Publications

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18 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Is Greed Ruining Private Equity Firms?

are the average experience in PE partnerships, Ivashina says. In their working paper released in March, Pay Now or Pay Later? The Economics within the Private Equity Partnership, she and Lerner found that a partner’s pay was often tied... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Banking; Financial Services

May 2000
Supplement

Launching the BMW Z3 Roadster

By: Robert J. Dolan and Susan M. Fournier

Contains two BMW Z3 television commercials used at launch, a Jay Leno Tonight Show segment, a Bryant Gumbel Today Show segment, Central Park PR event coverage, and Go: An American Road Story (promotional video from BMW). View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Auto Industry

March 2012
Background Note

Managing the Layoff Process: France

By: Sandra J. Sucher

This note is an overview of the context for managing layoffs in France. It describes the legal responsibilities of managers in conducting layoffs, recent unemployment trends, and the financial, health, training, job placement, and other benefits that laid-off employees... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Resignation and Termination; Compensation and Benefits; Ethics; Management; Employees; Governance Compliance; France

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February 2024
Technical Note

A Manager's Introduction to Passion for Work

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz

Today, both organizations and employees are increasingly focused on passion. An analysis of 200 million U.S. job postings found that the use of the word “passion” increased nearly tenfold from 2007 to 2019, while a recent survey of thousands of college-educated workers... View Details

Keywords: Recruitment; Job Search; Goals and Objectives; Interests; Personal Development and Career

12 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Break the Rules of How Business is Done

Taking a risk by breaking with standard operating procedure can make your company more innovative. Credit: maxsattana In addition to creating a new company that is disrupting the status quo, many founders are also challenging the old... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

Blog

Faculty Reflections on International Women's Day

do see some positive signs. In our book, Glass Half-Broken, we showcased organizations that designed inclusive people practices from hiring to retention as well as developed inclusive male and female... View Details

May 2024 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Leading Culture Change at Microsoft Western Europe

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Cat Huang

In 2023, Cindy Rose, President of Microsoft Western Europe, faced a critical decision. Rose grappled with the potential impact of widespread layoffs on psychological safety and the cultural transformation she had championed since her arrival. When Rose had first joined... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Problems and Challenges; Motivation and Incentives; Groups and Teams; Business or Company Management; Technology Industry; Europe

February 2011
Case

ABICI

By: Mukti Khaire, Elena Corsi and Elisa Farri

The co-founder of an Italian, design based bicycle manufacturer evaluates if reducing costs by outsourcing would impact its brand. The company was founded in 2005 in Italy by three friends and in its first five years, it had enjoyed steady growth and built a strong... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Entrepreneurship; Profit; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Brands and Branding; Product Design; Product Development; Production; Bicycle Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Italy

27 Sep 2010
Research & Ideas

Customer Experts Lose Influence When Teams are Pressured

other team members will reinforce this shift by inquiring less as well. Thus it takes a stronger reinforcement of a team culture of contribution, challenge, learning, and egalitarianism to both reverse and... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert

January 2021 (Revised March 2022)
Teaching Note

Ureed.com: The Marketplace for Language

By: Ashley V. Whillans

This case explores the growth of Ureed, an online marketplace for translation services that is powered by a workforce consisting of remote freelancers who are based in the United Arab Emirates. Nour Al Hassan, the founder and CEO faced the challenge of how best to... View Details

Keywords: Language Translation; Freelancers; Remote Work; Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Management; Motivation and Incentives; Job Design and Levels

October 1971 (Revised September 1983)
Case

Sturdivant Electric Corp.

By: Richard L. Nolan

A unit manager on a field computer installation job is faced with recurring conflict between a programmer and his immediate supervisor. View Details

Keywords: Planning; Rank and Position; Problems and Challenges; Conflict and Resolution; Attitudes; Jobs and Positions; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Public Relations Industry; Computer Industry

02 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 2

attention to strategy-driven forms of accountability that can help them to achieve their missions. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-069.pdf Integrity: A Positive Model That Incorporates the Normative Phenomena of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Jun 2019
Blog Post

Dance to the Music: How Noa Torok Found Her Dream Job at SoundCloud

herself had turned a potential obstacle into an authentic merit. “I embraced my international status when I talked with SoundCloud. I stressed my ability to communicate with and to different cultures.” Her... View Details

December 2018
Case

Choosy

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2017, Choosy is a data-driven fashion startup that uses algorithms to identify styles trending on social media. After manufacturing similar items using a China-based supply chain, Choosy sells them to consumers through its website and social media pages.... View Details

November 1997 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Martin Smith: January 2002

By: Josh Lerner

An MBA student must choose between offers from three private equity organizations. Each organization has distinct strengths and weaknesses, and different implications for the student's career development. The case presents compensation and employment data about the... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Compensation and Benefits; Analytics and Data Science; Job Offer; Personal Development and Career

23 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Bringing the Environment Down to Earth

status quo is an option. It is common to use the status quo as a baseline – to look at the way things are today and to think about how you can change things on your own. But... View Details

Keywords: by Forest Reinhardt

January 2004 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Kikkoman Corporation: Consumer Focused Innovation

By: Rohit Deshpande and Hal Hogan

In May 2003, the president and CEO of Kikkoman Corp. sat in his Tokyo office weighing various options for strengthening the company's long-term growth. Kikkoman was the world's largest producer of soy sauce, largely due to its pioneering role since the 1950s as the... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Innovation Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Japan

January 2017 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Sales Razor Technologies

By: Paul Gompers and Noam Wasserman

Describes the issues facing a founder-CEO regarding building a board of directors, assembling an executive team, managing tension between co-founders, and outsourcing system development work. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Conflict Management; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employees; Management Teams; Product Development; Technology Industry

April 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

JPMorganChase: Leadership in the Age of GenAI

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Karim R. Lakhani and David Lane

This case study examines JPMorgan Chase's (JPMC) journey in adopting and implementing Generative AI (GenAI) following the release of ChatGPT. It outlines JPMC's initial cautious approach focused on data security, followed by strategic investments in internal platforms... View Details