Publications

January 2025
Case

PayJoy: Financing for the Next Billion

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

PayJoy, an impact-driven financial technology company founded in 2015, provides smartphone financing and other financial products to customers who lack access to traditional credit products. As of early 2025, PayJoy had issued $2.5 billion in loans to 13 million... View Details

February 2024
Case

Adventures Inc: 21st Century Brand Building

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

Founded in 2020, Adventures worked with celebrities in Brazil to create and launch digitally native brands. The idea was to match the celebrity’s skill in creating content and entertaining fans with Adventures’ skill in consumer packaged goods marketing and operations.... View Details

Keywords: Digital Brand; Influencer Marketing; Growth And Scaling; Capital Constraints; Brand Portfolio Strategy; CPG; Start-up; Celebrity Endorsement; Digital Marketing; Growth and Development Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Advertising; Social Media; Business Startups; Joint Ventures; Brands and Branding; Brazil

November 2023 (Revised December 2023)
Background Note

Talent Incubator Rankings

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2023, The Official Board surveyed 853 executives on the topic of talent incubators/academy companies. Executives were asked to list the top three academy companies within their function, industry, and country. They were also asked: what practices differentiate these... View Details

Keywords: Talent Development And Retention; Hiring; Performance Management; Human Resource Management; Human Capital; Human Resources; Performance; Talent and Talent Management; Organizational Culture

February 2023 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Kvadrat: Focus, Execute, and Grow

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

Kvadrat was a family-owned global textiles company. The company had enjoyed impressive top-line growth and was shifting gears to emphasize profitability via a shorter strategic agenda. Agenda items included: U.S. expansion, generating improved margins in its consumer... View Details

Keywords: Growth; Culture; International Expansion; Organization; Family Business; Leadership; Growth and Development; Strategy; Organizations; Supply Chain; Family Ownership; Profit; Organizational Culture; Denmark

April 2021
Case

Franck Giovannini: Managing Succession to Sustain Organizational Excellence

By: Boris Groysberg and Evan M.S. Hecht

As world-renowned chef Franck Giovannini contemplated his future and the future of The Hôtel de Ville Restaurant, he wondered how would he handle the transition of leadership at the restaurant when it came time for him to step down. The Hôtel de Ville Restaurant was... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant Industry; Succession; Succession Planning; Leadership; Transition; Management Succession; Planning; Food and Beverage Industry; Switzerland

September 2018
Supplement

Hidrovias do Brasil: Navigating Unchartered Waters: Spreadsheet Supplement

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

June 2018
Teaching Note

Kvadrat: Leading for Innovation

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2013, Anders Byriel, CEO of the family-owned Danish textiles company, Kvadrat, considered the firm's strategic plan. In 2000, Byriel and Mette Bendix, Kvadrat's Product Director, had taken over management of the company from their fathers, who had founded Kvadrat in... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Human Resources; Asia

June 2017
Supplement

MOD Pizza in 2017

By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble

This supplement describes how MOD Pizza has grown between May 2015 (when the first case ends) and early 2017. View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Organizational Culture

Article

Why Boards Aren't Dealing with Cyberthreats

By: J. Yo-Jud Cheng and Boris Groysberg

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Cybersecurity; Corporate Governance; AI and Machine Learning

Register to Read

January 2015
Supplement

Chorus and Telecom: Building the Boards. An Interview with Sarah Naudé and Matt Stanley

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2011, Telecom, the largest telecom provider in New Zealand, was being divided into two publicly traded companies. In connection with this split, Sarah Naudé and Matt Stanley worked with the chairman of Telecom, Wayne Boyd, to create two new boards of directors for... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Women's Empowerment; Governance; Leadership; Selection and Staffing; Organizational Structure; Decision Making; Human Resources; Diversity; Telecommunications Industry; New Zealand

January 2013 (Revised July 2014)
Supplement

Chorus and Telecom: Building the Boards (B)

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

This follow up to Chorus and Telecom: Building the Boards provides a one-page description of the new boards that were created at Telecom and Chorus. View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards

May 2007 (Revised April 2010)
Teaching Note

Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs (TN)

By: Boris Groysberg and Scott A. Snook

Keywords: Leadership; Growth and Development; Financial Services Industry

December 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Leerink Swann & Co.: Creating Competitive Advantage

By: Boris Groysberg and Andrew N. McLean

In the spring of 2005, CEO Jeff Leerink has called a meeting of the executive committee to formulate Leerink Swann's growth strategy over the next five years so that it accomplishes three goals: expand into a new business, reinforce the firm's legacy businesses, and... View Details

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Human Resources; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Alignment; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion

Web

Alumni Forums - Alumni

challenges and achieve their highest aspirations.” Boris Groysberg and Robert Russman Halperin “How to Get the Most out of Peer Support Groups.” Harvard Business Review, May-June 2022 Testimonials Frequently... View Details

01 Jun 2013
News

Notes from W50

graduates, ages 31 to 66, reported that they were stay-at-home mothers—a much lower percentage, Ely noted, than recent media coverage would suggest. Other events included discussions led by 12 faculty members of Professor View Details

September 2022
Teaching Note

Marsha Simms: Trailblazer in Corporate Law

By: Robin Ely, Boris Groysberg and Colleen Ammerman

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 422-012. View Details

February 17, 2021
Article

Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running, and Cognitive Restructuring

By: Gamze Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams and Boris Groysberg