Social Connection - Publications - Faculty & Research

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

frequently also, there is less time for making important decisions—not infrequently, they have to act in real time. With modern IT (with real time, Internet search, and social networks), few decisions can be made in secret, and even fewer... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

pervasive uncertainty created by COVID-19 in other ways, for example nurturing the relationship with other firms in their networks or establishing new connections that could lead to new learnings. Other firms, and especially businesses... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

19 Aug 2021
Op-Ed

Don't Ignore Your Employees' Misery—TAKE Control

and leaders. First step, TAKE control Even though military units face many of the same struggles as corporate teams, the approaches officers use to connect with their chains of command offer lessons for companies now. The military’s ethos... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and MaShon Wilson

10 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot

Castelanelli, founder of the two-year-old company Club Vino, has made one such pivot. The company had been hosting themed wine tastings, often in prestigious locations, but when the COVID-19 outbreak hit and social gatherings were no... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden

27 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 27

ordinary managers. In The Innovator's DNA, the authors identify five capabilities demonstrated by the best innovators: (1) Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas from unrelated fields; (2) Questioning:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

business strategy today exist largely as a set of alternative views and frameworks not entirely connected to one another. These notes contribute an integrated sequence of steps for creating or evaluating a strategy and associated company... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Jun 2005
What Do You Think?

Is a “Level Playing Field” a Good Thing?

especially in math and science, so graduates will be able to compete effectively with government-subsidized colleges in India and China." So let's assume that there is no such thing as a level playing field. Does it follow that efforts to make it more level are... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

17 Dec 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life’

bored," wrote Robert Sullivan (HBS MBA '61). "Levitt made me a convert. He taught that marketing is the guts of any business, that it's critical to understanding the connection between sales, manufacturing, finance, human... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education; Retail

30 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

with staff and more meeting-based communication may be necessary now, particularly in the early days of adjusting to the remote work world. Research shows that informal conversation benefits remote employees, so she advises managers to devote time during meeting calls... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

10 Oct 2000
Research & Ideas

Cross-Sector Collaboration: Lessons from the International Trachoma Initiative

purpose of the collaboration and to each other.Cross-sector partnerships do not happen; they are built. To trigger the relationship there generally needs to be an emotional connection with the social... View Details

Keywords: by Diana Barrett, James Austin & Sheila McCarthy

23 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

How Corporate Responsibility is Changing in Asia

Asia," held at the Asia Business Conference on February 14 at Harvard Business School. Ever since the public outcry in the 1990s over the wages paid by Nike to its Asian factory workers, the issue of multinational corporate social... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

30 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

Professional Networks in China and America

term for these relationships: guanxi. Guanxi literally means connections or relations, but also refers to the socio-emotional bond that ties people who do business together. Guanxi networks tend to have significant overlap between... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

21 Jan 2013
Research & Ideas

Altruistic Capital: Harnessing Your Employees’ Intrinsic Goodwill

Measuring Social Impact Historically, economists and firms alike have banked on the theory that workers are motivated by earning financial incentives and boosting revenues. And in designing development projects for developing countries,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

06 May 2013
Research & Ideas

How Local Events Shake Up Corporate Philanthropy

Toronto. "But more recent research shows how culture endures in spite of globalization. Networks and local regulations also significantly influence how companies react to their local environments." “For philanthropic leaders, View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

24 Mar 2002
Research & Ideas

Are Assets Only for America’s Wealthy?

Chair of the Finance unit, has spent the past four years investigating ways to help low-income families break out of this cycle and thus gain some of the benefits of being connected to the world of financial services. Programs providing... View Details

Keywords: by Carla Tishler

06 May 2002
Research & Ideas

Profits for Nonprofits: Earning Your Own Way

metal through intense heat. "The bakery allows us to bring our mission to others. Normally the people who would interact with Haley House are either in need or are very socially radical. We can then View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

14 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance

For-profit businesses have a common goal: create value for owners or shareholders by creating value for customers. It's a focus that must seem enviably straightforward from the perspective of nonprofit organizations and social enterprises... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

02 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

Do Online Dating Platforms Help Those Who Need Them Most?

Over the past decade, socially-focused websites have attracted hundreds of millions of users and changed the social fabric in fundamental ways. The likes of eHarmony and Match.com enable us meet new people. Platforms including Facebook,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology

21 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Fighting the COVID Blues: Advice from Business Research

house, grab one of them and hug them,” Schlesinger says. And if you’re social distancing alone, use videoconferencing tools to reach out to family and friends, so that you can look at each other as you talk, since eye contact also lifts... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman and Danielle Kost

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Entering the Age of Alliances

communities throughout the United States to inspire young people to read. Visa operates the world's leading consumer credit card payment system. Although there is no obvious connection between the credit card business and literacy... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin

Publications