Customer Transparency - Publications - Faculty & Research

30 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

The Upside of Highlighting a Product's Downsides

their products and downplay risks, fearing that any negative sentiment might hurt demand. But research led by Ryan W. Buell, a professor in the HBS Technology and Operations Management Unit, and doctoral student MoonSoo Choi found that warts-and-all View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

16 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Advancing Black Talent: From the Flight Ramp to 'Family-Sustaining' Careers at Delta

Keyra Lynn Johnson. “The frontline perspective can give management important insight into the employee experience and what customers really want from the airline.” Delta has reclassified most jobs that had previously required a degree and... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Air Transportation

14 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Curiosity, Not Coding: 6 Skills Leaders Need in the Digital Age

leaders trying to recalibrate: 1. Be a catalyst, not a planner In the digital era, companies face a more dynamic competitive environment: key competitors are no longer the usual suspects, and customer and stakeholder expectations continue... View Details

Keywords: by Linda A. Hill, Ann Le Cam, Sunand Menon, and Emily Tedards; Technology

23 Nov 2021
Book

What It Takes to Build an Organizational Culture That Wins

with a major competitive advantage, allowing for higher employee and customer engagement and loyalty, all of which translate into greater growth and profits. Although many business leaders are aware of these benefits, too few are focused... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

04 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Navigating Consumer Data Privacy in an AI World

Harnessing customer data well is central to any modern business, as is earning consumers’ trust that their information will stay private. With data breaches growing more common, regulations are tightening across the globe to bolster... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology; Information Technology

14 Nov 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

video. These results suggest a phenomenon of desensitization or habituation of victims to crime exposure. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53446 Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency By:... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

07 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovation Corrupted: How Managers Can Avoid Another Enron

officer Ken Lay made him president of Enron's new trading operations. In 2001, Skilling was named CEO. Before 1997, Enron was an innovative and profitable player in the newly deregulated natural gas industry. Skilling's big idea was to create fluid and View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Energy; Utilities

17 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

If the CEO’s High Salary Isn't Justified to Employees, Firm Performance May Suffer

employees’ lives better in some way.” Related Reading: Why a Federal Rule on CEO Pay Disclosure May Get You In Trouble With Customers Will Transparency in CEO Compensation Have Unintended Consequences?... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

21 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

People Trust Business, But Expect CEOs to Drive Social Change

Public trust in business remains relatively unshaken amid economic turbulence and a lingering pandemic, even as faith in the media and government falters, but leaders could do more to address social issues, a new global opinion survey shows. However, not everyone... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

05 Jul 2012
What Do You Think?

Why Is Trust So Hard to Achieve in Management?

organization's management team can do is be transparent (and) persistently continue open conversation and not expect to be perfect." Karl Hunrick suggested that we need to employ more managers willing to take risk, because... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

30 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 30

Transparency By: Mohan, Bhavya, Ryan W. Buell, and Leslie K. John Abstract—A firm's costs are typically tightly guarded secrets. However, across six laboratory experiments and a field study we identify when and why firms benefit from... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

make raising restaurant employee wages nearly impossible absent increased menu prices, which customers hard hit by the crisis are likely to reject. "The most important thing we are all facing is really the confidence and comfort that... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

21 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 21

Campaign and the Upside of CEO Activism By: Chatterji, Aaron, and Michael Toffel Abstract—When Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz asked his baristas to engage customers in a discussion about race in America, it was a clear case of the growing... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel & Sean Silverthorne

28 Feb 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Master the Team Meeting

particular direction and, if so, take time to discuss. People feeling really up? Share why! People feeling down? How can we work together to make things better? This simple, transparent way of sharing how the team is feeling is a great... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

12 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 12, 2019

study how transparency into the levels and changes of relative sustainability performance affects consumer choices. Our work considers two forms of transparency: process transparency, in which customers... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

16 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

clear instructions about what they can do, and designing transparency into why their partnership will make a positive difference for everyone involved, business leaders can improve interactions among their View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

22 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

Can Amazon Remake Health Care?

Investors and market watchers noted Amazon’s less-than-stellar forays into health care, while privacy advocates raised concerns about Amazon’s access to patient medical data. Still others have voiced hopes Amazon will bring much-needed efficiencies and improved View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Health

14 Oct 2021
In Practice

Reunited and It Feels (Not) So Good: Tips for Managing a Rocky Return

requests out of concern for having to meet everyone’s demands. Sharing information allows employees who didn’t know they could have flexibility, gain it. Transparency can help increase fairness and reduce the burden on many employees who... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

11 May 2016
Research & Ideas

Fix This! Why is it so Painful to Buy a New Car?

fix it. Avery is an expert on customer relationships and brand management. Schlesinger, the Baker Foundation Professor in the General Management Unit, has co-written several books on service management. Buell studies service operations... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Auto

05 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 5

PublicationsThe Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value Authors:Ryan W. Buell and Michael I. Norton Publication:Management Science (forthcoming) Abstract A ubiquitous feature of even the fastest... View Details