Publications

30 May 2019
What Do You Think?

Is There a Distinctive West Coast Style of Management?

companies are built for long-term success. They observed that visionary companies demonstrate these qualities: Do not require charismatic leadership Pursued several objectives of which only one was profit Almost religiously preserved a... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

16 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 16, 2018

By: Rithmire, Meg Abstract—The Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping has announced its intentions to transition the economy from one driven by investment and exports to one driven by domestic demand. The main strategy to achieve this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jun 2011
Lessons from the Classroom

Fame, Faith, and Social Activism: Business Lessons from Bono

escalating, high-profile campaign against Third World debt, poverty, war and disease. “Any CEO who thinks his or her job is about maximizing shareholder value is living in the past.” Koehn, a Harvard Business School historian who has studied social entrepreneurs and... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Entertainment & Recreation

19 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

The Regional Slice of Your Global Strategy

case, product divisions). And just as obviously, no one likes to give up power. Leadership from the top, aimed at promoting a "one-company" mentality, is often the only way forward. One of Oosterveld's conditions for taking the... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat

November 2010 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Chrysler Fiat 2009

By: J. Bruce Harreld, Paul W. Marshall and David Lane

In spring 2009, Chrysler entered a prepackaged bankruptcy and exited 40 days later in a deal with Fiat, the U.S. Treasury, and the UAW that kept the automaker alive. Looking forward, what was necessary for Chrysler to move beyond the life support it had received? What... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Leadership Development; Alliances; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Financial Condition; Auto Industry

March 2022 (Revised November 2022)
Case

When Should CEOs Speak Out Publicly? The 2021 Georgia Voting Law

By: William W. George, Hubert Joly and Amram Migdal

This case describes the March 2021 passage of a voting and elections law in the U.S. state of Georgia and reactions by corporations and corporate leaders to the law. Included are a brief history of voting rights in the United States and Georgia and an overview of the... View Details

November 2019
Supplement

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato, Alan MacCormack and Sarah Mehta

This multimedia supplement accompanies the case “Innovation at Uber: the Launch of Express POOL” (case no. 619-003). Set in March 2018, the case follows ride-sharing company Uber as it develops and launches a new product called Express POOL. This multimedia supplement... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Technology Industry; California; San Francisco

November 2000
Case

WARDA: Leading a Rice Revolution in West Africa

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

The West Africa Rice Development Association, along with various national and international partners, was developing and transferring new rice technologies to farmers throughout West and Central Africa. While production in West Africa was growing faster than any other... View Details

Keywords: Private Sector; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Government and Politics; Technological Innovation; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Problems and Challenges; Research and Development; Nonprofit Organizations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa

Find at Harvard

01 Jun 2016
What Do You Think?

When Business Performance Falters, is Culture Change the Fix?

business models. This view is that a culture in which people trust each other and their leadership is one in which change (of a strategy or business model) is easier to achieve. Its advocates cite the primacy of culture in business... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett

01 Aug 2008
What Do You Think?

Has the Time Come for “Stretch” in Management?

schedules slip and targets are missed...." Above all, leadership is generally thought to be critical to the successful application of stretch. Edward Hare reminded us that "the essence of great management, View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Women Leading Business: A New Kind of Conversation

called a "forum" rather than a "course"? Hart: Yes. Our focal points are leadership issues and contemporary concerns such as international expansion, or the impact of the Internet. Our participants need to stay abreast... View Details

Keywords: Re: Myra M. Hart & Cynthia A. Montgomery

19 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 19, 2010

Authors:Scott Snook, Herminia Ibarra, and Laura Ramo Publication:Chap. 22 in Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, edited by Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana Abstract Despite the wealth of managerial and scholarly attention paid to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature

By: Marco Iansiti, Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett

Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct... View Details

Keywords: Carbon Sequestration; Operations; Supply Chain; Social Enterprise; Product Development; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Digital Platforms; Environmental Sustainability; Science-Based Business; Climate Change; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts

09 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

For Better Ideas, Bring the Right People to the Brainstorm

As many entrepreneurs and business leaders can testify, a great conversation or brainstorm can turn an inkling of an idea into a gamechanger. A research paper goes inside those conversations and the people having them to learn the ingredients that separate a common... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

October 14, 2022
Article

The Challenges of Transforming Twitter

By: Andy Wu and Goran Calic

Elon Musk may be an idiosyncratic leader, but if he buys Twitter he’ll face a familiar business challenge: how to transform a legacy tech company. Faced with this challenge, leaders should follow five principles: 1) prioritize an objective, 2) communicate the strategy,... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Corporate Strategy; Change Management; Leading Change; Technology Industry

September 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Teaching Note

Leading Culture Change at SEB

By: Amy Edmondson and Cat Huang

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 621-074. The Risk organization at SEB, a leading Nordic financial services group founded in 1856, undertook a culture change program focused on psychological safety, empathic listening, and strategic framing. The program enabled risk... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Decision Making; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Sweden