Complex Technical Systems - Publications - Faculty & Research

27 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

New Research: Surviving Bankruptcy, Useful Economics, and Retirement

investment in Duck Creek Technologies, a technology provider for property & casualty insurance companies. The deal required a complex carve-out from Accenture, Duck Creek’s parent organization, and several operational improvements to... View Details

28 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Manufacturing Matters

LED lighting? Pisano: Semiconductor companies were not thinking about the future of lighting. That's not their business. But that's a challenge, and that's the complexity of this. It also suggests a role for public policy in terms of... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Manufacturing

15 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

The Founding CEO’s Dilemma: Stay or Go?

the person who was best suited to lead the early stage of company development is no longer the best person to continue leading the company. Now, the product has to be sold: You have to create a sales organization, manage multiple functions, deal with customers, handle... View Details

30 Oct 2007
First Look

First Look: October 30, 2007

allocation, and accountability and performance improvement systems to support an overarching strategy. This central idea provides a valuable conceptual framework for current and future school leaders. The case studies presented in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 4

Sustaining Innovation When Outsourcing Components in Multi-technology, Multi-component Systems Authors:Ian Mackenzie and Casimer DeCusatis Publication:Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice (forthcoming) Abstract Firms producing... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

22 Apr 2020
Research Event

How Investors Are Sizing Up Climate Change’s Risks—and Opportunities

March 4, Harvard Business School gathered senior executives, risk experts, and leading investment professionals from some of the world’s largest asset managers to share how they’re approaching these complex questions. The conference,... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services

08 Sep 2011
What Do You Think?

What’s Apple’s Biggest Challenge: Replacing Steve or Wall Street?

result, it relies heavily on partnering with others in the development of application software. Its product development is organized around sometimes competing teams operating under a regime with the philosophy that "The system is,... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer

06 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 6

non-profit project-oriented setting, introduces fundamental risk management principles and processes that are easily applicable to private sector settings. Gentry Lee, senior systems engineer and de-facto chief risk officer, is applying a... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

02 Dec 2019
What Do You Think?

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

inevitable; it will never be eliminated. This is an oversimplication of a complex phenomenon, with nuances in every large organization that has grown beyond the “one for all and all for one” startup spirit. But when it rises to a level... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation

07 Mar 2018
Research & Ideas

Electronic Health Records Were Supposed to Cut Medical Costs. They Haven't.

$215 depending on the type of visit. That’s despite the fact that Duke has an established electronic health record (EHR) system and an efficient, centralized billing department, Kaplan says. Administrative costs account for at least a... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Health

13 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Shouldn't Delay Software Updates—Even After CrowdStrike's Flaw

disclosed and a fix was available, the research says. Is it all about costs? The authors found evidence that one of the main drivers of the delays are the costs associated with software updates, both in terms of money and lost time if View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Information Technology; Computer; Web Services

13 Dec 2004
Research & Ideas

How Leaders Create Winning Streaks

strokes" to quickly mobilize the organization, with initiating a "long march" that changes systems and habits. Leaders must start by building credibility and confidence in the organization through small wins. This can occur... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter & Walter Kiechel

29 Jun 2015
HBS Case

Consumer-centered Health Care Depends on Accessible Medical Records

solutions, but which type of organization will take the lead on a patient-data integration system that enjoys widespread success: hospitals, insurance providers, medical equipment suppliers, consumer tech companies, or some other entity?... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Health; Technology

09 Mar 2016
Lessons from the Classroom

In This Classroom, Beer Can Improve Your Grade

Universidad Catolica de Chile. In 2013, these two research collaborators came up with the idea of creating a simulation. The resulting technical manual (which they make available to players) contains all the equations used to make the... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Education; Food & Beverage

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

appear invulnerable blocked precisely the kinds of actions that encourage safety and effectiveness. Covering up mistakes, for example, curtails learning and allows for the repetition and escalation of errors. In complex View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

30 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Tuning Jobs to Fit Your Company

lower level. Finally, executives can use accounting and control systems to adjust the span of influence. For example, the span will be wider for managers who are forced to bear the burden of indirect cost allocations generated by other... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

20 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

What’s Next for Japan

Vogel pointed to technical sectors, such as electronic games, as a sign that "Japan is a lot more creative than it is given credit for." It was impossible to discuss the role of business in Japan's recovery without discussing... View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

21 Dec 2015
Op-Ed

Without Immigrants, We Wouldn't Have Google

wealth with them. His parents’ primary assets were their talents, energies, and aspirations to have a better life for themselves and their children. So how did Brin reach a position to cofound Google in 1998? The US educational system... View Details

Keywords: by Shane Greenstein; Information Technology

18 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Open Innovation Contestants Build AI-Based Cancer Tool

potential problem and then solidified the relationship with Dr. Mak. We then identified and addressed regulatory and practical issues like consent, access to images, and annotation and development of the video teaching tool. LISH researchers specialize in atomizing... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

24 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 24

and resource-efficient development with the use of information and communication technologies to better manage complex urban systems. Book: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415893169/ Integrated Reporting Requires Integrated... View Details