Publications

Educators

November 1987 (Revised June 1988)
Case

ServiceMaster Industries, Inc.

By: James L. Heskett

The CEO of ServiceMaster Industries has convened an internal task force to come up with ideas for reorganizing the company to accommodate unusually fast growth. In developing both alternatives and criteria for appraising them, the task force has to keep in mind the... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture

Educators

15 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Rethinking E-Leadership

Two years ago, talking about how the Internet changed absolutely everything was the height of fashion. Today it's hard to conceal a smirk when someone mentions a term like e-leadership. Although it's fine to enjoy a good chuckle at the... View Details

Keywords: by Melissa Raffoni

15 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

How Does a Social Startup Decide to Commercialize? It May Depend on the Founder's Gender

help to break down cultural and structural barriers to leadership and organizational development, especially for non-white, non-male, and non-cisgender social change leaders.” Beyond the implications for... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

November 1990 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Apple Computer (C): The Human Resource Function

Explores how the human resource (HR) function at Apple Computer can best support the company's strategy. Describes in detail the HR function. The function is considering a reorganization at the end of the case, in response to criticism from non-HR employees and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Business Strategy; Computer Industry; United States

Educators

2015
Chapter

Staying the Same While Changing: Organizational Identity in the Face of Environmental Challenges

By: Mary Ann Glynn, Christi Lockwood and Ryan Raffaelli

We explore the role of organizational identity in the adoption of new sustainability practices, focusing on how identity functions as a driver of (or sometimes a drag on) adoption. Drawing on illustrations from the U.S. hotel industry, we examine how sustainability... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Adoption; Accommodations Industry; United States

09 Jun 2009
Research Event

Business Summit: Enterprise Risk Management

include: having top management lead risk management; creating a culture of risk management where it is part of all decisions; setting clear risk parameters and having them broadly adhered to; having the discipline to make risk management... View Details

Keywords: Re: Robert S. Kaplan

06 Jul 2009
What Do You Think?

Are You Ready to Manage in an Irrational World?

approach has supposed." Marie Taillard adds, "we are shifting away from thinking that we can predict or control the behavior of others ." Because economics is a study of value, Deepak Alse comments that "what we need to View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

29 May 2001
Research & Ideas

Howard Stevenson on the Lessons of the Internet Era

Entrepreneurs and managers who can't adapt to the fast pace of change in the world—"a world that should be on Prozac"—are likely to miss out on opportunities in the years to come, says HBS Professor Howard Stevenson. The good... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Nov 2024
In Practice

Layoffs Surging in a Strong Economy? Advice for Navigating Uncertain Times

support, benefits continuation, and visa support are all indications to remaining employees and future hires of how they might be treated in the future. Intuit managed communication well: By 9 a.m. PT, all employees impacted by the View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology; Information Technology

Article

Technology, Identity, and Inertia: Through the Lens of 'The Digital Photography Company'

By: Mary Tripsas

Organizations often experience difficulty when pursuing new technology. Large bodies of research have examined the behavioral, social, and cognitive forces that underlie this phenomenon; however, the role of an organization's identity remains relatively unexplored.... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Disruptive Innovation; Organizational Culture; Behavior; Cognition and Thinking; Identity; Perception; Technology Adoption

Read Now

July 2008 (Revised February 2011)
Supplement

Sanford C. Bernstein: The Fork in the Road (B)

By: Boris Groysberg and Geoff Eckman Marietta

Update on the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Knowledge; Business or Company Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Competitive Advantage; Valuation; Financial Services Industry

September 2010
Case

Freddie Mac: Managing in Conservatorship

By: Robert Steven Kaplan, Nitin Nohria and Ben Creo

Ed Haldeman has recently become CEO of Freddie Mac, one of three major government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) charged with supporting U.S. residential mortgage finance. The company was placed into conservatorship by the U.S. treasury on September 7, 2008.... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Financial Crisis; Mortgages; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Business and Government Relations; Financial Services Industry; United States

28 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

A Dedication to Creation: India's Ad Man Ranjan Kapur

giving enough power to the three groups but no one person was dominant over the others. Q: As you said, changing an entrenched culture is difficult. One of the first things he did was to lay people off, to... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

February 2014
Teaching Note

A.P. Møller–Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives

By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott and Robin Abrahams

This teaching note is an accompaniment to the case, A.P. Møller–Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives. The case reviews the talent management issues being discussed at Maersk Group, a global conglomerate with large shipping and oil & gas... View Details

Keywords: Retention; Human Capital; Human Resources; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Management Practices and Processes; Shipping Industry; Energy Industry; Denmark

May 2012
Supplement

Columbia's Final Mission (Abridged) (B)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Kerry Herman

Keywords: Cognitive Biases; Teams; Organizational Learning; Ambiguous Threat; Risk and Uncertainty; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Corporate Disclosure; Groups and Teams; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Public Administration Industry; Aerospace Industry

06 Oct 2011
What Do You Think?

How Will the ‘Moneyball Generation’ Influence Management?

more analytics won't change their skill set. You have to be a player first." Pete DeLisi added, "We also need to counterbalance analytics with the ability to see the big picture analytics can't be divorced from an understanding... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

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

Register to Read

October 2015
Supplement

The National Geographic Society (B)

By: David A. Garvin

This case was written as an update to the case "The National Geographic Society," HBS No. 311-002, published in 2011. The (B) case describes the 2015 creation of National Geographic Partners, a for-profit joint venture between the National Geographic Society and 21st... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Information Publishing; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Internet; Publishing Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

January 2018
Supplement

Scaling Swagbucks (B)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Matthew G. Preble

“Swagbucks (B),” HBS No. 817123, picks up in mid-2014 following the events described in “Swagbucks (A),” HBS No 817122. Davis and Gorowitz were successful in their efforts to position the company for scale without negatively affecting the company’s foundational... View Details

Keywords: Loyalty Management; Scaling; Scale; Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Leading Change; Growth Management; Religion; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Transition; Leadership; Web Services Industry; Technology Industry