Learning By Thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

02 Jan 2013
What Do You Think?

Should We Rethink the Promise of Teams?

benefit from it, we are discussing a hostage situation." Limits to the use of teams in the innovation process were suggested by Adetola, who commented that "in the field of technology/science and other spheres where deep disruptive... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

04 Jan 2017
What Do You Think?

How Much Bureaucracy is a Good Thing in Government and Business?

Summing Up: Are Bureaucracies Worth Improving? Several messages emerge from responses to this month’s column on the worthiness of bureaucracies. In general, there is a wide range of thinking about the value of bureaucracies and work done... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett

07 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

When Celebrity ‘Crypto-Influencers’ Rake in Cash, Investors Lose Big

coins and tokens—payments they often fail to disclose. Unfortunately for retail investors, following online crypto advice, especially from self-described “experts,” has the potential to bring significant financial losses, according to new research View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

07 Aug 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t Americans Get Health Care Right?

anything, can we learn from solutions implemented by other countries? For example, should Americans have a public option? What else? What do you think? To read more: N. Gregory Mankiw, "The Pitfalls of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

21 Jul 2021
Research & Ideas

What Does an ESG Score Really Say About a Company?

Receiving more information can clarify the complex, but not when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores. A recent study shows that the more information a company discloses about its ESG practices, the more rating agencies disagree on how well... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

11 Dec 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Three Perspectives on Team Learning: Outcome Improvement, Task Mastery, and Group Process

Keywords: by Amy C. Edmondson, James R. Dillon & Kathryn S. Roloff

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Enron’s Lessons for Managers

tragedy and a point of departure for thinking more carefully about the institutions humans have created to organize our economic lives, according to Salter. In a wide-ranging talk with Harvard Business School alumni on June 4, weeks... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

17 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

of the University of Texas-Austin and Amit Seru of Stanford Graduate School of Business. A spate of alleged fraud by Wells Fargo has highlighted a dirty little secret in the financial industry: Misconduct by... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

August 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

C3.ai—Driven to Succeed

By: Robert Simons and George Gonzalez

CEO Tom Siebel navigates his artificial intelligence (ai) startup through a series of pivots, market expansions, and even an elephant attack to become a leading platform ad service provider. The case describes his unusual management approach emphasizing employee... View Details

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20 Mar 2017
Book

Why Companies Are Placing Users at the Core of Their Innovation Strategies

during a symposium celebrating von Hippel’s 70th birthday. Those papers—many of them written by von Hippel’s former students and colleagues—became the bones of the book Revolutionizing Innovation: Users, Communities, and Open Innovation,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

18 Oct 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Venture Capital’s Disconnect with Clean Tech

MBA students often fall into one of two categories—those hungry to rush into careers as venture capitalists, and those eager to found a venture-funded start-up. For all of them, Harvard Business School professor Joseph Lassiter has some intriguing advice: Spend a few... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities; Financial Services

17 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

‘Chick Beer’ for Women? Why Gender Marketing Repels More Than Sells

considered if the company hadn’t hyped their gender, according to a study by Harvard Business School. Why do these gender appeals alienate the very audience they aim to attract? People resist being categorized—or made to feel like they... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

21 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Missing the Wave in Ship Transport

industry: dry bulk carriers, which primarily carry iron ore, coal, and grains; cargo ships, run by companies like Maersk that rent container space; and fuel tankers. In 2011, Dry bulk ships made up about 40 percent of the shipping... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Transportation

30 May 2018
What Do You Think?

Should Intellectual Property be Protected in International Trade?

Summing Up Does IP Ownership Belong in International Trade Deals? Intellectual property (IP) regulation remains an active issue in trade negotiations between the China and the United States. The most straightforward element of the negotiation—US attempts to reduce its... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

25 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

abilities, likely from a very young age,” Coffman says. “Until we can change these stereotypes, it’s essential to think about how we can better inoculate individuals from biases induced by stereotypes,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

09 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Moving From Bean Counter to Game Changer

complicated high-risk operations. In discussing the March earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan (a "Black Swan" event, as risk managers call any surprise event that has a major impact and is rationalized by hindsight), Mikes sees a crucial... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Banking

18 Nov 2009
HBS Case

Customer Feedback Not on elBulli’s Menu

six months that elBulli, his restaurant, is open. The world is beating a path to Chef Ferran Adrià's door, but why? "Creativity comes first; then comes the customer," he has said. So what can HBS students learn about marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Food & Beverage

01 Dec 2006
What Do You Think?

How Important Is Quality of Labor? And How Is It Achieved?

is to assume that quality of labor is genetic ." Flavius Chircu said, "I would simplify the analysis by substituting 'quality of labor' with 'quality of output,' be that output a product, service, or mix thereof." In Sneh... View Details

Keywords: by by Jim Heskett

07 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Effective Leaders Share the Spotlight with Their Teams

impact on both employees and companies, new research shows. In fact, managers who elevate others like Bradway did are more likely to hold on to valued employees, according to a study by Yuan Zou, assistant professor of business... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

01 Feb 2012
What Do You Think?

Is Support for Small Business Misplaced?

Summing Up Do Concerns About Job Creation By Small Businesses Miss The Point? Judging from responses to this month's column, there appears to be a visceral reaction to any suggestion that small business fails to live up to the many... View Details