Publications

12 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

COVID Tested Global Supply Chains. Here’s How They’ve Adapted

vulnerability A series of major crises and surprises over the past few years raised concerns of the potential fragility of sprawling supply chains for both companies and governments. The rethinking extends beyond the COVID-19 View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

14 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

You're Right! You Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings

minutes—during the pandemic’s early weeks. Employees also participated in more meetings, though for less time than they did before COVID-19 sent many workers home. “There is a general sense that we never stop being in front of Zoom or... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

September 2023 (Revised December 2023)
Case

Twiddy & Company: Trust in a Chaotic Environment

By: Sandra J. Sucher, Shalene Gupta and Tom Quinn

Twiddy & Company, known for Southern hospitality rooted in personal interactions, needed to adjust to contactless remote customer service as fear of the contagious virus prevented person-to-person contact. Local elected officials, in a bid to stop tourists from... View Details

Keywords: Trust; Health Pandemics; Organizational Culture; Disruption; Government Legislation; Transportation; Tourism Industry; North Carolina; United States

July 2024
Case

Replika AI: Alleviating Loneliness (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

Eugenia Kuyda launched Replika AI in 2017 as an empathetic digital companion to combat loneliness and provide emotional support. The platform surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering non-judgmental support to isolated users. By 2023, Replika boasted... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Health Pandemics; AI and Machine Learning; Well-being; Technology Industry

September 2024
Case

Cathay Cargo: Turnaround Short Haul, or Double Crew Long Haul?

By: Willy Shih and Billy Chan

Tom Owen, Director Cargo at Cathay Pacific Airways, had a problem. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the grounding of passenger flights meant the sudden loss of 50% of the airline's cargo carrying capacity. But the bigger challenge was that the Hong Kong government imposed... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Resource Allocation; Cash Flow; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Health Pandemics; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Air Transportation Industry; Hong Kong

2023
Working Paper

No Mask, No Service: Customer Reaction to Walmart’s 2020 National Mask Mandate

By: Innessa Colaiacovo

Multi-location firms face a complex series of economic tradeoffs when deciding whether to implement standard processes or allow processes to vary across establishments. One element of this tradeoff is customer response. This paper explores customer reaction to a... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Geographic Location; Policy; Health Pandemics; Retail Industry; United States

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21 Nov 2023
Research & Ideas

Employee Negativity Is Like Wildfire. Manage It Before It Spreads.

Knowing how to turn down the volume on negative group emotions when they become counterproductive is a critical skill for today’s business leaders, Goldenberg says. The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

March 2024
Article

Differences in Care Team Response to Patient Portal Messages by Patient Race and Ethnicity

By: Mitchell Tang, Rebecca Mishuris, Lily Payvandi and Ariel Dora Stern

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with substantial growth in patient portal messaging. Higher message volumes have largely persisted, reflecting a new normal. Prior work has documented lower message use by patients who belong to minoritized racial... View Details

Keywords: Health Pandemics; Technology Adoption; Prejudice and Bias; Equality and Inequality; Communication Technology; Race; Ethnicity; Health Industry

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17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

even excluding COVID-19 deaths) Mental health crises Secondary health problems from neglect/postponement of routine/preventative care Mass unemployment Dining, entertainment, arts, tourism industries—the whole experiential... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

10 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Are Prices So High Right Now—and Will They Ever Return to Normal?

tend to drive up prices, typically for three to four months. But as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, some shortages, especially food and electronics, are likely to linger much longer. That means higher prices... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

23 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

How to Keep Employees Productive: Support Caregivers

proper return-on-investment analysis can it understand the extent of the caregiving challenges facing their workforce,” Fuller warns. How COVID-19 changed the caregiving landscape For years, caregiving wasn’t discussed on the job. Taking... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

23 Jun 2023
HBS Case

This Company Lets Employees Take Charge—Even with Life and Death Decisions

BuurtzorgWeb allows everyone to help each other in real-time and capture knowledge as it emerges. Two considerations about decentralization But getting the free-spirited model right is not without challenges. Adapting to external crises, such as the View Details

Keywords: by Annelena Lobb; Health

November 2024 (Revised July 2025)
Case

Polish Agro: Where Do We Grow From Here?

By: Willy C. Shih, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

By July 2024, Polish Agro had grown into one of Poland’s fastest-growing agribusinesses, with €230 million in revenue, 82 employees, and operations across Northern Poland. The company supported farmers with essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds,... View Details