Mission - Publications - Faculty & Research

09 May 2017
What Do You Think?

Should Management Be Primarily Responsible to Shareholders?

Shareholder value is easy to measure. Agency theory simplifies the mission for managers; they need only serve one primary master. Theorists have been hard-put to come up with notions as easy to understand and implement. Now, Friedman’s... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

22 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

10 Reasons to Design a Better Corporate Culture

them. The result of all this is "the best serving the best," or as Ritz-Carlton's mission states, "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." This self-reinforcing source of operating leverage must be managed... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser & Joe Wheeler

13 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 13

independent films, including those not supported by the Sundance Labs. Thirty years after Sundance was founded, its top management team wonders whether the mission of Sundance would be best served by increasing and improving the supply of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Dec 2023
News

A More Accommodating Approach

mission to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” Recent Additions to the Executive Education Portfolio During the past two years, HBS Executive Education has introduced new content and delivery modes into its portfolio of... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

May 2011
Article

The Power of Small Wins

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer

What is the best way to motivate employees to do creative work? Help them take a step forward every day. In an analysis of knowledge workers' diaries, the authors found that nothing contributed more to a positive inner work life (the mix of emotions, motivations, and... View Details

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26 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Why Japanese Businesses Are So Good at Surviving Crises

soon after the earthquake hit: “If help is needed, then help. Don’t worry about profits.” Kigawa, who believed it was Yamato’s social mission to restore services as quickly as possible, managed to resume deliveries 10 days after the earth... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Sep 2023
News

Startup Success Beyond Silicon Valley

gain at HBS, in general, and in this course, in particular, students will be uniquely positioned to help transform their countries,” he says. “That’s a powerful way to deliver on HBS’s mission to educate leaders who will make a difference... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Mele

2021
Book

The Heart of Business—Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism

By: Hubert Joly and Caroline Lambert

A remarkable turnaround by a leader with a remarkable philosophy: Find your noble purpose. Put people at the center. Unleash human magic.
"It was fall in Minnesota. It was getting cold and we were supposed to die." This is how Hubert Joly describes the early,... View Details

Keywords: Capitalism; Leadership; Mission and Purpose; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Leading Change

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20 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

The Three Types of Leaders Who Create Radical Change

lacking a remedy to offer. Among innovators: tunnel vision—failing to consider the negative implications of a proposed solution, and impractical elegance—proposing a solution that looks great on a computer screen but is virtually impossible to orchestrate. Among... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

2022
Book

Purpose + Profit: How Business Can Lift Up the World

By: George Serafeim

The roadmap and best practices to reap the enormous value that can emerge when your business prioritizes social and environmental goals—such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability—right alongside the pursuit of profit.

We not only... View Details

Keywords: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Profitability; Business And Society; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Value Creation; Organizational Change and Adaptation

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09 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Location, Location, Location: The Strategy of Place

telecommunications venture initially forayed into Japan on a learning expedition to better understand the country's sophisticated consumers, but was soon captivated by the established market. The exploratory mission quickly morphed into... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

09 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

It’s Time to Reset Decision-Making in Your Organization

organizations use AARs selectively given the significant amount of resources required to do them well. AARs should also focus on areas that are mission critical for the greatest payoff. They offer four fundamentals of the AAR process: the... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

Web

Teacher Profiles - Case Method Project

School Hillsdale, NJ WI Jackie Jecha New Berlin MiddleHigh School New Berlin, WI TN Kristi Jeffers Powell High School Powell, TN NC Tripp Jeffers Parkland High School Winston Salem, NC MA Eric Jeffords New Mission Collegiate Academy... View Details

21 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

You Don’t Have to Quit Your Job to Find More Meaning in Life

may be around what counts as impact,” De Freitas says, noting that managers need to communicate the organization’s higher mission so that they can clarify an employee’s role in achieving it. It doesn’t take much to live a life with more... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta

20 Oct 2023
News

Highlights from the Fall 2023 Alumni Board Meeting

perception of capitalism; the deep mission of the School; and how he views competitors in the marketplace. Asked to close with a few takeaways that could help guide Alumni Board members as they communicate with the rest of the alumni... View Details

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Events | Social Enterprise

change. Apr 16 April 16, 2026 Executive Education: Driving Nonprofit Performance and Innovation–Virtual For nonprofit leaders, this live, online Executive Education program explores how to align mission and strategy through performance... View Details

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Our Values | About

time to recommit to our mission with a sense of urgency and purpose. All the best and kindest regards, Srikant Datar This message was distributed to the Harvard Business School community. View Details

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Social Enterprise - Faculty & Research

Environmental Sustainability ; Green Technology ; Financial Strategy ; Investment Funds ; Investment Portfolio ; Institutional Investing ; Corporate Accountability ; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact ; Mission and Purpose ;... View Details

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Curriculum - Business & Environment

Gona: Great Farm Key concepts: Agricultural Development, Strategy, Nigeria Iberdrola: Leading the Energy Revolution Tesla in 2024: Holding on to the EV Lead? What IKEA Do We Want? Key concepts: Business models, Customer relationship management, Disruptive innovation,... View Details

January–February 2023
Article

Rethink Your Employee Value Proposition: Offer Your People More Than Just Flexibility

By: Mark Mortensen and Amy C. Edmondson

A lot of leaders believe that the formula for attracting and keeping talent is simple: Just ask people what they want and give it to them. The problem is, that approach tends to address only the material aspects of jobs that are top of employees’ minds at the moment,... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Retention; Recruitment; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Satisfaction

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