Publications

09 Mar 2021
Cold Call Podcast

A Family Business at a Crossroads: Scaling and Succession

Keywords: Re: Christina R. Wing; Real Estate

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

How to Write a Great Business Plan

Professor William Sahlman suggests that a great business plan is one that focuses on a series of questions. These questions relate to the four factors critical to the success of every new venture: the... View Details

Keywords: Re: William A. Sahlman

07 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Digital Transformation: A New Roadmap for Success

emphasized the need to plan for continual upgrading of technology, organizational capabilities, and talent. With these dueling considerations in mind, we distilled our research findings into seven guiding principles for digital... View Details

Keywords: by Linda A. Hill, Ann Le Cam, Sunand Menon, and Emily Tedards

05 Nov 2007
What Do You Think?

Why Is Succession So Badly Managed?

needs at any particular moment." She also posed the problem of finding insider "CEO material willing to wait in the sidelines." Andrew Campbell commented that "you often have to reassess your succession View Details

Keywords: Re: James L. Heskett

04 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Start to Measure Your E-commerce Success

of treating the topic of e-commerce with awe and confusion, we can now discuss the subject more objectively." What follows is an excerpt from his new book, Implementing E-commerce Strategies: A Guide to Corporate Success after the... View Details

Keywords: by Marc J. Epstein

16 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

The Most Successful Startups Have Hands-On Founders

the paired founders discussed their business challenges and were told to provide advice about management and strategy to their partners. On the final day, the founders completed a list of changes they planned to implement after returning... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Article

Reflections: Toward a Normative and Actionable Theory of Planned Organizational Change and Development

By: Michael Beer

A normative and actionable theory of planned organizational change and development is proposed based on fifty years of engagement by the author as a scholar-consultant. Five principles are central features of the theory and practice proposed: 1) Organizations are... View Details

Keywords: Consultant; Process; Systems; Silence; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Learning; Management Teams

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2006
Working Paper

Cross-Functional Alignment in Supply Chain Planning: A Case Study of Sales and Operations Planning

In most organizations, supply chain planning is a cross-functional effort. Functional areas such as sales, marketing, finance, and operations traditionally specialize in portions of the planning activities, which results in conflicts over expectations, preferences, and... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Planning

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January 2019
Teaching Note

Innova Capital: The Transition

By: Josh Lerner, Nori Gerardo Lietz and Terrence Shu

Teaching Note for HBS No. 813-064. View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Succession Planning; Finance; Eastern Europe; Poland

May 2017 (Revised September 2018)
Case

Hilti Fleet Management (A): Turning a Successful Business Model on Its Head

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Oliver Gassmann and Roman Sauer

This case explores the introduction of fleet management in the construction industry by the premium power tools manufacturer Hilti in 2000. Following its customers’ needs, Hilti moved from selling power tools to leasing them as a service. The introduction of the new... View Details

06 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

The Determinants of Corporate Venture Capital Success

and private venture funds. Corporate efforts lack the partnership-based organizational structure that many have identified as critical to the success of private equity funds. On the other hand, corporations are able to exploit... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Gompers & Josh Lerner

September 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Zurich Insurance: Talent Pipeline

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after implementing five new people practices focused on manager development, diversity and inclusion, job model and data analytics, recruitment, and talent pipeline. The case “Zurich Insurance: Fostering Key People... View Details

Keywords: Managing Change; Leadership; Organizational Behavior; Succession; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Leadership Development; Human Capital; Human Resources; Insurance; Management Succession; Insurance Industry

15 Feb 2016
Research & Ideas

Want Your Employees to Plan Better for Retirement? Don't Do This

“Defined benefit (DB) plans have largely gone the way of the dodo,” Beshears said in a recent interview. “They’ve been replaced with defined contribution (DC) plans. In those situations, it’s incumbent upon the individual to be saving... View Details

Keywords: Re: John Beshears; Financial Services

21 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

7 Successful Battle Strategies to Beat COVID-19

short, quick strokes with the short sword, balanced with simultaneous utilization of the long sword. Likewise, a focus on quick wins and success in small increments needs to be balanced with long-term View Details

Keywords: by Euvin Naidoo

December 2012
Course Overview Note

Making a Success of your EC Independent Project: Good Practices for Students

By: Ian W. Mackenzie

Independent project (IP) work in the EC poses challenges over and above those encountered in the project components of RC FIELD. Based on the belief that the success of IPs can be greatly influenced by how well students select and scope their projects and then go about... View Details

Keywords: Independent Projects; BEST Practices; Learning By Doing; Practical Project Work; Teamwork; Project Management; Stakeholder Management; Stakeholder Engagement; Projects; Groups and Teams

October 2021
Background Note

How to Write an Action-Planning Memo

By: Ryan Raffaelli and Akshaya Varghese

The ability to communicate an action plan through writing is essential for advancing ideas, earning credibility, and garnering support. Research has shown that leaders who write formal plans are more likely to execute successfully—written plans help members of an... View Details

Keywords: Writing; Action Plan; Communication; Competency and Skills; Planning

November 2007
Article

Solve the Succession Crisis by Growing Inside-Outside Leaders

By: Joseph L. Bower

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. In his interviews and data analysis, Harvard Business School professor Bower found... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Leadership Development; Management Practices and Processes; Management Succession; Planning

Find at Harvard

September 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Zurich Insurance: Fostering People Management Practices

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after implementing five new people practices focused on manager development, diversity and inclusion, job model and data analytics, recruitment, and talent pipeline. The case provides background for the company, as... View Details

Keywords: Managing Change; Organizational Behavior; Diversity Management; Organizational Architecture; Recruiting; Succession Planning; Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Human Capital; Human Resources; Insurance; Leadership; Diversity; Organizational Structure; Recruitment; Management Succession; Insurance Industry

2010
Other Paper

Clear and Present Danger: Planning and New Venture Survival Amid Political and Civil Violence

By: Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine

Prior strategy research is divided on the utility of new-venture planning. Some scholars argue that planning enhances new-firm performance and others make the opposite argument. This paper attempts to reconcile these contradictory views by exploring the extent of... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Government and Politics; Success; Performance Effectiveness; Strategic Planning; Business and Government Relations; Colombia