Publications

14 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance

expertise to improve the lives of children and youth of low-income families in the Washington, D.C., region. Morino is the author of Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity. Alnoor S. Ebrahim is an associate professor... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

May 2013
Case

Launching Krispy Natural: Cracking the Product Management Code

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Heather Beckham

Pemberton Products is a U.S. market leader in the cookie and bakery snacks segment of the sweet snack market. Looking to expand into the salty snack market, the company acquires Krispy Inc., a maker of salty snack crackers located in the southeastern U.S. To compete... View Details

Keywords: Analytics and Data Science; Competition; Organizational Culture; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Acquisition; Food and Beverage Industry; Ohio; United States

July 2012
Class Lecture

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work

By: Teresa M. Amabile

What really makes people happy, motivated, productive, and creative at work? Professor Amabile's research, based on analyzing nearly 12,000 daily diaries of team members working on collaborative projects, reveals some surprising answers. Inner work life—a person's... View Details

Keywords: Employee Motivation; Fostering Performance; Improving Creativity; The Importance Of Progress; Employee Attitude; Enhancing Work Life; Improving Productivity; Inner Work Life; Motivation and Incentives; Working Conditions; Creativity; Performance Productivity; Attitudes; Employees

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August 2021 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Fair Park Covid-19 Mass Vaccination Site (A)

By: Willy Shih

This case is an opportunity to apply the methods of the Toyota Production System (TPS) to the analysis of an everyday service application: administering Covid-19 vaccines. It describes the start-up of a drive-up Covid-19 mass vaccination site at the Texas State Fair... View Details

Keywords: Operations Improvement; Operations And Processes; Toyota Production System; COVID-19 Pandemic; Operations; Service Operations; Health Pandemics; Problems and Challenges; Goals and Objectives; Measurement and Metrics; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; United States; Texas

March 1995
Case

Procter & Gamble: Improving Consumer Value Through Process Redesign

The evolution of Procter & Gamble's development of efficient consumer response (ECR) involved a series of trials, a resolve to distribute diapers on the basis of product movement, a conscious effort to move to a new means of distribution across all lines, a first cut... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Customer Value and Value Chain; Consumer Products Industry

December 2018
Article

Improving Resilience Among Employees High in Depression, Anxiety, and Workplace Distress

By: Allison L. Williams, Acacia C. Parks, Grace Cormier, Julia Stafford and A.V. Whillans

Depression and anxiety are costly for both employees and employers, in terms of direct medical costs as well as costs stemming from lost productive time and missed days at work. Resilience training has been shown to improve workplace functioning for employees, which... View Details

Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; Engagement; Resilience; Presenteeism; Employee Engagement; Mental Health; Employees; Emotions; Health; Internet and the Web; Performance Productivity

Read Now

January 1982 (Revised November 1982)
Case

General Foods: Productivity Measurement Program

By: Robert H. Hayes and Kim B. Clark

Keywords: Performance Productivity; Performance Improvement; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

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05 Jul 2004
What Do You Think?

Work-Life: Is Productivity in the Balance?

Summing Up This month's column sought to pose a trade-off between improved work-life balance and productivity. In general, many among the large number of respondents rejected the notion. As Brian O'Leary put it, " ... finding a... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

13 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

The Problem with Productivity of Multi-Ethnic Teams

result.” Co-ethnic teams more productive As Pons and his co-researchers analyzed the data, however, they found a disturbing result about the ethnic makeup within teams. Those canvassing teams made up of two people of different ethnicities... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

16 Apr 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Can Biometric Tracking Improve Healthcare Provision and Data Quality? Experimental Evidence from Tuberculosis Control in India

Keywords: by Thomas Bossuroy, Clara Delavallade, and Vincent Pons; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

01 Nov 2021
What Do You Think?

How Long Does It Take to Improve an Organization’s Culture?

University (completed before the outset of the pandemic) concluded that a strong corporate culture fosters better execution, reduction in agency cost, and therefore, higher productivity and creativity. Of the many executives surveyed, 92... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

09 Mar 2016
Lessons from the Classroom

In This Classroom, Beer Can Improve Your Grade

simulations, but Strategic Brew stands alone in scope. All 940 first-year students play the game simultaneously as part of the required Strategy course. Roughly 40 faculty and project members manage and supervise the events. “It’s a View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Education; Food & Beverage

24 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

How Cost Accounting is Improving Healthcare in Rural Haiti

School. Originally used to measure product and services costs in manufacturing, finance, and retail, TDABC had more recently been used to analyze expenses in large American hospitals. The Haiti study was the first time the system had been... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

09 Aug 2017
Sharpening Your Skills

Productivity Tips You Probably Haven't Considered Before

Unexpected Breaks Let You Rest, but Not Lose Focus Work breaks are usually considered as a necessary evil—inevitable but nonproductive. This study shows that properly structured breaks maintaining employee attention can actually yield post-break View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

September 1986 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Solagen: Process Improvement in the Manufacture of Gelatin at Kodak

By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Brian DeLacey

Kodak must decide whether to make a major investment in a production facility designed around a new technique for producing the gelatin critical to so many film and paper products. Currently, gelatin making is an arcane art, unchanged in 150 years and heavily dependent... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Buildings and Facilities; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Experience and Expertise; Engineering; Investment; Time Management; Production; Research and Development; Semiconductor Industry

08 Jan 2014
What Do You Think?

Do Productivity Increases Contribute to Social Inequality?

Summing Up Does Social Equality Improve Productivity? Inequality in our society is an important and growing issue. It prompted a debate among respondents to this month's column about the causes, specifically the role played by innovation... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

August 1994 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd. (A): Cost Management for Short Life Cycle Products

Explores Olympus Optical's strategic response to major losses in its camera business. Key to Olympus's recovery were its extensive product planning process, a quality improvement program, and an aggressive cost-reduction program. In particular, the case details... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Product Design; Business Strategy; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry

23 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Product Disasters Can Be Fertile Ground for Innovation

to improve their products along with safety for their customers. About the Author Michael Blanding is a writer based in Boston. [Image: JohnnyGreig] Related Reading The Hard Work of Failure Analysis At... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

August 2021 (Revised February 2023)
Supplement

Fair Park Covid-19 Mass Vaccination Site (B)

By: Willy Shih

This case is an opportunity to apply the methods of the Toyota Production System (TPS) to the analysis of an everyday service application: administering Covid-19 vaccines. It describes the start-up of a drive-up Covid-19 mass vaccination site at the Texas State Fair... View Details

Keywords: Operations Management; Operations Improvement; Operations And Processes; Toyota Production System; COVID-19 Pandemic; Operations; Service Operations; Health Pandemics; Service Delivery; Problems and Challenges; Goals and Objectives; Measurement and Metrics; Health Industry; United States