Publications

December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
Case

Alltech

By: David E. Bell and Natalie Kindred

Alltech was a Lexington, Kentucky–based producer of supplements for animal feed, with revenues of over $2 billion (projected to reach $3 billion in 2018), sales in 120 countries, 5,000 employees, and 100 manufacturing plants worldwide. For nearly four decades, Alltech... View Details

Web

For Recruiters - Health Care

low-risk setting. Propose an Independent Project Independent Projects allow second-year HBS students to partner with an organization on a real-time challenge of strategic importance. Students are advised by a faculty member and receive... View Details

20 Dec 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

How to Design a Better Customer Experience

being ordinary, mediocre, and forgettable. That’s because many organizations tackle customer experience by relying on haphazard efforts, Thomke says, like brainstorming, trial and error, and market research through focus groups. In doing... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Health; Entertainment & Recreation

31 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Japan Disaster Shakes Up Supply-Chain Strategies

causing many companies to rethink their supply chain strategies, which suddenly seem extremely fragile. When a natural disaster hits, relief organizations such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders swing into action with... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Auto; Technology; Computer; Electronics

Web

Philanthropy - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

definition of capitalism. Strategy for Philanthropic Organizations Foundations have traditionally focused on doing good by providing funding to worthy social enterprises. Instead, foundations should set the higher goal of creating social... View Details

2006
Working Paper

On the Origin of Shared Beliefs (and Corporate Culture)

By: Eric J. Van den Steen

This paper shows why members of an organization often share similar beliefs. I argue that there are two mechanisms. First, when performance depends on making correct decisions, people prefer to work with others who share their beliefs and assumptions, since such... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Employees; Values and Beliefs; Mathematical Methods

SSRN

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Are You Supporting Your B Players?

and yet pose a drag on the organization because they require constant reinforcement. So who is there to care about the B players? According to HBS professor Thomas J. DeLong, both in a reunion session for HBS alumni and in a recent... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

02 Jun 2010
What Do You Think?

How Do You Weigh Strategy, Execution, and Culture in an Organization’s Success?

Several noted that "it all depends" on other factors. For example, Basel Kakah commented that "[responses to] those questions could [depend on] the nature and size of the organization as well as the nature of the industry... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

2016
Chapter

Wrong Paths to Right: Defining Morality With or Without a Clear Red Line

By: Ryann Elizabeth Manning and Michel Anteby

The extensive literature on organizational wrongdoing tends to assume that a clear red line divides the moral terrain. However, many organizations function not as moral orders, but as moral pursuits in which there is intentionally no explicit definition of right and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Organizational Theory; Sociology Of Ethics And Morality; Morality; Organizational Culture; Culture; Ethics; Africa; North and Central America

04 May 2017
News

Helping MBA Students Scale Mount Everest

October 2014 (Revised December 2018)
Case

Jean-Claude Biver (A): The Reemergence of the Swiss Watch Industry

By: Ryan Raffaelli

In the early 1980s, the Swiss watch industry was near collapse after failing to adapt to Japanese competition from battery-powered quartz technology. In 1982, Jean-Claude Biver purchased Blancpain, a watch company that had been out of business since 1961 but had once... View Details

Keywords: Re-emergence; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Transformation; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Switzerland

09 Jan 2020
Book

Rethinking Business Strategy in the Age of AI

cybersecurity threats. During the past 10 years, Iansiti and Lakhani have researched AI’s impact on businesses and have helped several companies transform their strategies, including internet pioneers like Amazon, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Facebook, as well as... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

March 2023
Background Note

A Primer on OKRs

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan (Jason) Ni

The OKR framework is a popular goal-setting and strategy execution tool that uses goal setting through “Objectives” and measuring performance using “Key Results” on a periodic basis to measure and drive performance. The OKR framework has been adopted and practiced at... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Talent and Talent Management; Framework; Corporate Governance; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Management Systems; Measurement and Metrics; Outcome or Result; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Evaluation; Performance Expectations; Performance Productivity; Performance Efficiency

21 Jun 2023
Blog Post

Building a Better World: The Harvard Builders Club

we met with the world's most prominent tech leaders and investors, from organizations like Google, Meta, Sequoia, a16z, Greylock, BCV, and many more. More than anything, bringing everyone together strengthened our community and... View Details

March 2013
Article

Punctuated Generosity: How Mega-events and Natural Disasters Affect Corporate Philanthropy in U.S. Communities

By: Andras Tilcsik and Christopher Marquis

Geographic communities have been shown to affect organizations through their enduring features, but less attention has been given to communities as sites of human-made and natural events that occasionally disrupt the lives of organizations. We develop a... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Communities; Punctuated Equilibrium; Corporate Social Responsibility; Institutional Theory; Natural Disasters; Situation or Environment; Balance and Stability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Community Relations; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; United States

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January 2021
Article

Institutional-Political Scenarios for Anthropocene Society

By: Andrew J. Hoffman and P. Devereaux Jennings

Natural scientists have proposed that humankind has entered a new geologic epoch. Termed the “Anthropocene,” this new reality revolves around the central role of human activity in multiple Earth ecosystems. That challenge requires a rethinking of social science... View Details

Keywords: Institutional Change; Institutional Theory; Natural Environment; Society; Environmental Sustainability

June 2023 (Revised October 2024)
Teaching Note

Clash of Two Giants Simulation Exercise Teaching Note

By: Feng Zhu

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 623-092. Many markets are organized around platforms that connect consumers with complimentary applications and services. These platforms are two-sided because both sides—consumers and those providing applications or services—need access... View Details

Keywords: Platform Strategy; Customer Acquisition; Technology Platform; Competitive Strategy; Network Effects; Digital Platforms; Management Skills

March 2018
Case

Summit Public Schools (A)

By: John J-H Kim and Aldo Sesia

Summit Public Schools was a very successful charter management organization with schools in California and Washington State. The students came from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, many from economically disadvantaged households. While nearly all of its students... View Details

Keywords: K-12; Online Learning; Virtual Learning; Blended Learning; Secondary Education; Middle School Education; Early Childhood Education; Learning; Business Model; Performance Improvement; Technology

Article

The Global Rise of Democracy: A Network Account

By: Magnus Thor Torfason and Paul Ingram

We examine the influence of an interstate network created by intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) on the global diffusion of democracy. We propose that IGOs facilitate this diffusion by transmitting information between their member states and by interpreting that... View Details

Keywords: International Relations; Networks; Society; Transformation; Power and Influence; Country; Globalization

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