Publications

December 2023
Background Note

Organizational Learning

By: Willy Shih

This is a background note that surveys part of the extensive literature on organizational learning. The focus is on learning from experiences, how those learnings get translated into organizational routines and processes, and how that can also lead to getting stuck in... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Knowledge; Business Processes; Manufacturing Industry; Service Industry

Educators

Leading Learning is organized into four modules focused on developing the school structures, systems, supports, and culture that lead to excellent teaching and learning in every classroom, for every student. View Details

1982
Chapter

Industrial Organization and the Evolution of Concepts for Strategic Planning: The New Learning

By: M. E. Porter

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Web

Programs for Organizations

Harvard Business School Executive Education partners with leading organizations to deliver the learning and development solutions they need for successful transformation. Our live online programs—whether... View Details

February 2014
Article

Learning by Supplying

By: Juan Alcacer and Joanne Oxley

Learning processes lie at the heart of our understanding of how firms build capabilities to generate and sustain competitive advantage: learning by doing, learning by exporting, learning from competitors, users, and alliance partners. In this paper we focus attention... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Organizations; Learning

12 PM – 1:15 PM EST, 08 Nov 2021
Virtual Programming

Building Your Scaled Digital Organization

During this program led by HBS professor Karim R. Lakhani, learn how you can translate your HBS skill set to build or scale your organization using digitization, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) from a panel of HBS alumni who will share their extensive... View Details

04 Dec 2019
Book

Creating the Experimentation Organization

Management knows that business experiments matter to innovation. Belief: Management accepts that a more disciplined approach to experimentation is needed; adopts a rigorous framework and testing tools in small and specialized groups. Commitment: Management pledges to... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Article

The Art of Balancing Autonomy and Control: What Managers Can Learn from Hackathon Organizers about Spurring Innovation.

By: Hila Lifshitz - Assaf, Sarah Lebovitz and Lior Zalmanson

Today, managers recognize that innovation requires a high level of work autonomy for their employees. This encourages curiosity, enables independent thinking, and provides an environment in which employees can experiment and test new problem-solving approaches with... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Hackathon; Autonomy; Control; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management

Read Now

March 2008
Article

Is Yours a Learning Organization?

By: David A. Garvin, Amy C. Edmondson and Francesca Gino

This article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. An organization with a strong learning culture faces the unpredictable deftly.... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Learning; Surveys; Leading Change; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Organizational Culture

Research Summary

Front-Line Organizational Learning

Dr. Tucker uses operations management and organizational learning theory to understand and improve front-line work processes. Specifically, she examines the conditions under which the problem solving routines of front-line workers are likely to result in positive... View Details

May 15 2018
Testimonial

Creating an Agile Organization

Aug 27 2020
Brochure

Are You Responsible for Learning and Development?

29 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

How Organizations Create Social Value

companies, the researchers found that rich opportunities for mutual learning exist between the business world and nonprofits. They found that no matter what type of organization they were looking at,... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

May 2012 (Revised February 2014)
Teaching Note

Learning About Reducing Hospital Mortality at Kaiser Permanente

By: Anita Carson Tucker

Keywords: Patient Safety; Process Improvement; Standardization; Organizational Learning; Knowledge Development; Safety; Knowledge Management; Health Care and Treatment; Business Processes; Health Industry

November 2023 (Revised April 2024)
Case

Khanmigo: Revolutionizing Learning with GenAI

By: William A. Sahlman, Allison M. Ciechanover and Emily Grandjean

Already a leader in the edtech space since its 2008 launch, Khan Academy was now one of the first edtech organizations to embrace generative artificial intelligence ("genAI"). In March 2023, Khan Academy began beta testing Khanmigo, a genAI “guide” and tutor built with... View Details

Keywords: Technology Adoption; Leading Change; Entrepreneurship; Risk and Uncertainty; Education; AI and Machine Learning; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Education Industry; Technology Industry; United States; San Francisco

Educators

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

13 Jun 2013
News

Learning Curve

something from the ground up when he served as president and COO of Green Dot Public Schools, a start-up charter organization that has since expanded to include 18 schools. Now his days are spent meeting with members of city government;... View Details

2013
Article

The Strategic Fitness Process: A Collaborative Action Research Method for Developing Organizational Prototypes and Dynamic Capabilities

By: Michael Beer

Organizations underperform and sometimes fail because their leaders are unable to learn the unvarnished truth from relevant stakeholders about how the design and behavior of the organization is misaligned with its goals and strategy. The Strategic Fitness Process (SFP)... View Details

Keywords: Organization Alignment; Dynamic Capabilities; Organization Design; Organizational Prototyping; Organizational Silence; Organizational Learning; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Organizational Design

Read Now

01 Sep 2016
News

Offshore Learning

you can catch and hold one of the briny little creatures in your own two hands. As president and CEO of the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center in Boston, Arthur Pearson (MBA 1991) is working with Boston Public Schools to make that kind of field-based View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; Outward Bound; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

October 20, 2020
Article

Expanding AI's Impact with Organizational Learning

By: Sam Ransbotham, Shervin Khodabandeh, David Kiron, François Candelon, Michael Chu and Burt LaFountain

Most companies developing AI capabilities have yet to gain significant financial benefits from their efforts. Only when organizations add the ability to learn with AI do significant benefits become likely. View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Learning; Adoption