Decision-making - Publications - Faculty & Research

19 Jul 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Government 'Nudges' Motivate Good Citizen Behavior

spent over an education campaign. Nudges are less effective in motivating polluters Beshears attributes the effectiveness of nudges to the way they target our thought process. He takes a page from Princeton psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who identifies two types of... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

12 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

When Experts Play It Too Safe: Innovation Lessons from a NASA Experiment

decision-makers hold back: They’re concerned about safety. Another could be time pressures, Lane notes. Still, she’s concerned such a feasibility preference could kill solutions before they are given a chance. “The experts are not the... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Aerospace

31 Aug 2021
Book

Feeling Powerless at Work? Time to Agitate, Innovate, and Orchestrate

pernicious effects that power has." Sharing some of their power with their employees, for example by giving them more autonomy or allowing them to contribute to the decision-making process, can actually lead to better results: higher... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

26 Apr 2022
Book

What Does Your Business Stand For? Why Building Trust Starts with Purpose

founders “had no hierarchy between themselves, committed to consensus-based decision-making and agreed that clear communication should be a core value of their start-up, going as far as to conduct regular 360-degree reviews of one... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati

2024
Case

Christiana Figueres and the Paris Climate Negotiations: Figueres the Negotiator (C)

By: James K. Sebenius, Laurence A. Green, Hannah Riley-Bowles, Lara SanPietro and Mina Subramanian

This three-part, stop action case study, structured for classroom discussion, centers on Harvard’s Program on Negotiation 2022 Great Negotiator, Christiana Figueres, and her efforts as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Negotiation; Environmental Management; International Relations; Leadership

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08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Decision Rights: Who Gives the Green Light?

Placing decision rights where these combined costs are minimal, the authors write, should lead to optimal decision-making efficiency and therefore better performance. Allocating decision rights in ways that maximize organizational... View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

26 May 2022
HBS Case

Apple vs. Feds: Is iPhone Privacy a Basic Human Right?

decision-making processes. Many companies already elevate an ethics focus to the board level, creating committees on corporate responsibility and accountability. These structures can help create trust in a company’s products among the... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

21 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

The Most Common Strategy Mistakes

hidden biases embedded in internal systems, organizational structures, and decision-making processes. It's often hard, for example, to get the kind of cost information you need to think strategically. Or the company's incentive system... View Details

Keywords: by Joan Magretta

11 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

The High Risks of Short-Term Management

business model. Similarly, more and more institutional investors are incorporating sustainability into their resource allocation decision-making process. As a result we are seeing the emergence of a new view of the role of the corporation... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

20 Apr 2021
Book

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

in this way, its ROIC would grow by 16 percent.” Oberholzer-Gee elaborates on his approach to strategic decision-making in his new book Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance, which comes out April 20. We... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

06 Jul 2016
What Do You Think?

How Do We Pay for the Costs of Globalization?

government policies, short-term corporate management thinking, the World Trade Organization (Paul saying, “Personally, I’m a long-time supporter of globalization, but the WTO decision-making process needs to be more transparent and... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett; Manufacturing

Research Summary

Emotional Experience, Expression, and Regulation

By: Alison Wood Brooks

Once considered irrational, emotions often exert a more profound influence on decision-making and workplace outcomes than logic or reason. Professor Brooks studies emotional experience, emotional expression, and how individuals can regulate their emotions... View Details

09 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

War in Ukraine: Soaring Gas Prices and the Return of Stagflation?

geopolitics of the moment. The interesting thing about the energy sector is that it is always and everywhere inherently geopolitical, even when the decision-making by firms is utterly commercial in its rationale. These were fundamentally... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Energy

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

encourage general managers to bring counsel in early in the decision-making cycle; they should not wait until the last minute to fight a fire that has already started or to bless a deal that has already been struck. The available options... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

04 Apr 2011
HBS Case

Reinventing the National Geographic Society

Fossey's 18-year study of mountain gorillas in Rwanda, for one—filling in the empty spots on the world's map as it went along. But when Fahey arrived to head the National Geographic Ventures unit in 1996, the institution was in decline. View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Publishing

30 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Ethical People Become Unethical Negotiators

without realizing it Bazerman draws on the psychological study of ethical decision-making and applies it to negotiations in his recent Academy of Management Perspectives article, Bounded Ethicality and Ethical Fading in Negotiations:... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

January 15, 2019
Article

Is Your Company's Strategy Aligned with Your Ownership Model?

By: Josh Baron

The legacy of Vanguard founder John Bogle has brought attention to the transformative influence of ownership structures within the business world. Bogle's revolutionary insight into the limitations of active fund management led to the widespread adoption of index... View Details

Keywords: Ownership Type; Business Strategy; Organizational Structure; Strength and Weakness; Competitive Advantage

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31 Mar 2023
Research & Ideas

Can a ‘Basic Bundle’ of Health Insurance Cure Coverage Gaps and Spur Innovation?

decision-making power to private insurers while outlining some boundaries. For example, the researchers suggest subjecting insurers to minimum adequacy regulations, while giving them broad flexibility in making coverage decisions. The... View Details

Keywords: by Kasandra Brabaw; Insurance; Health

07 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

4+2 = Sustained Business Success

services that consistently meet customers' expectations. Put decision-making authority close to the front lines so employees can react quickly to changing market conditions. Constantly strive to eliminate all forms of excess and waste;... View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria, William Joyce & Bruce Roberson

05 Feb 2018
What Do You Think?

Should Companies Disclose Employee Compensation?

Principles, Bridgewater practices what Dalio preaches, for example, by videotaping all meetings. The tapes are available to meeting participants and others who can then study effective decision-making behaviors (as described by the many... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Financial Services

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