Publications

October 2020 (Revised November 2023)
Case

COVID-19 Testing at Everlywell

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Olivia Hull

In March 2020, as COVID-19 spreads rapidly across the U.S., Everlywell founder Julia Cheek considers how to respond as a small start-up specializing in at-home lab testing. After making dramatic budget cuts, she decides to pivot the organization to address the... View Details

November 2024 (Revised July 2025)
Case

Polish Agro: Where Do We Grow From Here?

By: Willy C. Shih, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

By July 2024, Polish Agro had grown into one of Poland’s fastest-growing agribusinesses, with €230 million in revenue, 82 employees, and operations across Northern Poland. The company supported farmers with essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds,... View Details

05 Apr 2021
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t More Leaders Teach?

on longer term leadership development.” The growth of remote work resulting from the global pandemic has affected both the importance and nature of middle management. Esther Derby asserts that the “role for middle managers is more... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

23 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

This Crisis Loan Program Preserved Jobs—and Made Money

Pandemic Coverage from Around Harvard and Beyond COVID-19 Business Impact Center (Harvard Business School) How to Manage Coronavirus Layoffs with Compassion (Harvard Business Review) Organizational Responses to COVID-19 and Climate... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

June 2024
Case

SnapTravel: Betting on 'Super.com'

By: Reza Satchu and Tom Quinn

This case explores SnapTravel, a travel startup offering discounted hotel rooms, and its founders’ desire to pivot to a “super app” that saved customers money across many different purchase types. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hussein Fazal and Henry Shi saw SnapTravel... View Details

March 2009
Teaching Note

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll: The MTV Approach to Tackling HIV/AIDS (TN)

By: Tarun Khanna, Sonali R. Bloom and David E. Bloom

Teaching Note for [709429]. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Emerging Markets; Health Pandemics; Announcements; Social Issues; Customers; For-Profit Firms; Business Strategy; Infrastructure; Multinational Firms and Management; Music Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Africa

04 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Tech Hubs: How Software Brought Talent and Prosperity to New Cities

note. Fold in the recent rise of remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the question arises: Has the trend peaked? Tech history as told by patents To look at the trends, Kerr and Chattergoon examined detailed filings from the US... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

October 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Supplement

Michael Ku and Global Clinical Supply at Pfizer Inc.: Bringing Hope to Patients (C)

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards

This case is the third installment in a series about the 10-year cultural and digital transformation of Pfizer’s Global Clinical Supply organization. In 2011, Michael Ku became Pfizer’s Vice President of Global Clinical Supply (GCS) after the company had undergone... View Details

Keywords: Clinical Supply Chain; COVID-19; Vaccine; Agile; Innovation and Invention; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Leadership; Corporate Strategy; Health Pandemics; Crisis Management; Mission and Purpose; Health Care and Treatment; Supply Chain Management; Digital Transformation

19 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

Global Talent, Local Obstacles: Why Time Zones Matter in Remote Work

2017, well before the COVID-19 pandemic increased remote work. “Two individuals have the same job and are doing the exact same kind of work. The only thing that changed is the temporal distance.” First, the team explored how being in... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

22 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

When Will the Hot Housing Market Finally Start to Cool?

problem. In a number of major, competitive markets, whether it’s San Francisco or LA or New York or even Boston, during the pandemic many people did leave. Boise, Idaho, had the strongest appreciation of any housing market in the United... View Details

Keywords: by Christine Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

04 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

Worried About the Great Resignation? Be a Good Company to Come From

exodus. Generational expectations about what makes a good job are changing, employees are fatigued from the year-long pandemic and there are labor shortages everywhere. Employees have had the time and space to think about what really... View Details

Keywords: by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta

20 Jul 2020
Op-Ed

It's Time for a Bipartisan Health Plan for Employers and Employees

The recent twin economic and pandemic calamities should cause us to rethink the status quo for health insurance compensation. Must General Motors be a benefits company that happens to make cars? Is it in the best interest of employees if... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger and Richard J. Boxer; Health; Insurance

01 Nov 2024
In Practice

Layoffs Surging in a Strong Economy? Advice for Navigating Uncertain Times

Management Practice in the General Management Unit at HBS. Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss: Managers, it’s story time The tech sector continues to shed workers after hiring prodigiously during the demand peaks of pandemic living, a shift... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology; Information Technology

29 Apr 2020
Book

The Key to Powerful Social Change: Small Villages

Who will solve the great problems facing humanity, a list of critical issues that only begins with the current pandemic? In the interview below, Rosabeth Moss Kanter discusses her recent book, Think Outside the Building, and her view that solutions are most likely to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

16 Aug 2024
In Practice

Election 2024: What's at Stake for Business and the Workplace?

viewpoint bullying and cancel culture incidents. Forgive. Give second chances. This is hard work—and great training in leadership. Leaders regularly reach back to the pandemic when asked about a time when they believe they managed trust... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

May 2025 (Revised June 2025)
Supplement

Michael Ku and Global Clinical Supply at Pfizer Inc.: Bringing Hope to Patients (D)

By: Linda A. Hill and Lydia Begag

This fourth installment in the Pfizer Global Clinical Supply (GCS) transformation case series highlights how over a decade of cultural and digital evolution positioned GCS to meet unprecedented global challenges. In 2011, Michael Ku became the Vice President of GCS and... View Details