Managing People - Publications - Faculty & Research

30 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

Why Anger Makes a Wrongly Accused Person Look Guilty

University—found that anger can make a person come across as guilty even when they are not. Too often, when an employee is accused of wrongdoing, people evaluating the situation can make snap judgments based on biases and hunches. This... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

22 Oct 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Motivate Me, Please

SolStock Former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy was known to criticize staff for being "coin-operated" instead of mission-driven. Understanding what motivates good performance is crucial for managers to master. Here is a... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 16, 2016
Article

Food Safety Economics: The Cost of a Sick Customer

By: Dina Gerdeman and John A. Quelch

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s ongoing struggle to win customers back months after a contaminated food crisis highlights the challenges companies face with keeping food safe.

Chipotle has seen its shares tumble and recently reported its first-ever quarterly loss... View Details

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January 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Hindustan Unilever Limited

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Mona Srivastava

This case illustrates Hindustan Unilever Limited's conflict resolution and people development policies using a “leading from the middle” example. The story centers on the challenges faced by an HR manager at a factory who must meet organizational objectives while... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Labor Unions; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Managerial Roles; Conflict Management; Food and Beverage Industry; India

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06 Nov 2023
Research & Ideas

Did You Hear What I Said? How to Listen Better

School. “You feel like maybe they weren’t totally listening.” In fact, people often aren’t tuned in when we think they are, and it’s tough to tell when someone is actually paying attention, according to a forthcoming article in the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

January–February 2014
Article

Can a Strong Culture Be Too Strong?

By: David A. Garvin

The article presents a case study of a business enterprise with high employee turnover that is considering adopting a personnel management innovation, referred to as People Support, involving a group of managers whose role is to listen to and help resolve employees'... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Retention; Organizational Culture

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01 Jun 2023
News

Action Plan: Net Proceeds

properly composted; otherwise, the material is no better than current products. Get involved now. People at the height of their careers, who control budgets, manage people, and shape company policy, can... View Details

Keywords: April White; recycling; corporate social responsibility; waste management; water; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services

September 1988 (Revised September 1993)
Case

Mrs. Fields Cookies

By: James I. Cash Jr.

Mrs. Fields Cookies is a small company selling freshly baked goods through privately owned specialty stores (each store sells only Mrs. Fields products). The company has about 8,000 employees worldwide and less than 150 information systems people for a unique leverage... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Information Management; Organizational Structure; Customer Relationship Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Networks; Internet and the Web; Food and Beverage Industry; Information Technology Industry

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05 Oct 2015
Video

Doing Extraordinary Work

August 2017 (Revised July 2019)
Case

GROW: Using Artificial Intelligence to Screen Human Intelligence

By: Ethan Bernstein, Paul McKinnon and Paul Yarabe

Over 10% of all 2017 university graduates in Japan used GROW, an artificial intelligence platform and mobile app developed by Tokyo-based people analytics startup IGS, to recruit for a job. This case puts participants in the shoes of IGS founder and CEO Masahiro... View Details

Keywords: Big Data; Artificial Intelligence; Talent and Talent Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Resources; Information Technology; AI and Machine Learning; Analytics and Data Science; Financial Services Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Advertising Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; Japan

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01 Dec 2020
News

Steady as She Goes

observes. For the $17 billion retailer, the dual crises were a reminder that the services the company provides are necessary ones. There were very human moments of fear and panic—when store managers in fire-ravaged New South Wales sent... View Details

Keywords: April White; COVID-19; change management; leadership; women; grocery stores; Food and Beverage Stores; Retail Trade

20 Feb 2013
News

McKinsey Tries to Recruit Mothers Who Left the Fold

25 Apr 2014
Video

Charles Foster - Making A Difference

09 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

How Tennis, Golf, and White Anxiety Block Racial Integration

White people often feel anxious about interacting with non-Whites, and they go out of their way to erect barriers to reduce contact with minorities, according to new research. When routinely making choices about where to live, work,... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

July 2002 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Cirque du Soleil

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan

Retaining talent is an issue for any company whose success relies on the creativity and excellence of its employees. This is especially true for Cirque du Soleil, the spectacularly successful "circus without animals," whose 2,100 employees include 500 artists--mimes,... View Details

Keywords: Retention; Employee Relationship Management; Business Strategy; Talent and Talent Management; Organizational Culture; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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15 Mar 2024
HBS Case

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

time in the workplace and can be addressed wisely—or poorly—says Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Christina Wing, whose forthcoming book Unspeakable offers advice for managing weighty interactions. She has also created a... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

08 Oct 2012
News

Get employees behind your unified strategy

05 Sep 2023
Book

Thriving After Failing: How to Turn Your Setbacks Into Triumphs

lot of pressure to publish and get things right,” Edmondson says. By setting up an environment where failure is the norm, Heemstra takes away some of that pressure and prompts people to discuss mistakes, rather than hide them. Edmondson... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

20 Apr 2021
Cold Call Podcast

What Went Wrong with the Boeing 737 Max?

Keywords: Air Transportation

May 2002 (Revised January 2006)
Case

SG Cowen: New Recruits

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan

Chip Rae, director of recruiting at SG Cowen, must decide which recruits to keep after the final interview process for new outside associate hires. Along with team captains assigned to each school, he reviews the criteria used to make hiring decisions. Their new... View Details

Keywords: Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Decision Making; Management Practices and Processes; Service Industry

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