Publications

28 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: The Good Struggle: Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

prepare a force for the first engagement with the enemy and little more. It is no coincidence that some entrepreneurs today echo Clausewitz's observation and say the purpose of a business plan is to prepare a new organization for its... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph L. Badaracco

03 Feb 2020
What Do You Think?

Can an Organization Have Too Much 'Rebel Talent'?

pot, “we need to channel the energy through coaching to effectively use the energy.” Shann Turnbull commented that rebel talent often encounters the real problem: us. As he put it, “humans, like all other social creatures, are hardwired... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Profile

Cherian Kurien

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? For me the purpose of an MBA is to develop and refine one's political, economic and social worldview, by debating, listening to and understanding the views... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products; Retail

23 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

In Venture Capital, Birds of a Feather Lose Money Together

had affected the outcomes of the portfolio companies in the study. (For the purposes of the paper, a successful outcome was defined as one in which a company eventually filed for an initial public offering.) They found that the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

October 1999 (Revised October 2000)
Case

Women's World Banking: Catalytic Change Through Networks

By: James E. Austin and Susan Hamerling

Describes the evolution of Women's World Banking, an international microfinance nonprofit promoting financial access for poor women. Explores the organization's development of different types of networks to achieve its mission. View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; History; Networks; Microfinance; Nonprofit Organizations; Gender; Growth and Development Strategy

May 1999 (Revised December 2007)
Case

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Development Strategy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

Despite revenues in excess of $93 million in 1998, world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute constantly faces an operating shortfall and looks to its highly successful development office to help cover the deficit. The development office raises money annually (with a... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Capital; Revenue; Growth and Development Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Nonprofit Organizations

November 2024
Background Note

Nonprofit Governance: Some Basics

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

This background note discusses basics about the prevalence, purpose, and unique legal, governance and regulatory dynamics of nonprofits and their boards of directors. The note describes both similarities and differences between for-profit and non-profit governance,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Leadership; Mission and Purpose; Nonprofit Organizations; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Governing and Advisory Boards; United States

07 Jun 2019
Book

Are You a Digital Manager?

to thrive today, managers need to make sure team members can have an impact on an organization whose purpose they deeply care about. Lagace: You’ve spoken recently about the importance of building ecosystems. What do you mean? Hill: For... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

07 Jun 2011
First Look

First Look: June 7

managing the operations of companies whose activities stretch across national boundaries. The purpose of this book is to provide a conceptual framework showing the interplay between the multinational corporation, the countries in which it... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Feb 2011
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles, Papers of the Decade

HBS Working Knowledge readers want it all, judging by our all-time most popular articles. Here you'll find stories on everything from maintaining a professional image to writing a business plan, from how to market on social media to why... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Apr 1999
News

Spirit at Work

HBS faculty members with various perspectives on the issue provide some insights on these questions. A Sense of Purpose "I see the movement to incorporate more of a spiritual feeling in business as a reflection of people's age-old need to... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso

01 Dec 2022
News

Educating, Connecting, and Mobilizing Around Climate Change

Seminar and Purpose and Profit: Creating Shared Value, and courses on sustainability are available through Harvard Business School Online. Another important aspect of the BEI’s work is fostering strong connections with and among the... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

March 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Aligning Mission and Margin at Southern Bancorp

By: Rebecca M. Henderson, Brian Trelstad and Eren Kuzucu

In October 2020, after spending almost a decade to turnaround Southern Bancorp, an Arkansan bank founded with the mission to provide financial services to rural, underserved communities, CEO Darrin Williams is wondering how Southern Bancorp should continue to grow.... View Details

Keywords: Racial Wealth Gap; Banks and Banking; Growth and Development; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Going Public; Investment Return; Social Issues; Wealth and Poverty; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States; Arkansas