Publications

June 2012
Article

Leadership Is a Conversation

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind

Globalization and new technologies have sharply reduced the efficacy of command-and-control management and its accompanying forms of corporate communication. In the course of a recent research project, the authors concluded that by talking with employees, rather than... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Management Style; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership; Cooperation; Partners and Partnerships

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June 2013 (Revised June 2015)
Case

Ibrahim Dabdoub at the National Bank of Kuwait

By: Linda A. Hill and Dana M. Teppert

Ibrahim Dabdoub, the Group chief executive of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), reflects on his past 30 years at the helm of the Bank. Under his leadership, NBK grew from a small local bank to one of the preeminent financial institutions in the region. However,... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Middle East; Team Leadership; Leadership Style; Leadership; Leadership Development; Groups and Teams; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Banking Industry; Kuwait; Middle East

Teaching Interest

Senior Executive Leadership Program - India (SELPI)

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Over the past two decades, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. To seize growth opportunities in this promising economy and sustain success under shifting global business conditions, companies need executives who are exceptional... View Details

May 2020
Case

WH Group and Smithfield Foods: Global Leadership During a Difficult Environment of Trade, Disease, and Sustainability

By: Ray Goldberg and Rachel Lee

Teaching Interest

Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East

By: Andy Wu

Change is everywhere in the Middle East today, as many countries seek to diversify their economies and encourage new industries. The region's complex business environment includes distinct political and economic conditions in each country—and... View Details

27 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?

Political connections and family control are more common in Asian businesses than in the United States. In addition, says HBS professor D. Quinn Mills, American CEOs tend to use one of five leadership styles: directive, participative,... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

April 2023 (Revised July 2023)
Case

Dena Almansoori at e&: Fostering Culture Change at a UAE Telco Transforming to a Global Techco

By: Emily Truelove, Michelle Zhang and Alpana Thapar

Dena Almansoori, the first female and one of the youngest members of the United Arab Emirates-based e&’s leadership team, joined in 2020 just before e& began a strategic transition from being a regional telecommunications company to becoming a global technology... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Culture; Transformation; Technology; Telecommunications; Employee Mobility; Talent; Leading Change; Human Resources; Telecommunications Industry; Technology Industry; Middle East; United Arab Emirates

July 2007 (Revised September 2009)
Case

CEMEX (A): Building the Global Framework (1985-2004)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Pamela Yatsko and Ryan Raffaelli

CEMEX grew through acquisitions from a Latin American to a global company under the leadership of a CEO who believed in the importance of a "one enterprise" culture and benchmarking against world standards. As the CEO ponders an acquisition that would double the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Competency and Skills; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Integration; Latin America

November 2002 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Monsanto: Leadership in a New Environment

By: Ray A. Goldberg, James Weber and James M Beagle

Monsanto is the biotechnology leader in agriculture. How does it use its leadership in Round Up to fund long-term research and development in biotechnology that is acceptable to the priority system of consumers in different parts of the world? Includes color exhibits. View Details

Keywords: Research and Development; Science-Based Business; Food; Business or Company Management; Agribusiness; Industry Growth; Customer Focus and Relationships; Globalization; Leadership; Biotechnology Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

Teaching Interest

Senior Executive Leadership Program –Middle East (SELPME)

By: Tarun Khanna

Professor Tarun Khanna has been the faculty chair of the Senior Executive Leadership Program –Middle East (SELPME) since its launch in 2017. SELPME focuses on strategy, leadership, and innovation, in a global context. Each year this rigorous seven-week alumni-status... View Details

Teaching Interest

Senior Executive Leadership Program - China (SELPC)

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Today's global business environment offers many exciting prospects for talented executives and ambitious organizations. To take full advantage of emerging opportunities in Greater China and beyond, businesses... View Details

October 2006 (Revised October 2006)
Case

DLA Piper: Becoming a Global Firm

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

Focuses on DLA Piper, a global law firm resulting from the merger of the combined U.S. firm Piper Rudnick Gray Cary and the British firm DLA. At the time of the merger, the firms had similar strategies for the future and approaches to clients. While figuring out some... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Global Strategy; Leadership; Alignment; Expansion; Legal Services Industry; United States

23 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

Financial Reporting Goes Global

standards play in the globalization of Indian businesses, U.S. businesses, and businesses of other countries? A: This really comes back to what makes India unique. India is having an amazing growth spurt that has led to having View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell; Accounting; Financial Services

09 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

Uncompromising Leadership in Tough Times

disconfirmed our initial estimate, we dropped the CEO from our sample. Q: What made these leaders unusual? A: The CEOs were quite different in personality, background, and leadership style. But they were similar in what they saw as the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2015
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Robert Meaney and Technology for Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Renee Vuillaume

Two Valmont Industries (an international leader in infrastructure products and services) colleagues, Robert (Bob) Meaney and Richard Berkland hoped to improve the lives of small and medium-sized farmers in the developing world through modern irrigation technology. In... View Details

June 2003 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Mercy Corps: Global Social Entrepreneurship (A)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Daniel F. Curran

Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps International, built his organization by following the advice of Theodore Roosevelt: "Be smart enough to hire good people and have sense enough to get out of their way." For eight years, Keny-Guyer helped Mercy Corps grow in size and... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Government and Politics; Selection and Staffing; Leadership; Organizational Structure; Opportunities; Afghanistan; Iraq

2017
Book

Extreme Teaming: Lessons in Complex, Cross-Sector Leadership

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jean-François Harvey

Today's global enterprises increasingly involve collaborative work by teams of experts operating across different professions, organizations, and industries. Extreme Teaming provides new insights into the world of complex, cross-industry projects and the ways... View Details

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Complexity

Find at Harvard

14 Jan 2019
Op-Ed

These 4 CEOs Created a New Standard of Leadership

leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and Nestlé before becoming CEO of Unilever in 2009. Observing the dangers of global warming, Polman focused on sustainability, introducing Unilever’s Sustainable... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Health; Banking; Food & Beverage; Consumer Products

February 2007 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Leadership at WildChina (A)

WildChina (A) tells the story of Mei Zhang, a Chinese-born HBS alumna, and her pursuit of a dream: to share her passion for travel, her appreciation of China's beauty and culture, and her desire to start her own business. Describes the startup of WildChina, a tour... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Leadership; Management Succession; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Tourism Industry; Los Angeles; Beijing