Problem Solving - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Mar 2000
Research & Ideas

No Place Like Home: America’s Housing Crisis and Its Impact on Business

such organization, The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB), which has nine offices in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States. Says Gould, "The provision of adequate housing for people at all income levels is a problem that's never... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Construction; Real Estate

02 Oct 2013
What Do You Think?

Is Leadership an Increasingly Difficult Balancing Act?

his experience, added: "One common characteristic I encountered is that (the) vast majority of the leaders were morally stable and people who aspire (to a) high degree of integrity in how they solve the unknown by being honest with... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

The Knowledge Coach

intuits a developing bottleneck in the assembly line and creates a fix before a problem occurs. It's also the CEO who draws on years of experience to solve a strategy imbroglio that has paralyzed top staff.... View Details

Keywords: by Dorothy Leonard & Walter Swap

22 Jul 2002
Research & Ideas

How Business Strategy Tamed the “Invisible Hand”

devised, which paved the way for the use of quantitative analysis in formal strategic planning. In 1944, John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern published their classic work, The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. This work essentially View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat

24 Jul 2019
Lessons from the Classroom

Can These Business Students Motivate Londoners to Do the Right Thing?

nudges and behavioral economics aren’t going to fix everything and need to be part of a broader approach to problem solving within organizations. About the Author Dina Gerdeman is a senior writer for Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

15 Feb 2012
Op-Ed

Occupy Wall Street Protestors Have a Point

the consequences might be if the real concerns they identify become the basis for populist political legislation. Defenders of capitalism need to get busy solving the problems the Wall Street occupiers have... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph L. Bower, Herman B. Leonard & Lynn S. Paine

12 Aug 2013
Research & Ideas

‘Hybrid’ Organizations a Difficult Bet for Entrepreneurs

Consider two organizations with the same noble purpose: to solve the problem of poor eyesight in developing countries. The first, the Centre for Vision in the Developing World, follows a traditional... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

27 Dec 2015
Research & Ideas

The Most Popular Stories and Research Papers of 2015

behavior, according to by Francesca Gino and colleagues. The good news: businesses can do something about it. Need to Solve a Problem? Take a Break From Collaborating (34,516) Organizations spend a lot of money enabling employees to View Details

19 Mar 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

8 Ways To Be An Environmentally Conscious Manager

iPhoto In an interview about his recent book Profits and Sustainability, which portrays the iconoclastic entrepreneurs who built green startups in the 19th century, Harvard Business School historian Geoffrey Jones notes that being a business-environmentalist can be... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Energy

19 Jan 2021
In Practice

Leadership Advice for Biden: Restore a Sense of Calm

commitment to values, especially racial justice, and are willing to contribute to solving problems of lower-income communities. "Pluralism, the system that brings unity, rests on ensuring a little something... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Mar 2016
First Look

March 1, 2016

piping. Standard welfare economics teaches us that either subsidies or Pigouvian fines can solve that problem, but both solutions are problematic when institutions are weak. Subsidies lead to waste and corruption; fines lead to extortion... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

A Bold Proposal for Investment Reform

Finally, we recommend that the external auditor problems can only be solved through a major change in the relation between auditors and the companies they audit. This may be achieved by making the audit... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

06 Dec 2004
What Do You Think?

Why Do Managers Fail to Act on Their Predictions?

their new book of the same name, a predictable surprise has several characteristics. Among these are: (1) a large challenge that is knowable and will not solve itself, (2) something that is clearly getting worse over time, and (3) View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

05 Oct 2009
Research & Ideas

The Vanguard Corporation

problems ripe for innovations that can make a difference in the world. It is a privilege to work with enlightened SuperCorps to create partnerships across sectors combining capabilities for the greater good. That has the potential to... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

19 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

The Landscape of Integrated Reporting: An E-Book

lost trust in business. Whether it be the environment, health care, or making sure that people have access to information, I can't think of any major problem that society confronts today that can be effectively View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria; Accounting

21 May 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

CORe: HBS Powers Up Online Program on Business Fundamentals

course, however, Narayanan realized that the younger generation approaches problems very differently. Instead of listening to a lecture, reading a chapter, or even watching a half-hour lesson on fractions or View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Education

26 Feb 2013
First Look

First Look: Feb. 26

acquisition (CPA). However, these standard online advertising metrics are plagued with attribution problems and do not account for dynamics. These issues can easily lead firms to overspend on some actions and thus waste money, and/or... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Sep 2008
What Do You Think?

Is Case Method Instruction Due for an Overhaul?

month's column. In Shane Busby words, "The case method ... requires the ability to synthesize many complex components of business problems ...." Sean McGee felt that (cases) "... often teach lessons about unintended or... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Education

13 Nov 2007
Research & Ideas

Six Steps for Reinvigorating America

Motivates values-based capitalism and drives companies to contribute to solving social and environmental problems while also providing employees stimulating and satisfying work. Restores trust by committing... View Details