Systems Thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

15 Jul 2019
Book

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

know that anyone can access these ideas.” Dina Gerdeman: Finance intimidates people largely because the system is so complex, but you say there’s an easier way to understand it. Can you explain how? Mihir Desai: Finance is often talked... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

09 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Climate Goals, Housing Policy, and Corporate R&D Collide, Social Good Can Emerge

For almost four years, Omar Asensio and his colleagues have been studying the impact of federal energy programs on low-income neighborhoods. The intersection of technology—artificial intelligence, in particular—and public policy has long been an area of focus for... View Details

Keywords: by Glen Justice

02 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

The Secret of How Microsoft Stays on Top

platforms, in contrast to most other firms who focused on stand-alone applications. It was an approach that permeated both their tools business—the software they provided to other programmers for developing applications; and the operating View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

17 Feb 2022
Book

When Employees Feel a Sense of Purpose, Companies Succeed

businesses to contemplate having a purpose the way individuals might do so. Aiming for a higher ideal elevates our thinking and expands our ambition that in turn allows us to imagine the possibility of doing things that might otherwise... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati

10 Oct 2023
Blog Post

Policy Drivers for Environmental Justice: What Businesses Need to Know

which directly contributed to the segregation of neighborhoods. Understanding the role systemic racism has played is essential to EJ. For environmental policy to really be EJ, it needs to combat the systemic... View Details

05 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

How Hormones Foretell Whether People Will Cheat

wondered if there were biological or physiological factors that could help to explain the misconduct that we see so frequently in the real world” A new study reveals two key discoveries about the link between the endocrine system and... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

01 Mar 2024
News

On the Radar

efforts to identify biological threats and safeguard against the use of bioweapons. That’s not enough, warns Matthew McKnight (MBA/MPP 2012) of the Boston-based biotech firm Ginkgo Bioworks. McKnight believes a comprehensive global warning View Details

Keywords: Janine White; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Government

11 May 2022
Blog Post

MoMBAs: The Inspiring Student Mothers of HBS

year and my water broke around 2 hours after the class ended. I don’t think I will ever forget the name of that case (“ofo”) because it helped me realize how close I was from meeting my baby. Marie Jimenez Year: Second Due Date: August... View Details

04 Oct 2021
What Do You Think?

How Do We Make Sure the Right People End Up with Power in Organizations?

proposition included Fernando De LaTorre, who commented, “I found (it) hard to work for trust as a goal. I think you work and live your values, and trust will stay in the culture.” Alan Arnett said that “trust comes when you learn to make... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

joining the battle against climate change will signal a significant shift in governance ideology for this highly regulated industry so critical to the global financial system. While global custody banks provide the unseen but essential support View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Why Budgeting Kills Your Company

decoupling of the company's resource allocation process from the highest-value strategic opportunities. The answer, some experts say, is to dispense with budgets entirely. The answer, some experts say, is to dispense with budgets entirely—and replace them with a View Details

Keywords: by Loren Gary

01 Jun 2023
News

An Engine of Innovation

Startup life can often feel like a solo sport, says Matt Segneri (MBA 2010), the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs: “What the three labs in our ecosystem do is to make building a venture something that happens within a truly... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

02 Mar 2016
News

David Moss is Rewriting History

global financial events. His first course-length experiment had been a success. He saw the case method bring history—which many students thought of as a dull procession of inevitable events—to life. Character, narrative, and tension gave an urgency to topics such as... View Details

Keywords: April White

05 Jun 2009
What Do You Think?

What Does Slower Economic Growth Really Mean?

if we demand less, use less, and want less forever?" Jim Geisman continued this line of thought in saying, "Overall, I think growth is overrated unsustainable." Andrew Lianwarne suggested that "we need to reshape the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Financial Services; Construction; Real Estate

15 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: It Takes a Village

depends, to a surprising extent, on capable leaders. If boards of directors of public, anonymously-owned companies didn't believe that leadership mattered so much, they wouldn't pay such huge salaries to their CEOs. (By the way, I don't View Details

05 Feb 2019
News

The First Five Years: Karan Shah (MBA 2016)

our growth strategy to diversify the business portfolio. One of my key responsibilities is to ensure that everything we do has a well-documented system and process. A day at work could involve any or all of the activities I mentioned... View Details

27 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Can Being the ‘Token’ Give Women and Minorities a Competitive Edge?

candidates at the same time, rather than hiring a single person in isolation. Think big and commit resources. When it comes to diversity, companies sometimes do just enough to avoid media scrutiny or reputational damage. It’s time for... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

Web

2022 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

organizations. Participants will learn how to build systems that incorporate flexibility of strategy implementation through a structured empowerment model, promote critical thinking and innovation, and... View Details

06 Aug 2021
Book

Steve Jobs and the Rise of the Celebrity CEO

and services inextricably linked to bosses with outsized personalities. Think Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Steve Jobs of Apple, and Elon Musk of Tesla. All these leaders have one thing in common: charisma—and in fact, today it’s a quality that... View Details