Anchoring - Publications - Faculty & Research

23 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Businesses Need a 'Catalyst' to Make CSR Practices Stick

Since most businesses don’t have the bandwidth to see or understand what can be done, a catalyst is essential to kickstart that process. “The catalyst comes in and says, we need a corporation to be the anchor for this, and say, if we can... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

19 Oct 2009
Research & Ideas

Why Are Web Sites So Confusing?

might be interested in ex-post (i.e., once there). Thus, consumers coming to the supermarket to buy daily staples (say, bread and milk) might be induced to also get expensive chocolate if they have to walk past the corresponding aisle anyway. Shoppers visiting a mall... View Details

Keywords: by Andrei Hagiu & Bruno Jullien

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

masculine image. Hence, these jobs, too, are proving grounds for masculinity. By the same token, mainstream organizations should be able to disrupt such processes by instituting policies, practices, and norms that anchor people in... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

03 Oct 2018
What Do You Think?

How Should Managers Deal with the Challenges of Building an Inclusive Workplace?

coach or program of study, perhaps seeing things through diverse eyes and experiences might address a fundamental anchoring bias. I see the world through only my eyes. It takes more than the leaders to facilitate such progress ” His... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

10 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

Working for a Shamed Company Can Hurt Your Future Compensation

salary and bonus that were, on average, nearly 4 percent lower than those without a stigma on their CV. That can represent a substantial difference, since the average starting salary and bonus compensation for these executives was more than $300,000. Moreover, says... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

21 May 2018
HBS Case

How Would You Price One of the World's Great Watches?

there are very few references. There are no anchors here. So the perceived value or perception then becomes an important factor, and by pricing you can shape perceptions.” "Underprice an innovation, and you leave profit on the table.... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Fashion

26 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Behind India’s Economic and Political Woes

economies, the smaller economies pay the price. The problem is exacerbated by continuing structural weaknesses in developing countries where foreign investments are not necessarily anchored in long-term commitments to infrastructure or... View Details

Keywords: by Zeenat Potia

29 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Are First-Time Buyers Left Out of Real Estate’s Rebound?

The United States housing market is no longer the boat anchor dragging down economic growth. Data from the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices show that average home prices in an assortment of American cities have been on the upswing,... View Details

Keywords: Construction; Real Estate

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Paid for Success: Options for Compensating CEOs

with competitive pay levels, since the annual value of options is not anchored by a connection to annual salary and bonus." Hall therefore advises firms using this method to reset the number of options every four years or so to... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

05 Aug 2015
What Do You Think?

What Happened to the ‘Innovation, Disruption, Technology’ Dividend?

and the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. During another productivity bonanza, the one that extended from 1995 to about 2005, we speculated in one of these first columns on the possibility that organizations producing new information technologies would View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer; Technology

03 Apr 2009
What Do You Think?

How Much Obsolescence Can Business and Society Absorb?

personal level, C. J. Cullinane reported that "I work with keeping up with technology but the newspapers and books are my anchor . [They also leave] a good audit trail." Phil Clark said, "Ultimately, when a person becomes... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Publishing; Journalism & News

08 Mar 2004
Research & Ideas

Secret to Success: Go for “Just Enough”

paradigm to their pursuit of success. They assume they have to anchor their aspirations on some celebrated form of the "best," an essentially limitless standard, to meet even a minimal standard of success. And yet they seek many... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Nash & Howard Stevenson

16 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 16, 2018

Guide to Corporate Culture: How to Manage the Eight Critical Elements of Organizational Life By: Groysberg, Boris, Jeremiah Lee, Jesse Price, and J. Yo-Jud Cheng Abstract—Executives are often confounded by culture because much of it is View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Unspoken Cues: Encouraging Morals Without Mandates

outcome that remains within an acceptable range while anchoring its genesis in varied individual experiences; put otherwise, vocal silence tries to combine scale and individuality. “It's crucial for us to gain an understanding of how... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education

30 Jul 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching The Deal

"If you don't have a good sense for the "zone of possible agreement," you can anchor in the wrong place and end up with a suboptimal outcome," Mohan says. Questions Unlock Information Asking a lot of... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

20 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

When Predicting Other People's Preferences, You're Probably Wrong

of anchor to that choice,” Barasz explains. “So once I see that you wearing a gray sweater, maybe I assume you don’t like bright floral prints.” When this man sees this woman buying a casual yellow shirt, does he assume she doesn't like... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

21 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Leadership Program for Women Targets Subtle Promotion Biases

participants in understanding and shaping who they are and who they can become. Anchor participants on their leadership purpose. WLPs redirect the participants away from a single-minded focus on career advancement and managing other... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

04 Oct 2024
In Practice

Research-Based Advice for the Seasonally Overwhelmed and Schedule Challenged

of September as the start of my year (even before I joined the HBS faculty) because many of the commitments in my portfolio were anchored to the academic calendar. Whether it was community chamber orchestras or semi-professional choirs,... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

03 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 3

educate women and men about second-generation gender bias, create safe "identity workspaces" to support transitions to bigger roles, and anchor women's development efforts in their sense of leadership purpose rather than in how... View Details