Publications

August 2018
Case

Christine Lagarde (A): A French Prime Minister Calls

By: Julie Battilana and Carin-Isabel Knoop

This case covers formative events and influences in Christine Lagarde’s childhood and her trajectory from studying political science and law to heading the world’s largest law firm. As she prepares to transition back to practice in 2005, the new Prime Minister of... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Power and Influence; Decision Making

29 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Star Power! How to Win in Professional Services

this point before. But we want to review the key differences briefly from the perspective of the CEO because the implications are crucial: for how the job of the senior leader is defined, and for what... View Details

Keywords: by Jay W. Lorsch & Thomas J. Tierney

14 May 2008
Research & Ideas

Getting Down to the Business of Creativity

the transition to a more diversified product line based on the company's proprietary technologies. In one instance, Fuji manufactures protective film for flat panel displays View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Entertainment & Recreation

08 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

How to Hire a Millennial

schedules, with the opportunity to work from home on more than just an occasional basis. These preferences have helped fuel the rise of the “gig economy” and the rapid growth of companies like HourlyNerd,... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph Fuller

22 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

How to Build a Better Board

discussions is much more complicated than people realize. I think another stumbling block, though, is that sometimes boards tend to operate as though they are in a rut. They tend View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

21 Mar 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Artificial Intelligence Isn't a Sure Thing to Increase Productivity

bang for the buck from their new AI. Choudhury has spent his career researching human capital, looking inside companies such as Microsoft, Infosys, and McKinsey to analyze what... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology; Information

30 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: Preparing to Sell

the right owners for your next chapter of wealth-generating (and social value-generating) ventures. Selling a family business can be a wrenching decision, but is an option more families should follow. ©iStock.com/PeopleImages But it's important View Details

Keywords: by Jonathan Pellegrin; Food & Beverage; Retail

19 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

Why Isn't Business Research More Relevant to Business Practitioners?

10,000 senior marketing executives based in San Jose, California. “There is often a disconnect between practitioners and academics, who tend to be far removed from operational... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

11 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone

settle into the role and get to know your colleagues better. If you follow all of this guidance, you’ll have heard almost everything you need to know by the end of your first... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

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

25 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Who is to Blame for 'The Great Training Robbery'?

new roles and creates the motivation and readiness to learn from knowledge and skill training that they can now enact. “These are not lockstep things. These are overlapping... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Education

October 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Appalachian Mountain Club: Transforming Governance

By: Walter J. Salmon and Jaan Elias

Starting in 1988, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) began a controversial transformation in management and governance. For its first 112 years, the AMC's structure had resembled that of a country club--volunteer leaders directed the club's operations and its small,... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Transformation; Corporate Governance; Employee Relationship Management; Recruitment; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Labor and Management Relations; Nonprofit Organizations; Education Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

April 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Balancing Act: Deborah Lovich (A)

By: David G. Fubini and Patrick Sanguineti

Deborah Lovich, Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to join the firm's Executive Committee as its youngest member and only current woman, as well as just the second woman in its history. Encouraged by her mentors,... View Details

Keywords: Work/life Balance; Work/family Balance; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Personal Development and Career

06 Oct 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

18 Tips Managers Can Use to Lead Through COVID's Rising Waters

managing through the pandemic. The topics: people and personal management, strategy, marketing, and organizational design. PEOPLE AND PERSONAL MANAGEMENT Tip: Guide your team to create new norms, protocols, and purpose. Leaders need View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

Investors Have More Than Money to Offer Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs have an incredible backstop of management experience and wisdom available to them that, too often, they ignore. Why don’t startup founders make more use of their investors? Many entrepreneurs are hesitant View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

April 2012
Case

Pret A Manger

By: Frances X. Frei, Rick Goldberg and Stephanie van Sice

Pret A Manger, a London-based chain of sandwich shops, was known for its fast, genuine service and pre-packaged sandwiches prepared on-site daily. Instructed by its board to grow at 15 percent per year, Pret considered opening "twin" shops in locations too small to... View Details

Keywords: Customer Service Excellence; Growth Planning And Management; Employee Performance Management; Information Management; Production Planning; Employee Attitude Development And Empowerment; Employee Retention; Leadership Development And Career Planning; Service Delivery; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Employees; Performance; London