Publications

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January 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

People Analytics at McKinsey

By: Jeffrey T. Polzer and Olivia Hull

A private equity–backed fast food chain has hired McKinsey’s new People Analytics group to help it improve performance. As the final client workshop approaches, Associate Partner Alex DiLeonardo ponders the best way to present the team’s findings, especially those that... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Customer Relationship Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Cost Management; Human Resources; Employees; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Measurement and Metrics; Performance; Performance Capacity; Performance Efficiency; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Consulting Industry; Service Industry

09 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Industry Self-Regulation: What’s Working (and What’s Not)?

terms of environmental performance than companies that haven't adopted this standard. And I find some evidence that they subsequently improve faster as well. It's not conclusive proof that third-party... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2010
Chapter

When Does Leadership Matter? A Contingent Opportunities View of CEO Leadership

By: Noam Wasserman, Nitin Nohria and Bharat Anand

There is by now a long-standing debate on the impact that CEOs have on company performance. Studies of leadership describe how CEOs can significantly impact company performance, while the "constraints" perspective argues that leaders are sufficiently constrained by... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Leadership; Performance Improvement; Research; Opportunities

Research Summary

Overview of Research

My research examines approaches to improving the performance of our health care delivery system with a primary focus on health information technology. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of my program, my dissertation draws upon theories and insights from... View Details

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

interview, Ely discusses the origins of the research, her experiences aboard an oil platform, and how this research can improve safety at other job sites. Sarah Jane Gilbert: How do you define masculine identity and what led you to study... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

July–September 2018
Article

Memory Bias in Observer-Performance Literature

By: Tamara M. Haygood, Samantha N. Smith and Jia Sun

The objective of our study was to determine how authors of published observer–performance experiments dealt with memory bias in study design. We searched American Journal of Roentgenology online and Radiology using “observer study” and “observer performance.” We... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Research

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Teaching Interest

AMP 170 - General Management: Processes and Action

The Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program (AMP) helps drive corporate performance by honing individual capabilities to the highest level of performance. The result is a... View Details

October 2008
Article

The Effect of Macro Information Environment Change on the Quality of Management Earnings Forecasts

The 1990s were characterized by substantial increases in the performance of and investor reliance on financial analysts. Because managers possess superior private information and issue forecasts to align investors' expectations with their own, we predict that... View Details

Keywords: Information; Performance Expectations; Earnings Management; Financial Reporting; Forecasting and Prediction

2008
Report

Survey Questionnaire on Environmental Management Practices: Summary of Results by Industry and Practices

By: Magali Delmas and Michael W. Toffel

This document provides a summary of the results of a survey on Environmental Management Practices (EMP) conducted by the University of California at Santa Barbara during October and November 2003. The survey was sent to 3255 facilities in 8 industrial sectors: pulp,... View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Surveys; Management Practices and Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Non-Governmental Organizations

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03 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Dealing with the ‘Irrational’ Negotiator

worked for the firm for 30 years and was only 2 years away from retirement. She had performed well throughout her career and received salary increases commensurate with her performance. Because she was already at the top of her salary... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra & Max H. Bazerman

February 2002
Supplement

Interview with Vittorio Merloni

By: Joseph L. Bower and Sonja Ellingson Hout

Vittorio Merloni describes the evolution of leadership in his company, and the consequent improvement in its performance, as well as his thoughts on building a successful company in a very competitive industry. View Details

Keywords: Information; Leadership Development; Outcome or Result; Performance Improvement; Competitive Strategy

Research Summary

Managing the Manufacturer-Retailer Interface

By: Janice H. Hammond

Janice H. Hammond is studying the impact of coordination on the performance of manufacturing and retail channels. The focus of her research is on the supply "channel", the set of firms that undertakes the chain of activities that begins with acquisition of raw... View Details

07 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovation Corrupted: How Managers Can Avoid Another Enron

including the effective use of stock-based compensation and comparative performance measures, and the need to balance turbocharged incentives with turbocharged controls. “Enron's leaders perpetuated a kind of utopianism that ended up... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Energy; Utilities

September 1996 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Cytec Industries' Spin-Off (A): Sink or Swim?

In the wake of market pressure to restructure, American Cyanamid spun off its poorly performing Chemicals Unit into a new publicly traded corporation, Cytec Industries. In addition to weak operations, Cytec inherited the bulk of Cyanamid's environmental and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management Practices and Processes; Restructuring; Performance Improvement; Chemical Industry; United States

November 2009 (Revised June 2012)
Case

Jody Leleck at Broad Acres (A)

By: Paul W. Marshall and Andrew Goldin

Jody Leleck has been appointed the principal of Broad Acres Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is underperforming all other schools in the district, and she has been asked to improve the performance. View Details

Keywords: Education; Middle School Education; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Performance Productivity; Education Industry; Maryland

Article

A Blueprint for Pharmacy Benefits Managers to Increase Value

By: William Shrank, Michael E. Porter, Sachin H. Jain and Niteesh K. Choudhary

Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) have a unique opportunity to promote public health and generate value in the healthcare system. However, PBMs are largely evaluated on their ability to control costs rather than improve health. PBMs should be evaluated along three... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Health; System; Cost Management; Partners and Partnerships; Motivation and Incentives; Value; Innovation and Invention; Performance Effectiveness; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

Find at Harvard

July 2005 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A)

By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman

The CEO of EFL (India), a direct sales organization, must decide which changes to the sales compensation systems would better motivate his sales reps and improve their sales performance. View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Management; Performance Improvement; Sales; Motivation and Incentives; India