best practices - Publications - Faculty & Research

Teaching Interest

General Management: Processes and Action

General Management: Processes and Action (GMPA) focuses on implementation and the way that general managers get things done. Typically, they work through processes—sequences of tasks and activities that unfold over time, like strategic planning,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Communication Strategy; Decision Making; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Management; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Management Style; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Resource Allocation; Business Processes; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Strategic Planning; Conflict and Resolution; Power and Influence; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Auto Industry; Computer Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Financial Services Industry; Health Industry; Information Industry; Legal Services Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Publishing Industry; Retail Industry; Video Game Industry; China; India; United States

23 Oct 2000
Research & Ideas

The Strategy-Focused Organization

share best practices across the business units and shared service units. The meeting was called the "Balanced Scorecard Conference," but, of course, the meeting was about the division's strategy... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Strategy and the Internet

best practice, its rivals tend to copy it quickly. Best practice competition eventually leads to competitive convergence, with many companies doing the same things in the same... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter

20 Jan 2009
Research & Ideas

Risky Business with Structured Finance

absorbing losses in excess of 12 percent. The scholars also run a simulation that constructs a "CDO²" by further dividing the mezzanine tranches, noting that due to the practice of subdividing large pools of residential... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Banking; Financial Services

31 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: Jan. 31

transformative research in developing markets, and ultimately with a broader objective to stimulate new conceptualizations, research, and best practices to transform consumer well-being. Three Cheers for... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne & Carmen Nobel

20 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

The Three Types of Leaders Who Create Radical Change

likely someone who has studied, lived, or experienced something beyond the norms in a given environment and thus is able to create a vision of a different future that nonetheless makes sense to, and captivates, those living within the existing View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

31 May 2023
HBS Case

Why Business Leaders Need to Hear Larry Miller's Story

View Video Editor's note: Watch the video in "full screen" mode for the best viewing experience. If Larry Miller hadn’t concealed his criminal record, would he ever have been given the chance to turn his life around? Would his talent have... View Details

Keywords: by Jamal Meneide; Entertainment & Recreation; Consumer Products

18 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Are Banks the ‘Bad Guys’? Overdraft Fees Are Crushing Low-Income Customers

shows. Despite scrutiny of overdraft fees during the financial crisis more than a decade ago, some banks still reorder checking account debits so that the largest amounts, rather than the earliest debits posted, are withdrawn first. Harvard Business School researchers... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

19 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 19

priorities?; (3) Do I give subordinates timely and direct feedback they can act on? Have I developed a succession roadmap?; and (4) Is my leadership style still effective, and does it reflect who I truly am? This highly readable and View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

risk, but also enhances shareholder value. The law isn't just for lawyers, either, she says. Managers must become more astute about the legal environment around them, and be willing to challenge and work with counsel to achieve best... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

05 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 5, 2008

supervision as well as expression. Cautioning against the hasty judgment that gray zone practices are simply wrong, Moral Gray Zones contributes to a deeper understanding of the culture, group dynamics, and deviance found in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Mar 2015
First Look

First Look: March 10

(2003): "Exploitation, Exploration, and Process Management: The Productivity Dilemma Revisited." Our paper received the Academy of Management Review's best paper award in 2003 and the decade award in 2013. We consider the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

31 Mar 2022
Op-Ed

Navigating the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ in Professional Services

Those features, they assert, help them learn best practices from their multitude of engagements, ensure the confidentiality of specific information, and apply cutting-edge knowledge to assignments. Network... View Details

Keywords: by Ashish Nanda

05 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Managers Should Reveal Their Failures

we shouldn’t underestimate how important it is to be seen as humble, grounded, and well-liked.” Related Reading: How to Demotivate Your Best Employees The Power of Ordinary Practices Working for a Shamed... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

14 Aug 2007
First Look

First Look: August 14, 2007

three years. The company must decide its growth strategy and how best to finance and organize for rapid growth. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=806003 PublicationsCorporate Legitimacy... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Apr 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Courage: The Defining Characteristic of Great Leaders

the defining characteristic of the best ones is courage to make bold moves that transform their businesses. Courageous leaders take risks that go against the grain of their organizations. They make decisions with the potential for... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Auto; Food & Beverage

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

treating their employees well is the best way for them to ensure that customers’ concerns about safety are front of mind in every aspect of service while maintaining high standards for hospitality. Restaurant implementation of highly... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

16 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Can Consumers Be Saved From Their Misguided Decisions?

conducted by Joshua Schwartzstein, a Harvard Business School assistant professor, and Benjamin Handel, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “Thinking through, for practical applications, ‘is it a friction or a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Consulting; Retail

20 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

The 5 Strategy Rules of Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs

homed in on five key strategies that any manager, entrepreneur, or CEO can learn. Each of the lessons reads like a paradox or Zen koan that takes intelligence and practice to unpack. "Look Forward, Reason Back," for example,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Computer

08 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team

hoc process at many firms. Most adopt a simple decision rule: look at the best reps, and try to hire more like them. But you'll never have enough stars for all sales positions and, in fact, don't want stars in all jobs. In any... View Details