Publications

September 2016
Article

Bounded Awareness: Implications for Ethical Decision Making

By: Max Bazerman and Ovul Sezer

In many of the business scandals of the new millennium, the perpetrators were surrounded by people who could have recognized the misbehavior, yet failed to notice it. To explain such inaction, management scholars have been developing the area of behavioral ethics and... View Details

Keywords: Ethics

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September 2014 (Revised December 2014)
Case

The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art

By: Mukti Khaire and Nancy Hua Dai

Since its opening in Beijing in November 2007 as the first non-profit art center in China, UCCA had been operating with the mission to "promote the continued development of the Chinese art scene, foster international exchange, and showcase the latest in art and culture... View Details

Keywords: Art World; Art Gallery; Art Market; Arts; Nonprofit Organizations; Entrepreneurship; China

October 2007 (Revised December 2008)
Case

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group: The Human Capital Strategy

By: Boris Groysberg and Eliot Sherman

Describes the development and implementation of one of the world's most advanced human resource management support systems. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a global banking leader that began implementing a strategy for measuring the impact of human capital on... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Human Resources; Human Capital; Management Systems; Measurement and Metrics; Performance Effectiveness; Strategy; Information Technology; Banking Industry

October 2007 (Revised November 2007)
Case

Barclays Global Investors and Exchange Traded Funds

By: Luis M. Viceira and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Provides an overview of the Exchange Traded Funds (EFT) industry and highlights the leadership role that Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has played in this developing asset class. BGI launched its first ETFs under the iShares brand name in 2000, and by mid-2007 BGI was... View Details

Keywords: History; Venture Capital; Asset Management; Stocks; Investment Funds; Leading Change; Expansion; Competitive Strategy; Capital Markets; Global Strategy; Financial Strategy; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Asia; Europe

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

22 Apr 2015
Op-Ed

Reforming Greece: Myths and Truths

both equity and fixed income claims increased significantly because of country risk premium. In the 2014 World Competitiveness Yearbook Ranking, conducted by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Greek business... View Details

Keywords: by George Serafeim

November 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Measuring True Value at Ambuja Cement

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Suraj Srinivasan and Namrata Arora

The case discusses the measurement of social and environmental impact at Ambuja Cements, one of India’s leading cement companies. Ambuja is a leader in CSR activities and is attempting to quantify its impact, both positive and negative, using the “True Value” framework... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Value; Measurement and Metrics; Framework; Cost vs Benefits

12 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

John Irving’s Lessons for Business

are you doing?' They loved listening to my stories. That's why I fell in love with storytelling and why I still love it so much." I believe that Irving's childhood home environment played an important role in developing his strong... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark & Martha Lagace

27 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

Corporate Values and Employee Cynicism

company was its values. But employees also said that the worst thing about the company was that the CEO had been, from their point of view, breaching the values that he himself had developed for the company. Unwittingly, even a committed... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2012
Book

Producing Prosperity: Why America Needs a Manufacturing Renaissance

By: Gary P. Pisano and Willy Shih

For years—even decades—in response to intensifying global competition, American companies decided to outsource their manufacturing operations in order to reduce costs. But we are now seeing the alarming long-term effect of those choices: in many cases, once... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Production; Competitive Advantage; Transformation; Innovation and Invention; Manufacturing Industry; United States

April 1992 (Revised July 1992)
Case

U.S. Robotics, Inc.

U.S. Robotics (USR) is a fast-growing $80 million computer communications company with the aggressive growth target of becoming a $500 million company by 1995. It is widely accepted as the technology leader in its market, and relies strongly on its ability to bring... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Computer Industry; Communications Industry; United States

13 Jul 2021
Blog Post

A View from the Horizon

Rene Jones, Chairman and CEO of M&T Bank, Harvard Business School, Summer Venture in Management (SVMP) alumnus 1985 In April, I was honored to join over 70 Black leaders from a variety of industries who signed a letter that supported... View Details

24 Jan 2024
Op-Ed

Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago

Boeing’s culture. The first was acquiring archrival McDonnell Douglas in 1997, a leader in military aviation with its fighter jets and Boeing’s major competitor in commercial aviation. In contrast to Boeing’s culture of engineering... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Air Transportation; Transportation; Aerospace

March 2018
Supplement

Amazon's HQ2 (B): Utah

By: Karen Mills, Manjari Raman and Jan W. Rivkin

This supplement describes how leaders in the Salt Lake City region of Utah organized themselves across sectors to prepare a proposal to host Amazon’s second headquarters. View Details

Keywords: Business Headquarters; Business and Government Relations; Development Economics; Utah

16 Jul 2024
Op-Ed

Corporate Boards Are Failing in Their No. 1 Duty

should be developing a half-dozen or more leaders who could be long-term CEO candidates. The ideal future CEO should be at least 10 years from the company’s typical retirement age, so they have sufficient... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

May–June 2018
Article

Structure That's Not Stifling: How to Give Your People Essential Direction—Without Shutting Them Down

By: Ranjay Gulati

Most leaders view employee freedoms and operational controls as antagonists in a tug-of-war. They tend to focus on regulating workers’ behavior, often putting a damper on commitment, innovation, and performance without realizing it. But freedom and control aren’t zero... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Mission and Purpose; Framework; Employee Relationship Management; Performance Effectiveness

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2011
Article

Top Executives Need Feedback: Here's How They Can Get It

By: Robert Steven Kaplan

As executives become more senior, they are less likely to receive constructive feedback on their performance or their strategy. To get it, they should call on their junior colleagues. The problem: subordinates don't want to offend the boss. Therefore, as executives... View Details

Keywords: Performance; Strategy; Networks; Decisions; Management Teams

February 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Shake Shack's Playbook for the Digital Era

By: Christopher Stanton, Allison Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

This case examines Shake Shack’s journey from a single New York City hot dog cart to a global fast-casual restaurant chain renowned for both premium quality and a culture of “enlightened hospitality.” As the company expands worldwide, it pilots digital ordering... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Satisfaction; Technology Adoption; Brands and Branding; Organizational Culture; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Digital Transformation; Food and Beverage Industry

September 2012
Article

The Unwanted Self: Projective Identification in Leaders' Identity Work

By: Gianpiero Petriglieri and Mark Stein

This paper employs a psychodynamic perspective to examine the development and maintenance of a leader's identity, building on the premise that such identity work involves both conscious and unconscious processes. We focus on the latter by suggesting that those in... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Identity

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