Publications

September 2011
Article

Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women's Leadership Development Programs

By: Robin J. Ely, Herminia Ibarra and Deborah Kolb

We conceptualize leadership development as identity work and show how subtle forms of gender bias in the culture and in organizations interfere with the identity work of women leaders. Based on this insight, we revisit traditional approaches to standard leadership... View Details

Keywords: Programs; Prejudice and Bias; Leadership Development; Identity; Organizational Culture; Gender

November 2007 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Haier Hefei Electronics Co. (A)

By: Lynn Sharp Paine

The Haier Group, the first mainland Chinese company to make the Financial Times list of Asia's "most admired companies," attributes its success in large measure to the new value system it has sought to instill throughout the organization. However, when Haier takes over... View Details

Keywords: Public Ownership; Business and Government Relations; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Ethics; Labor and Management Relations; Business or Company Management; Contracts; Electronics Industry; China

February 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Securicor Wireless Networks: February 1996

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Bill Wasik

Securicor Wireless (SWN) sold software products to wireless telephone carriers. The company was incorporated in January of 1995 as a 40%-owned subsidiary of Securicor Telesciences (STI), itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of British security giant Securicor PLC. Just... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Subsidiaries; Nationality; Business Conglomerates; Applications and Software; Mergers and Acquisitions; Organizational Culture; Business Startups; Business and Shareholder Relations; Technology Industry; United Kingdom; United States

14 Jun 2016
First Look

June 14, 2016

roles are uncertain, goals are shifting, expertise and organizational cultures are varied, and participants have clashing or even antagonistic perspectives. I have studied more than a dozen cross-industry... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 23, 2015

organizational units and corporations are likely to match the boundaries of underlying technological modules. (This correspondence is called "mirroring.") In this article, I explain the concept of modularity and describe how... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

How a Juicy Brand Came Back to Life

conclusion that many marketing professionals are likely to resist: There is a vital interplay between the challenge a brand faces and the culture of the corporation that owns it. When brand and culture fall... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton; Food & Beverage

17 Apr 2022
Book

How to Avoid the 'Ethical Slide' That Leads Companies Astray

Company managers have likely heard the old quip: Business ethics is a contradiction in terms. That’s because too often, business is viewed as a hard-hearted enterprise, driven by getting ahead at all costs, even if that means cutting ethical corners. But that attitude... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

08 Sep 2015
First Look

September 8, 2015

that exists at the top of organizational hierarchies. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49601 forthcoming Management Science Financing Risk and Innovation By: Nanda, Ramana, and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

03 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Layoffs Can Be Bad Business: 5 Strategies to Consider Before Cutting Staff

The pattern has become painfully predictable in recent years: As the economy shows signs of a slowdown, companies hand out layoff notices to stabilize profitability and calm investor fears. That cycle seems to be in place in the post-pandemic business world, as... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Telecommunications; Technology; Financial Services; Manufacturing

March 2018 (Revised June 2018)
Case

Knowledge Sharing at REMA 1000 (A)

By: Tatiana Sandino and Olivia Hull

A year after Norwegian grocery chain REMA 1000 adopted Workplace, Facebook’s enterprise social network, Chief Human Resource Officer Tore Høylie is asked to evaluate its impact on company culture and communication. Almost 90% of the workforce is engaged with the... View Details

Keywords: Social Network; Enterprise Social Media; Facebook; Workplace; Social and Collaborative Networks; Communication Technology; Performance Improvement; Organizational Culture; Knowledge Sharing; Social Media; Retail Industry; Norway

July 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Case

SIG Beverages (A)

SIG Beverages, a leading supplier of bottling and packaging systems for the beverage industry, has recognized an opportunity in providing services for its product end users. Management's challenge is to develop a service portfolio to address end users' needs, while... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Production; Service Delivery; Manufacturing Industry; Italy

29 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

How Companies Benefit When Employees Work Remotely

Companies that let their workers decide where and when to do their jobs—whether in another city or in the middle of the night—increase employee productivity, reduce turnover, and lower organizational costs, new research suggests.... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

03 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 3

modules in conjunction with the firm's organizational boundaries and property rights. Download working paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2512209 Markets with Price Coherence By: Edelman, Benjamin, and Julian Wright Abstract—In markets with... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

How Workplace Wellness Programs Can Give Employees the Energy Boost They Need

found that the “resource” most desired by respondents (31 percent) was a more open culture around mental health. In recent years, many workplace wellness programs have focused on ways to lower healthcare costs, but these programs haven’t... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson

Article

Why Sexual Harassment Persists and What Organizations Can Do to Stop It

By: Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg

Long before the #MeToo movement, the insidious effects of harassment were well known to organizational researchers. Women who are harassed often leave their jobs, taking valuable relationships, and potential out the door with them and creating the costly need to hire... View Details

Keywords: Work Environment; Sexual Harassment; Harassment; Organizational Culture; Gender; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change

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December 1999
Article

Changes in the Work Environment for Creativity during Downsizing

By: T. M. Amabile and Regina Conti

This study examined the work environment for creativity at a large high-technology firm before, during, and after a major downsizing. Creativity and most creativity-supporting aspects of the perceived work environment declined significantly during the downsizing but... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Situation or Environment; Creativity; Resignation and Termination; Employees; Business or Company Management; Motivation and Incentives; Management Practices and Processes; Crisis Management; Groups and Teams; Communication; Announcements; Interpersonal Communication