Publications

January 10, 2022
Article

The Secret Ingredient of Thriving Companies? Human Magic

By: Hubert Joly

The traditional corporate approach to motivating people has been a combination of carrots and sticks: a system of financial incentives designed to mobilize everyone around a plan designed by a few smart people at the top. Multiple studies have confirmed that, for any... View Details

Keywords: Meaning; Purpose; Organizational Culture; Employees; Motivation and Incentives; Performance

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12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Operations and the Competitive Edge

designing and managing an operations organization. The best way to do something depends critically on the characteristics and capabilities of your organization and the competitive context in which it finds... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 1980 (Revised August 1986)
Case

Progressive Corp.'s Divisionalization Decision (A)

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr.

Describes a company that is considering whether to establish an experimental division as a relatively independent profit center under a general manager. Data relevant to this decision include the company's strategy, markets, products, current structure, size, and the... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Decision Making; Data and Data Sets; Managerial Roles; Organizational Design; Situation or Environment

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Program

Senior Executive Program—Africa

to lead effectively and help your organization achieve ambitious goals. Design an effective strategy for business growth in an African context—within your country or across borders Differentiate your... View Details

10 Jan 2007
HBS Case

The Challenge of Managing National Security

private sector that, in highly turbulent environments, overly centralized organizations get overwhelmed by the informational burdens placed on them. So while it makes good political theater to give responsibility to a strongman or... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Service

April 2003
Case

HP-Cisco Alliance (A), The

In 2002, Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems strove to develop their long-standing partnership into a strategic alliance with increasing impact. Critical components of successful alliance implementation emerge from the analysis. Specifically, the case illuminates the... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Design; Alliances; Organizational Structure

07 Oct 2024
Blog Post

Four Ways to Make The Most of Your Company Events

your events this year. Post materials in advance Organizations should design their events to be interactive and engaging. Students can learn a lot about a company by looking at its website and social media... View Details

TeachingInterests

Managing Human Capital

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

The Managing Human Capital course has been specifically designed to teach practical skills for the future general manager (not just the human resource practitioner) who seeks to manage both other people and her or his own career with optimal... View Details

14 Dec 2016
HBS Seminar

Siobhan O'Mahony and Rebecca Karp, Boston University

11 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Sexual Harassment: What Employers Should Do Now

says. By allowing everyone to feel safe about reporting bad behavior, the onus is taken off of only women to step forward and encourages men to speak up, too. Similar to how the idea of a designated driver took hold to combat drinking and... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

November 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs

By: Boris Groysberg, Scott A. Snook and David Lane

In November 1999, 11 of Goldman Sachs' finest gathered to put the final touches on a revolutionary leadership development plan. Following Goldman's explosive growth during the 1990s and its eventual IPO in 1999, a diverse group of leaders from across the firm were... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Leadership Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Skills; Organizational Design; Planning

2017
Working Paper

Shopping for Confirmation: How Disconfirming Feedback Shapes Social Networks

By: Paul Green Jr., Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats

Many organizations employ interpersonal feedback processes as a structured means of informing and motivating employee improvement. Ample evidence suggests that these feedback processes are largely ineffective, and despite a wealth of prescriptive literature, these... View Details

Keywords: Developmental Feedback; Self-concept; Positive Illusions; Social Network; Threat; Identity; Social and Collaborative Networks; Behavior; Performance; Social Media

SSRN

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Article

Is Saving Lives Your Task or God's?: Religiosity, Belief in God, and Moral Judgment

By: Netta Barak-Corren and Max Bazerman

Should a Catholic hospital abort a life-threatening pregnancy or let a pregnant woman die? Should a religious employer allow his employees access to contraceptives or break with healthcare legislation? People and organizations of faith often face moral decisions that... View Details

Keywords: Normative Conflict; Inaction; Indirectness; Deontology; Utilitarianism; Sunday Effect; Religion; Moral Sensibility; Decisions; Judgments

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March 2016
Supplement

Advertising Experiments at RestaurantGrades

By: Weijia Dai, Hyunjin Kim and Michael Luca

This exercise provides students with a data set consisting of results from a hypothetical experiment, and asks students to make recommendations based on the data. Through this process, the exercise teaches students to analyze, design, and interpret experiments. The... View Details

Keywords: Experimental Methods; Analytics; Web Technology; Marketing; Digital Marketing; Analysis; Performance Effectiveness; Social Media

May 2001 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Submarino.com (A)

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Meredith Collura and Luiz Felipe Monteiro

Enables a thorough analysis of Submarino.com, a B2C e-commerce company with a presence in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and Portugal. Examines the company's global operations as well as its organizational design and operating and management capabilities. Considers... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Globalized Firms and Management; Operations; Organizational Design; Strategy; Internet; Retail Industry; Portugal; Spain; Mexico; Argentina; Brazil

March 1996 (Revised February 1997)
Case

Change Agent Program at Siemens Nixdorf, The

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, John F. McGuire and Afroze A Mohammed

To change its culture, the German computer giant Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems launched a program to train 21 "change agents" who would lead entrepreneurial projects designed to get results and to serve as models of a new style. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Organizational Culture; Training; Leadership Development; Programs; Human Resources; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Computer Industry; Germany

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April 1996 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Activity-Based Management at Stream International

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Norman Klein

Stream International's Crawfordsville, Indiana facilities undertake the design and implementation of an activity-based costing project. After analyzing the costs assigned to 161 work activities, Crawfordsville managers present five proposals for change based on ABM... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Indiana

Program

Real Estate Management Program

succeed in a complex market by taking a holistic approach to real estate projects and addressing challenges from a cross-disciplinary perspective. As you examine sustainability goals, design considerations, financing strategies, industry... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Real Estate

June 2014 (Revised January 2017)
Supplement

YAAS's Service Center (C)

By: Brian Hall and Sara del Nido

This case is about a compensation change at an automotive service company in the Middle East. The case allows investigation and analysis of many issues related to compensation design and human resource management, and even change management. The focus of the case is... View Details

Keywords: Compensation; Emotions; Values; Human Resources; Labor; Negotiation; Organizations; Social Psychology; Value Creation; Motivation and Incentives; Auto Industry; Service Industry; Kuwait; Middle East