Publications

Research Summary

Of Measurement and Mission: Accounting for Performance in Non-Governmental Organizations

By: Debora L. Spar

As members of civil society NGOs would seem to have a built-in proclivity towards representation: towards working on behalf of some group of people, or toward some specific goal. Yet in practice such moments of accountability are rare. Unlike other social agents,... View Details

November 2004
Case

Technology Commercialization at the Massachusetts General Hospital

The Department of Corporate Sponsored Research & Licensing (CSRL) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) serves as the primary interface between the hospital and the private sector. Examines the range of issues related to the commercialization of MGH's... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Conflict of Interests; Commercialization; Higher Education; Health Care and Treatment; Education Industry; Health Industry; Massachusetts

August 2007 (Revised June 2008)
Case

The Lapdesk Company: A South African FOPSE

Shane Immelman, founding CEO of Lapdesk (South Africa), is facing several acute problems: a conflict between his director of marketing and his director of field operations; a dramatic increase in prices by a key supplier; and a major strategic alliance that does not... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; For-Profit Firms; Entrepreneurship; Problems and Challenges; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Education Industry; South Africa

03 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 3

with moderately popular blogs and seem to persist after participants enroll in the program. Working Papers Social Comparisons and Deception Across Workplace Hierarchies: Field and Experimental Evidence By: Edelman, Benjamin, and Ian... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don't Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories

numbers, but by natural language, by stories.” The human mind’s love of stories over statistics can have serious implications that go beyond the question of the best approach for leaders. The preference for anecdote over stats can fuel misinformation on View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

06 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Renewable Energy: Winds at Our Back?

When American energy entrepreneur Jim Gordon envisioned the first offshore wind farm lining the horizon a few miles off the coast of the eastern United States, he perhaps did not factor in blowback from almost every angle. Gordon's nearly 10-year battle to gain... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

2009
Book

Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools

By: Stacey M. Childress, Dennis Doyle and David A. Thomas

Leading for Equity tells the compelling story of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools and its transformation—in less than a decade—into a system committed to breaking the links between race and class and academic achievement. In chapters organized around six... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Education; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Social Issues

May 1998 (Revised January 1999)
Case

Japan: "Free, Fair, and Global?"

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Stephen E. Lynagh

In April 1998, Prime Minister Hashimoto faced serious problems, both with his program of six systemic reforms and with his fiscal policy. Japan had been in effective recession for six years, unable to retain the miracle-growth achieved in earlier decades. Hashimoto has... View Details

Keywords: Sovereign Finance; Development Economics; Social Issues; Policy; Economy; Government Administration; Financial Crisis; Japan

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

[This is the fourth installment in a monthly series on management issues in the time of COVID-19.] “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

February 2007
Case

Paul Robertson and the Medici String Quartet

Describes the approach to creative collaboration and leadership adopted by Paul Robertson as leader of one of the most highly regarded string quartets in recent history. Intended to prompt a discussion of a variety of issues surrounding management of creative... View Details

Keywords: Management; Creativity; Groups and Teams; Music Entertainment; Music Industry

13 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 13

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/download.aspx?name=14-107.pdf The Contaminating Effects of Building Instrumental Ties: How Networking Can Make Us Feel Dirty By: Casciaro, Tiziana, Francesca Gino, and Maryam Kouchaki Abstract—To create View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 17

under the Rug: How Unethical Actions Lead to Forgetting of Moral Rules Authors:Lisa L. Shu and Francesca Gino Publication:Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (in press) Abstract Dishonest behavior can have various psychological... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

July 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (A)

By: Nour Kteily, Deepak Malhotra and David Lane

As founders of the software company Basecamp, Jason Fried and David H. Hansson were used to being the subjects of social media attention. Both maintained active and dedicated Twitter followings for their unique perspectives on management and life. But on April 26,... View Details

06 Sep 2016
First Look

September 6, 2016

between portfolio choice and return realizations. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51573 In Press Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Risky Business: When Humor Increases and Decreases Status By:... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

2022
Book

Democratize Work: The Case for Reorganizing the Economy

By: Isabelle Ferreras, Julie Battilana and Dominique Méda

What happens to a society—and a planet—when capitalism outgrows democracy? The tensions between democracy and capitalism are longstanding, and they have been laid bare by the social effects of COVID-19. The narrative of “essential workers” has provided thin cover for... View Details

Keywords: Democratic Capitalism; Essential Workers; Sustainability; Equality and Inequality; Climate Change; Social Issues

September 2018
Teaching Note

The Reputation of the 'World's Most Prestigious Award': The Nobel Prize

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Mats Urde

A comprehensive treatment of classroom use of the case on issues affecting the reputation of the Nobel Prize (9-919-401). These encompass a global outreach initiative, the variety of entities that speak for the Prizes, the impact of new high-value awards, and a... View Details

Keywords: Nobel Prize; Reputation; Brands and Branding

October 2007
Article

Grist: A Strategic Approach to Climate

By: Michael E. Porter and Forest Reinhardt

Climate change will affect everything businesses do, as government efforts to mitigate carbon emissions cause their prices to rise steeply. This special edition of Forethought takes a hard-nosed look at the risks and opportunities of climate change. Michael E. Porter... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Leadership; Logistics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Improvement; Climate Change; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy