business. History itself, literature, theater—look to Shakespeare and Henry V, Julius Caesar, or King Lear. When we look at these enduring works, we find more than just great... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

08 Sep 2022
Book

Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?

Bill George boasts long and successful executive stints at Honeywell, Litton Industries, and Medtronic—plus, he coined the term “authentic leadership.” Now, he says he and his fellow Baby Boomers need to pass the torch to a new generation of View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

10 Feb 2020
In Practice

6 Ways That Emerging Technology Is Disrupting Business Strategy

involving artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and the Internet of Things are changing the way business leaders think about strategy. Here’s what they said: 1. Talent and data are more critical than ever “Traditionally,... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

04 Mar 2024
Research & Ideas

Want to Make Diversity Stick? Break the Cycle of Sameness

that he was replacing a woman as opposed to a man affect his decision?” Most likely, yes. In studying the appointments of more than 2,000 federal judges and more than 5,000 corporate board members, Chang found that leaders have a strong... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Sep 2021
What Do You Think?

Can We Train for Trust?

practice. Think, for example, of the obstacles that lawyers and public relations advisers can put in the way of leaders wishing to practice such principles. Sucher and Gupta go on to say that, “How a leader... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Key to Doing Your Best at Work? Be Yourself

Today, the most innovative leaders aren’t the conformers. They’re the bold individualists who carve their own paths. So learning to embrace one’s inner “badass” is the new key to success, say Harvard Business School faculty Francesca... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

28 Nov 2023
Book

Economic Growth Draws Companies to Asia. Can They Handle Its Authoritarian Regimes?

leaders have no political competition, or open autocracies like that of Russia, Turkey, and Malaysia, which hold elections but may lack safeguards and transparency that keep them fair. The book investigates the relationship between... View Details