Publications

05 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

middle manager in the literal middle, Zhang says. “Managers are facing competing pressures from both ends,” he explains. “They may not have absolute authority from workers from the bottom up, yet they’re still facing the performance... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

05 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 5

if they did not obtain the second reward. We discuss implications for research on motivation and incentives. Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy Authors:A.G. Lafley, Roger L. Martin, Jan W. Rivkin, and Nicolaj Siggelkow... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

iOpenEye: Theater and #MeToo in Nigeria

By: Caroline Elkins, Tarun Khanna and Joyce J. Kim

In 2014, Ifeoma Fafunwa, an award-winning playwright and director, founded iOpenEye, a commercial production company dedicated to driving social change through performance art. iOpenEye’s flagship theatrical production was called “Hear Word! Naija Woman Talk True,”... View Details

Keywords: Theatre; Social Change; Entrepreneurship; Social Enterprise; Arts; Entertainment; Social Issues; Health Pandemics; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Model; Nigeria

01 May 2024
What Do You Think?

Have You Had Enough?

experiment work. Do please pass on the art and habit of asking questions of others. To my editors over the years—Sean Silverthorne, Danielle Kost, and Dina Gerdeman—who’ve brought my ideas to life, my sincere thanks. So with that, I’ll... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 10

from the incorporation of non-directed donors in transplant chains rather than simple exchanges. It is controversial whether these chains should be performed simultaneously ("domino paired donation," DPD) or nonsimultaneously... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

all leaders, not only those in the C-suite, to understand the organization’s purpose, values, and how those connect to each day’s work. It has long been known that managers have at least as much impact on team morale and performance as... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

West: Origins, Evolution and Resilience The United States in Contemporary Perspectives: Evolving Forms, Strategy, and Performance By: Collis, David J., Bharat Anand, and J. Yo-Jud Cheng Abstract—In spite of surging interest in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 4

Publications August 2013 MIT Sloan Management Review The Art of Strategic Renewal By: Binns, Andy, J. Bruce Harreld, Charles A. O'Reilly, and Michael L. Tushman Abstract—In recent years, we have seen well-established companies such as... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthlorne

July 2019 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Backstage at Boston Ballet

By: David G. Fubini, Ryan Raffaelli, Begum Agca Okutgen and Julia Kelley

This case asks students to consider how to prioritize goals when placed in a new leadership role. In August 2014, Meredith “Max” Hodges became the youngest Executive Director (ED) in the Boston Ballet’s 51-year history. In her first year, she was able to claim several... View Details

21 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 21

Art Museum By: Lund, Ragnar, and Stephen A. Greyser Abstract—This paper examines cultural sponsorship from a partnership perspective. It studies the collaboration between two international institutions, a bank and a museum, and their... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

08 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

by allocating rewards and resources for both traditional performance and for learning activities. What has changed and what hasn’t? The four drives themselves, fundamental to human psychology, have not changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

07 Jul 2022
HBS Case

How a Multimillion-Dollar Ice Cream Startup Melted Down (and Bounced Back)

flourishes in Brooklyn In summer 2010, Smith and Cuscuna got serious about selling their homemade ice cream. They opened a pushcart during a neighborhood arts festival, where they could test flavors with the public—a smart move, says... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

17 Feb 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

How Entrepreneurs Can Find the Right Problem to Solve

art as science. It is incredibly easy to lead a witness, bias answers, and hear what we want to hear in an interview. The best guide for conducting a proper discovery interview is Rob Fitzpatrick’s book The Mom Test, which I encourage... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

February 2009 (Revised September 2009)
Case

Investing in Early Learning as Economic Development at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank

By: Stacey M. Childress and Geoff Eckman Marietta

In his role as Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (Minneapolis Fed), Art Rolnick and his colleague, Rob Grunewald, had written "Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return." The... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Early Childhood Education; Investment Return; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Performance Effectiveness; Nonprofit Organizations; Minneapolis; Saint Paul