Operational Complexity - Publications - Faculty & Research

Web

B2B Sales and Distribution - Course Catalog

Objectives: This course is designed for students who would like to gain an understanding of the complexity of managing large sales and go-to-market organizations. There are three main themes to the class – people, go-to-market strategy... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Managing the challenges faced by a local nonprofit

Norm Merritt (MBA 1988) talks about using his management expertise to assist his local Audubon Society solve some complex operational issues. (Published April 2014) View Details

May 1997
Teaching Note

Tale of Two Electronic Components Distributors TN

By: Ananth Raman and Bharat P. Rao

Teaching Note for (9-697-064). View Details

Keywords: Distribution Channels; Negotiation Deal; Consolidation; Growth and Development; Internet and the Web; Complexity; Electronics Industry

Citation

Purchase

30 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Turning Employees Into Problem Solvers

Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine published To Err is Human, a groundbreaking report that pushed the issue of medical errors into the public spotlight. That we all make mistakes was certainly nothing new: Operational failures occur... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

Web

Doctoral Affiliates - Business & Environment

Ashley Palmarozzo is a doctoral student in the Technology and Operations Management (TOM) unit at Harvard Business School. Kala Viswanathan Doctoral student Kala Viswanathan is a doctoral student in the Technology and View Details

30 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Tuning Jobs to Fit Your Company

Executives must adjust the span of control for each key position and unit on the basis of how the company delivers value to customers. Consider Wal-Mart, which has configured its entire organization to deliver low prices. Wal-Mart's strategy depends on standardization... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

01 Jun 2012
News

Bringing ‘Global’ Back Home

be flexible in, a complex and evolving competitive environment. They need decisiveness—the ability to act with appropriate urgency and scale on key business issues. And, most importantly, global leaders need to be extremely good at... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Aug 2001
News

Ray A. Goldberg (MBA '50)

at the School, John H. Davis, coined the term "agribusiness." The two men wanted a word to describe the complex value-added chain that begins with a farmer's purchase of livestock or seed and ends with a product ready for the consumer's... View Details

Keywords: Alumni Achievement Award; John H. Davis; Agriculture; Scientific Research and Development Services

16 Jun 2017
Blog Post

What is the HBS Leadership Fellows Program?

These young alumni bring a combination of on-the-ground experience and analytic rigor to the challenges faced by organizations operating in a complex environment characterized by ever-increasing demands for... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

Web

Financials | Annual Report 2024

particularly noteworthy considering the challenges that confronted Harvard Business School and other academic institutions this year, from an economic landscape marked by higher operating costs to an increasingly View Details

Web

Leadership with purpose: Redefining success and impact with Satpal Singh (SELP—India 4, 2019) - Recruiting

challenges with renewed confidence. Complex issues felt more manageable, and I found myself approaching problems with a more strategic and holistic lens. My career has continued to evolve since SELP—India. As Country Head of Supply Chain... View Details

J. Peter Grace

Grace dramatically grew the company through massive diversification efforts. In 1950, Latin American operations brought in 60% of W.R. Grace & Company sales. Grace’s diversification efforts decreased the above percentage to only 19%... View Details

Keywords: Chemicals & Industrial

30 May 2007
Research & Ideas

Health Care Under a Research Microscope

Wal-Mart, and even department stores—that treat minor illnesses and provide routine screenings. "They are a delivery model and an operating system that's configured to the lowest complexity... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Health; Biotechnology

13 Nov 2020
News

Student Startups Help Fight COVID-19

2,000 conventional ventilators for a population of 210 million people. “When ventilator shortages became an issue in the United States, we knew we had a proven product that could help,” says Gupta. The company moved quickly to establish a manufacturing View Details

24 Feb 2022
Blog Post

African American Student Union Spotlight on the Public Sector

your unique professional experience in the public sector at HBS? I have worked on some of the most complex operating challenges facing governments to date, including lack of public trust, deteriorating... View Details

J. Chadbourn Bolles

Under Bolles dynamic direction which spanned 34 years, Chadbourn grew from a small hosiery operation with $500,000 in annual sales to an international and diversified textile and apparel complex with $68... View Details

Keywords: Fabric & Apparel

Career Coach

Kara Hardie

Kara Hardie is an experienced healthcare consultant and an MBA/MS Biotechnology candidate. Kara spent four years at The Boston Consulting Group, partnering with clients across the healthcare sector on complex strategic issues. Kara's... View Details

01 Jun 2017
News

Case Study: Something New

affordable prices, a unique offering in the otherwise crowded wedding industry. But custom design creates ongoing operational challenges. As it grows, should Anomalie leverage its supply-chain advantages to create a line of off-the-rack... View Details

Keywords: April White

Sep 2007 - 2007
Conference Presentation

Antecedents of Boundary Spanning in Cross-functional NPD Teams

By: James R. Dillon, Shikhar Sarin and Amy C. Edmondson

Boundary spanning has been shown in prior research to enhance innovativeness and performance of product development teams. In this study, we examine team conditions that foster boundary spanning behavior. We analyze survey data from 207 members of 54 cross-functional... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Innovation and Invention; Groups and Teams; Behavior; Performance Improvement; Boundaries; Leadership Style; Product; Complexity; Integration; Power and Influence