Learning By Thinking - Publications - Faculty & Research

24 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

When Tech Platforms Identify Black-Owned Businesses, White Customers Buy

Generations of Black business owners have had to fight discrimination to prosper in America, but a new study suggests that these entrepreneurs are now gaining more support in parts of the country when they make their presence known. The study, coauthored View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Food & Beverage

18 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

Leading Innovation is the Art of Creating ‘Collective Genius’

of Leading Innovation, was written by Hill, the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, with Greg Brandeau, former CTO of The Walt Disney Studios and current COO/president of Media Maker; Emily Truelove, a PhD candidate... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

01 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

First Minutes are Critical in New-Employee Orientation

University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. "It was interesting for us to think about how part of your identity seems to go away as you go through that process." “It was interesting for us to View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Web Services; Service; Telecommunications

19 Jul 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Government 'Nudges' Motivate Good Citizen Behavior

thinking. For everyday decisions made by citizens, however, governments should at least consider nudges as a way to supplement—if not replace—traditional incentives. “When governments are thinking about how... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

How Much Time Should CEOs Devote to Customers?

strategy, it's not necessary for the CEO to spend time learning how different clients would prefer customized solutions. The CEO should spearhead the identification of three or four customer health metrics. Even in companies that see... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

05 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

A Market for Human Cadavers in All but Name?

students learn their craft. Like corn, wheat, and civilian aircrafts, cadavers sent abroad can be seen as another U.S. export product, although one dwarfed by these other export categories. The notion of... View Details

Keywords: by Michel Anteby; Health

07 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Effective Leaders Share the Spotlight with Their Teams

impact on both employees and companies, new research shows. In fact, managers who elevate others like Bradway did are more likely to hold on to valued employees, according to a study by Yuan Zou, assistant professor of business... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

August 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

C3.ai—Driven to Succeed

By: Robert Simons and George Gonzalez

CEO Tom Siebel navigates his artificial intelligence (ai) startup through a series of pivots, market expansions, and even an elephant attack to become a leading platform ad service provider. The case describes his unusual management approach emphasizing employee... View Details

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16 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

As AI Upends Recruiting, Job Seekers Need a Waze App for Careers

becoming more important at all levels of the labor force as we move from a more mechanical engineering, manufacturing economy to a post-industrial society. Retaining and cultivating those skills as part of learning on the job is becoming... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Information Technology; Technology

18 Oct 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Venture Capital’s Disconnect with Clean Tech

MBA students often fall into one of two categories—those hungry to rush into careers as venture capitalists, and those eager to found a venture-funded start-up. For all of them, Harvard Business School professor Joseph Lassiter has some intriguing advice: Spend a few... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities; Financial Services

21 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

The $15 Billion Question: Have Loot Boxes Turned Video Gaming into Gambling?

players use to compete. "People are thinking about ways to design policies and products so you can actually engage with the product in more responsible ways without getting people too overinvolved in playing and spending." A new paper... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis; Video Game; Media & Broadcasting

16 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Technology Alone Can't Solve AI's Bias Problem

other strategies to achieve a better solution in the end.” You Might Also Like: When Bias Creeps into AI, Managers Can Stop It by Asking the Right Questions White Airbnb Hosts Earn More. Can AI Shrink the Racial Gap? When Design Enables... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology

12 May 2022
Book

Why Digital Is a State of Mind, Not Just a Skill Set

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

16 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

Read Our Most Popular Stories of the Quarter

What stories were readers like you diving into this summer on HBS Working Knowledge? Your interests varied dramatically, everything from how researchers use machine learning technology to predict CEO performance to the power of rituals in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

23 Mar 2023
Research & Ideas

As Climate Fears Mount, More Investors Turn to 'ESG' Funds Despite Few Rules

Investor interest in social responsibility has skyrocketed in the past three years, even as US regulations to hold companies accountable remain in flux and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) label itself draws backlash. Investors are willing to pay a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

24 Feb 2016
Research & Ideas

Why It's Best to Take Tests Early in the Day

students’ performance on standardized tests.” Published in the February 15 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study was authored by Hans Henrik Sievertsen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Danish National... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

06 Jun 2005
What Do You Think?

Is a “Level Playing Field” a Good Thing?

very notion of a level playing field is a myth. There never has been a level field and there never will be. . . . Let the market decide for itself and it will work out." Radhika Unni adds, "I don't think that there will ever be... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

16 Feb 2023
HBS Case

ESG Activists Met the Moment at ExxonMobil, But Did They Succeed?

The impact-investment hedge fund Engine No. 1 made a big splash in May 2021 when it managed to get three nominees elected to the ExxonMobil board of directors. It was an open effort to prod the oil giant toward renewable energy and test whether activist investing could... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Financial Services

15 May 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Women Find New Path to Work

They always have to think about this work in the context of a broader life and a broader view of success. Q: How will the program change in the future? What did you learn from participants? A: The overall... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

25 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

abilities, likely from a very young age,” Coffman says. “Until we can change these stereotypes, it’s essential to think about how we can better inoculate individuals from biases induced by stereotypes,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

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