Empathy - Publications - Faculty & Research

25 Aug 2014
HBS Case

Starbucks Reinvented

steam milk properly. For Schultz, however, that wasn't enough—he wanted to reach the company's store managers, recognizing them as essential to the transformation process. "I needed an unfiltered venue for expressing my empathy about... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Food & Beverage

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

essential part of the restaurant experience. Rebuilding that confidence and trust needs to begin with empathy and respect for restaurant employees who will be a new contingent of frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19 as well as... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

30 Jun 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

The Role of Emotions in Effective Negotiations

whenever there is a reaction from him," says Wasynczuk. "That empathy leads them to understand some of the differences that motivate each side and makes them feel like they want to do something with the other person." As... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation; Sports

11 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

A World of Difference: What Keeps Companies from Becoming More Inclusive

in part because their backs were killing them when they worked at home, and they weren’t allowed to bring their office chairs home. The policy communicated a lack of empathy and general cluelessness about the employee experience—signals... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint

06 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Are You a Level-Six Leader?

"transactional" leaders. Level One: Sociopath At the base of the model is the person who literally serves no one: the Sociopath. The Sociopath, afflicted with what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) describes as antisocial... View Details

Keywords: by Mitch Maidique

01 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

Team Success Starts with the Individual—and with Love

Make it personal We all know that the best coaches forge personal connections with team members. But it’s hard to put this simple and obvious idea into practice. As I learned from Carroll, coaches must connect with the individual team member’s full humanity, practicing... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati; Sports

08 Feb 2023
Op-Ed

Building an Inclusive Workplace? Prepare to Shield It from Economic Fears

culture, but ensuring strong collaboration more broadly. After all, bias prevents empathy and trust—two key qualities in successful team collaboration. So, if dire headlines flash on your phone or spending falls short of expectations,... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and Nicole Gilmore

20 Dec 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

How to Design a Better Customer Experience

discovering design principles that can act as building blocks to a great product or service experience. The teaching note outlines three examples, using real stories from students to illustrate each one: Solve problems with empathy and... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Health; Entertainment & Recreation

04 Feb 2014
What Do You Think?

Has Listening Become a Lost Art?

people feel they can't afford." That is why, she continued, it is so important to have real friends with good memory who can be our sounding boards. "Listening to others works better if you can show empathy and put yourself in the other... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

17 Jan 2023
Book

Good Companies Commit Crimes, But Great Leaders Can Prevent Them

convicted Enron executives—he concluded that their crimes were seldom calculated, but rather inspired by gut feelings and a striking absence of empathy for the clients who lost their money. Soltes talked to HBS Working Knowledge about the... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

06 Mar 2020
Book

A Great Teacher's Lessons for Leading

credit where credit isn’t due. Contractual leaders and teachers worry about their image, how they are perceived by their boss—a manager or department head. They possess little empathy for others because their goal is to survive where they... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Education

21 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The Pandemic Conversations That Leaders Need to Have Now

care and concern, we’re far more likely to feel our care and concern.” One CEO told us that empathy is “always an important leadership skill, but this empathy is dramatically heightened during a crisis that... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Robin Abrahams, and Katherine Connolly Baden

30 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

space to talk with each other, offer support, and listen. “Now, more than ever, teams need empathy and to feel like you are all suffering together,” Austin says. “Everyone is dealing with a crisis that is very real. Managers should show... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

19 Nov 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

E-Santa: Is Retail Ready for Digital Christmas?

Banning Big Box Stores Can Hurt Local Retailers Research shows how regulations designed to protect independent retailers from big box competition may backfire. Empathy: The Brand Equity of Retail Retailers can offer great product selection and value, but those who lack... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

03 Jul 2018
What Do You Think?

Should CEO Satya Nadella Cancel Microsoft’s Contract with ICE?

than many other of Microsoft’s customers. Others gave more weight to moral considerations, especially in view of Nadella’s stated mission, “to put empathy at the center of everything I pursue ” Only a few, however, put themselves in... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer; Technology

23 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

How to Break the Expert’s Curse

Unfortunately, though, experts frequently make lousy teachers. Experts are sometimes so steeped in expertise that they don't remember what it was like to be a newbie—in terms of both how much they knew and how they felt back then. The memory gap leads to an View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

17 Dec 2001
Research & Ideas

Enterprising Women

intelligence and adopt the more "feminine" traits of compassion and empathy required by the September 11 terrorist attacks. "If you don't have emotional intelligence, your employees will leave you," said Lewis.... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

25 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Developing the Global Leader

world." Being able to overcome the dominant thinking at headquarters. "Leadership has to lean in favor of nondominant thinking," says George. "That requires a tremendous amount of intercultural empathy and a passion... View Details