probability - Publications - Faculty & Research

10 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Homers: Secrets on the Factory Floor

A factory worker uses company time and materials to fashion a lamp he will take home for personal use—an artifact called a "homer." The practice is probably illegal and clearly against written company policy. If discovered, the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing

01 Oct 2018
News

Learning About Leadership

you learn what senior leadership behaviors don't work. “One thing that really didn't work was company leaderships that over-promised and under-delivered––every business has risks––and company managements that feel comfortable and are View Details

Keywords: Finance

06 Apr 2016
What Do You Think?

As Tim Cook, How Would You Tackle Apple's Next Challenge?

advising that rewarding hackers was probably an economic alternative, “... all Apple has to do is be better than the next best alternative at a price that’s economically justified in the buyer’s ... mind.” Dolembo commented that “...... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer

17 Feb 2016
Research & Ideas

Man vs. Machine: Which Makes Better Hires?

making in their hiring decisions, but they are probably not intentionally hiring applicants they know won’t be as good at the job. “My sense is that managers are probably doing their best to hire the people... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Employment

01 Mar 2003
News

Waxing Philosophical

(Johnson showed it at his 50th HBS reunion.) Alcoholism afflicts 5 to 10 percent of the general population, a figure that experts say is probably higher among CEOs. That’s attributable to the greater levels of stress and work-related... View Details

Portrait Project

Sylvia Ko

physical constraints. My family could not afford travel, but I explored places you probably never heard of. I was on bed rest, but I led armies to conquer empires. My peers on the playground teased me for having “squinty eyes and yellow... View Details

27 Oct 2016
News

Pathfinder

exception. The difference is that the Pittsburgh native has been with BCG for 28 years and counting, rising to president and CEO in January 2013. “I feel like I’ve been able...to work with some of the best companies in the world on these incredibly hard problems...and... View Details

25 Feb 2016
Blog Post

Dealing with FOMO at HBS

with friends and exercise) and the sand they’re getting displaced by (spending too much time on cases and checking my email). Now I have a way to prioritize what I need to say yes and no to. I will never say no to dinner with friends because I have to read cases, I’ll... View Details

05 May 2011
Research & Ideas

How ‘Political Voice’ Empowers the Powerless

sorts, on an epic scale. “If you have a local leader who is from your social category, you are probably more likely to approach him or her for help.” As Harvard Business School professor Lakshmi Iyer and her colleagues discovered, it's... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

22 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

The Hedge Fund as Activist

these firms will soon be acquired at a sizable premium, and the involvement of the activist increases the probability that this will happen. Thus, hedge funds are better at identifying undervalued companies, locating potential acquirers... View Details

Keywords: by Robin Greenwood; Financial Services

Portrait Project

Paul Sternhell

School, I probably would have laughed. Maybe it's the inspiration I get from reading cases about HBS alumni who have gone on to found Staples or turn around Sears, but right now I feel that I can do anything. I will start right away, by... View Details

01 Mar 2018
News

Ask the Expert: Disaster Master

something new, which shows that you can’t create a computerized system with all the answers, not yet. There are human factors and emotions involved beyond the probability statistics. But that’s what makes this work fascinating—otherwise... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

05 Oct 2021
News

Growing Latino Buying Power

years.” Perez goes on to say that Avance is still early to this trend. “If you look at the Latino market, probably less than a fraction of one percent of the capital is focused on it,” he says. “So I think we have a ways to go. But the... View Details

Portrait Project

Eduardo Weinstein

It was a perfect day. I was traveling through Peru's valleys, and in my train car there was a group of more than 30 elderly friends — men and women in their 70s. They knew that it would probably be the last time that all of them would... View Details

08 Mar 2019
News

A Passionate Patron and Collector

HBS MBA, and how the arts factored into his academic experience. “When I was 3, 4 years old, I would draw and paint,” Van Lee tells the interviewer. “In elementary school, I was in the glee club. In high school, I was in speech and drama. The performing arts and visual... View Details

23 Mar 2016
Research & Ideas

Researchers Prove C-Suite Gender Gap—but Can’t Explain It

that male and female executives sharing equal attributes neither have the same probability of reaching the top, nor are they paid equally” The worse news is there doesn’t seem to be much women can do to close that gap—no matter how... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

01 Jun 2025
News

Sound Bites: Joy to the World

can ask, How can we do “plus one”? What are the ways in which our work is already supporting relationships, supporting purpose, mindfulness, fitness? And then, what are the nudges that we could add, to continue to move that forward? We View Details

10 Feb 2016
News

Helping Young African MBAs Go Home

sharing information on what to expect.” YAM is an asset to companies that want to recruit from the diaspora of African talent that has gone to the US. “Now people reach out to us to recruit,” he says. “Every month we send out a newsletter, and in each one we View Details

27 Oct 2017
News

Unlocking Potential

dehumanizing, ugly, and dark places. If you tried to imagine the worst place possible to put someone, that’s probably what you would come up with.” Reset’s first residential program facility in Berkeley, California, opened last year with... View Details

07 Jul 2016
News

Rescuing Fresh Food to End Hunger in Australia

Australia’s largest supermarket chains, as evidence of success. The grocery giant makes weekly food donations from 550 of its stores and enjoys significant employee engagement. “What we do with Coles is the best example in Australia—and View Details

Publications