Publications

May 2009 (Revised August 2010)
Case

The Jenner Situation

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Andy Whittemore and Eliot Sherman

Dr. Bill Lemont is the new chief medical officer of a large academic medical center. During his first week on the job he has become aware of the abusive behavior and temper outbursts of a prominent orthopedic surgeon. How Dr. Lemont handles the situation will be... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Managerial Roles; Behavior; Conflict Management; Health Industry

28 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

How Leaders Can Navigate Politicized Conversations and Inspire Collaboration

identifies a specific recipe for receptiveness that leaders and others can follow to improve collaborations and interpersonal interactions in general. “Conversational receptiveness involves using language that signals a person is truly... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Difficult Conversations in the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing

The best time to have a difficult conversation is, ideally, as soon as possible. Engaging in challenging conversations early can produce beneficial results for several reasons, such as resolving issues, improving communication, preserving relationships, and increasing... View Details

Keywords: Conversation; Family Business; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict and Resolution

02 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

Negotiating in Three Dimensions

terms. Assuming that they face an interpersonal or tactical barrier, suppliers often seek training on the principles of persuasion, joint brainstorming, how to make advantageous initial offers, body language, and so on. Yet apparent... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The Little Understood Problem Confronting Diverse Workplaces

could greatly offend them ”) A journey of ‘relational reconciliation’ By asking questions and sharing information about themselves—whatever the results—the tutors engaged in what Ramarajan and Reid describe as “relational reconciliation,” and a potential framework for... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

22 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

The Hard Work of Failure Analysis

technical skills, expertise in analysis, and diverse views, allowing them to brainstorm and explore different interpretations of a failure's causes and consequences. Because this usually involves the potential for conflict that can... View Details

Keywords: by Amy Edmondson & Mark D. Cannon

Web

Frequently Asked Questions | HBS Online

resources), free career and academic webinars, a Harvard Gmail account, and education tax credit and loan deferments. Does HBS Online restrict enrollment for citizens/residents of countries in geopolitical conflict with the United States... View Details

September 2013 (Revised August 2015)
Background Note

Leadership and Teaming

By: Ethan Bernstein

Small differences in the leadership of teams can have large consequences for the success of their efforts. Many initiatives fail not because of a fatal error in judgment or insufficient ideas, knowledge, motivation, or capabilities to deliver a solution. They fail... View Details

Keywords: Teams; Teaming; Leadership And Managing People; Leadership; Team Effectiveness; Team Performance; Team Design; Team Leadership; Teamwork; Team Process; Team Function; Team Launch; 60/30/10 Rule; Team Boundary; Distribution Of Leadership Authority; Self-Managed Teams; Virtual Teams; Unbounded Teams; Acts Of Leadership; Execution Teams; Decision Making Teams; Creativity Teams; Team Size; Task Design; Team Timeline; Team Roles; Team Representation; Diversity; Team Familiarity; Collective Intelligence; Team Stages Of Development; Team Coaching; Performance Pressure; X-Teams; Team Focus; Interaction; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Management Systems; Management Style; Management Skills; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Efficiency; Performance Productivity; Groups and Teams; Networks; Social Psychology; Behavior; Conflict and Resolution; Creativity; Social and Collaborative Networks; Satisfaction; Prejudice and Bias; Power and Influence; Personal Characteristics; Familiarity; Cognition and Thinking; Attitudes; Projects; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Knowledge Sharing; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Design; Interpersonal Communication; Accommodations Industry; Accounting Industry; Advertising Industry; Aerospace Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Auto Industry; Banking Industry; Battery Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Bicycle Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Chemical Industry; Communications Industry; Computer Industry; Construction Industry; Consulting Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Distribution Industry; Education Industry; Electronics Industry; Employment Industry; Energy Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Fashion Industry; Financial Services Industry; Fine Arts Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Forest Products Industry; Forestry Industry; Green Technology Industry; Health Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Insurance Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Legal Services Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Mining Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Motorcycle Industry; Music Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Public Administration Industry; Public Relations Industry; Publishing Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Rail Industry; Real Estate Industry; Retail Industry; Rubber Industry; Semiconductor Industry; Service Industry; Shipping Industry; Sports Industry; Steel Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Tourism Industry; Transportation Industry; Travel Industry; Utilities Industry; Video Game Industry; Web Services Industry; Asia; North and Central America; South America; Atlantic Ocean; Central Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; Oceania; West Indies

January 1980
Case

Technotronics, Inc.

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger

Describes the problems of resolving differences between two departments in a decentralized company. Based on Voltamp Electric Co. by T.C. Raymond. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Interpersonal Communication

02 Dec 2019
What Do You Think?

How Does a Company like Boeing Respond to Intense Competitive Pressure?

competitive pressure and highlighted how inherent conflict between an organization's departments can create disaster. The launch of Boeing's Starliner capsule took place 10 months after competitor SpaceX’s successful testing of its... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation

August 1978 (Revised April 1987)
Supplement

Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (B)

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership Style; Emotions; Education Industry

July 2010 (Revised August 2012)
Supplement

Assistant Professor Jo Worthington (C)

By: Dorothy A. Leonard

A professor has an awkward exchange with a student who has prepared numeric analysis, but whose numbers do not agree with her own. View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Learning; Teaching; Cases; Conflict Management

July 2010 (Revised August 2012)
Supplement

Assistant Professor Jo Worthington (B)

By: Dorothy A. Leonard

A professor teaching a case discussion based on numeric analysis is pleased that a student finally "cracks" the case--but the numbers differ from her own. The instructor has to decide how to handle the discrepancy. View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Teaching; Cases; Mathematical Methods; Conflict Management

June 2008
Case

Professors Sven Larson and Kenneth Carpenter (A)

By: James L. Heskett and Tor Askild Aase Johannessen

Professor Kenneth Carpenter has received word that he has inadvertently offended one of his students. He is pondering a possible response. View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Higher Education; Learning; Teaching; Conflict and Resolution

August 1978 (Revised April 1987)
Supplement

Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (C)

By: C. Roland Christensen

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Interpersonal Communication; Leadership Style; Emotions; Education Industry

January 2009
Case

Wolf Elmore Brewer, Inc.

By: John A. Davis

This case describes how Alex Wolf, the founder of a small architecture and urban planning firm based in Portland, Oregon, decides to offer partnership to two trusted colleagues, and then how strains develop in their relationship. It asks what can be done to improve... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Interpersonal Communication; Entrepreneurship; Partners and Partnerships; Conflict Management

Find at Harvard

November 2007
Supplement

Differences at Work: Emily (B)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Rachel Gordon

In Differences at Work: Emily (B) HBS Case No. 9-408-046 Emily considers whether to file a formal complaint with her Human Resources department about the emails but ultimately decides to confront the culprits herself, beginning by sending an email to one of her... View Details

Keywords: Working Conditions; Interpersonal Communication; Employees; Conflict and Resolution; Communication