Human Behavior - Publications - Faculty & Research

06 Aug 2013
First Look

First Look: August 6

All Ranks Are Local: Why Humans Are Both (Painfully) Aware and (Surprisingly) Unaware of Their Lot in Life By: Norton, Michael I Abstract—No description available. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

Research Summary

The Unexpected Effects of Workplace Transparency

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

Workplace transparency provides a foundation for learning and control, and therefore for satisfaction and productivity. Yet my research shows that an obsession with transparency-enhancing tools and structures can backfire, producing the unintended consequences of... View Details

Keywords: Transparency; Privacy; Productivity; Field Experiments; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Behavior; Social and Collaborative Networks; Human Resources; Leadership; United States; Europe; China; Japan

October 2007
Article

The Power of Stars: Do Star Actors Drive the Success of Movies?

By: Anita Elberse

Is the involvement of star actors critical to the success of motion pictures? Film studios, which they regularly pay multimillion-dollar fees to star actors, seem driven by that belief. I shed light on the returns on this investment using an event study that considers... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Film Entertainment; Investment Return; Revenue; Compensation and Benefits; Resource Allocation; Success; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

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27 Jun 2011
Research & Ideas

Recovering from the Need to Achieve

now teaches organizational behavior and leadership at HBS, DeLong has worked alongside hundreds of HNAPs. He calls himself a card-carrying group member, albeit in recovery. Recovery, to DeLong, entails confronting and getting control of... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

20 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

The Seven Things That Surprise New CEOs

learn about events after the fact. You hear concerns and dissenting views through the grapevine rather than directly. Surprise Four: You Are Always Sending A Message Warning signs: Employees circulate stories about your behavior that... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter, Jay W. Lorsch & Nitin Nohria

12 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 12

observers. We identify boundary conditions and demonstrate that the positive inferences disappear when the observer is unfamiliar with the environment, when the nonconforming behavior is depicted as unintentional, and in the absence of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Jan 2024
News

The Values and Virtues of a Quick Fix

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Hi, this is Dan Morrell, host of Skydeck. Speed has gotten a pretty bad rap, says Anne Morriss (MBA 2004). The Silicon Valley mantra of moving fast and breaking things has led to waves of high-profile... View Details

30 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Six Steps for Making Your Threat Credible

of Chicken. Both sides make threats in an effort to change their counterpart's behavior or beliefs. You might threaten to take your business elsewhere unless the other side sweetens her offer or pursue litigation if she refuses to address... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra

Web

Curriculum - Business & Environment

and synthetic biology- that have passed commercial viability and are on-track to change the foundations of business and society by 2035. These technologies predict behavior and increasingly create behavior. They learn and improve... View Details

10 Nov 2015
Op-Ed

Authentic Leadership Rediscovered

Bennis said, “Leadership is character. It is not just a superficial question of style. It has to do with who we are as human beings and the forces that shaped us. Style is the outward manifestation of one’s authentic leadership, not one’s... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

17 Nov 2009
First Look

First Look: Nov. 17

catastrophic threats such as climate changes, natural disasters, technological hazards, and human malevolence. At the crossroads of decision sciences, behavioral and neuro-economics, psychology, management,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

May 2011
Article

The Power of Small Wins

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer

What is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work? Help them take a step forward every day. In an analysis of knowledge workers' diaries, the authors found that nothing contributed more to a positive inner work life (the mix of emotions, motivations, and... View Details

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21 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

Are Your Employees Passing Up Incentives? Try Promoting the Programs More

notice and take action, according to the research, published September in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. The study could provide an incentive of its own for businesses looking to... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

12 Oct 2011
First Look

First Look: October 12

2011) Abstract Organizational culture-the shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that determine "how we do things around here"-can be measured and shaped. In organizations with large numbers of customer-facing employees, it... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

Billions of Entrepreneurs in China and India

a cultural revolution. China "wiped its slate clean" in the Cultural Revolution. Literally and metaphorically, it got rid of intellectuals, human capital, private enterprise, everything. With a clean slate in those circumstances... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

10 Reasons to Design a Better Corporate Culture

behaviors that other employees embrace. Others accomplish the same objective more positively. At Baptist Health Care, for example, managers constantly reinforce the culture by recognizing those whose actions exemplify its values, its... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser & Joe Wheeler

12 Jun 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, June 12, 2018

period. Stock indexes can transform longstanding behavior via nonpecuniary channels. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53030 Machine Learning and Human Capital:... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

16 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Technology Alone Can't Solve AI's Bias Problem

Lakkaraju, “but the truth is, if there is a human sitting there who is likely to make choices based on bias, you can’t say you have completely solved it.” Instead, she suggests using a combination of approaches, including offering... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology

04 Feb 2014
Working Paper Summaries

From Crowds to Collaborators: Initiating Effort and Catalyzing Interactions Among Online Creative Workers

Keywords: by Kevin J. Boudreau, Patrick Gaule, Karim R. Lakhani, Christoph Riedl & Anita Williams Woolley

Web

Research - Race, Gender & Equity

that when choosing whether to adopt recruitment platforms focused on racial... August 2023 Case Beamery: Using Skills and AI to Modernize HR By: Boris Groysberg , Alexis Lefort, Susan Pinckney and Carolina Bartunek Unicorn human... View Details

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