Layoffs - Publications - Faculty & Research

02 Apr 2020
What Do You Think?

What Are Lessons for Leaders from This Black Swan Crisis?

that can be kept fresh for generic, not specific, demands on various functions of the organization (such as 100 percent increases or decreases in short-term demand)? THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS More Business-Related Pandemic Coverage from Around Harvard and Beyond How to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

26 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Why Japanese Businesses Are So Good at Surviving Crises

says Harvard Business School professor Hirotaka Takeuchi, was their dedication to responding to the needs of employees and the community first, all with the moral purpose of serving the common good. Less important for these companies, he says, was pursuing View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

08 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

The Strategic Way To Hire a Sales Team

there were layoffs in sales (and other functions) throughout the recession starting in 2008. As firms seek to grow, putting more "feet on the street" (or in inside sales positions) increases hiring. And the math, as Jim Dickie... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

this new environment.” At the outset of the crisis, most restaurants had only two to three weeks of operating reserves and those reserves were quickly exhausted. With no end date in sight of mandatory closures, owners moved quickly to furlough or View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

22 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Does Spirituality Drive Success?

others do unto them. For example, when layoffs were necessary, he was upfront and honest with employees about what was happening and why. Left to right: Gregory Slayton, Zia Chishti, Jim Sharpe "You'd be surprised at how my basic... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace, Sean Silverthorne & Wendy Guild

26 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

7 Leadership Principles for Managing in the Time of Coronavirus

Wilson Professor of Business Administration Emeritus at Harvad Business School and Dean of the University of Miami Herbert Business School. [Image: stevecoleimages] THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS More Business-Related Pandemic Coverage from Around Harvard and Beyond How to... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Health

27 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Reputation is Vital to Survival in Turbulent Markets

interference from the community because of their favorable reputation, while layoffs by other firms elsewhere were met with unrest and angst. The approach of the study is important, too. The discipline of strategy is not rich in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

16 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

Has COVID-19 Broken the Global Value Chain?

transparency through data sharing in order to better track the chain of subcontractors. THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS More Business-Related Pandemic Coverage from Around Harvard and Beyond How to Manage Coronavirus Layoffs with Compassion... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

30 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

Layoffs with Compassion (Harvard Business Review) Organizational Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Conversation with Rebecca Henderson (Environmental Insights) COVID-19 Business Impact Center (Harvard Business School) Read... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

11 Jun 2020
In Practice

Are Digital Organizations Better at Overcoming COVID?

organizations, there should be fewer layoffs and product delays. While declining demand will remain challenging for everyone, social distancing can be achieved because disperse teams can build and distribute software from remote locations... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

29 May 2013
Research & Ideas

Faculty Symposium Showcases Breadth of Research

financial industry and those who regulate it, there are strong but conflicting viewpoints about the impact of private equity buyouts of public firms, especially in the wake of the recent global financial crisis. Some critics focus on the large-scale View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

23 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Minding the Muse: The Impact of Downsizing on Corporate Creativity

found that the creative environment, and creativity itself, remained depressed four months after the layoffs had been completed. To corroborate this conclusion, Amabile and Conti compared how many invention disclosures had been filed by... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs

09 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

Uncompromising Leadership in Tough Times

started the turnaround of the company by first working on values—redefining them and communicating them widely. First, they do not merely focus on cost cutting and layoffs when a crisis arrives. While they may lay off employees (though... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

13 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

Small Businesses Are Worse Off Than We Thought

Beyond How to Manage Coronavirus Layoffs with Compassion (Harvard Business Review) Organizational Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Conversation with Rebecca Henderson (Environmental Insights) COVID-19 Business Impact Center... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Financial Services

14 May 2020
Research & Ideas

What Leaders Can Do to Fight the COVID Fog

included virtual onboarding, sales-pipeline restructuring, performance management, M&A acquisition, managing layoffs and furloughs, rethinking the customer experience, and creating financial projections with an unprecedented number of... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

28 Oct 2001
What Do You Think?

What Can We Expect in the Other War?

out in a sample of large U.S. for-profit organizations. The implication is that winners in the war for talent create more value than "merely good" competitors. One organization that has been a consistent winner has been Southwest Airlines 2, the only major... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

17 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 17

of their own. The findings in the two numerical examples can be used to drive this discussion, or a general strategy framework may be applied. Purchase this case:http://hbr.org/search/612071-PDF-ENG Managing the Layoff Process: France... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

Fearing Fox News, Democratic-leaning Companies Delayed Negative Announcements

mitigating the possibility that a Democratic-leaning firm might already be more vulnerable in areas that received the channel as part of their cable plans. PR problems with real costs Public relations issues have long been a complicated concern for firms, Heese says.... View Details

Keywords: by Jen Deaderick; Media & Broadcasting

19 Jan 2010
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Managing the Economic Crisis

managers who conduct layoffs feel a mix of emotions that may catch them by surprise: sympathy, sadness, guilt, shame, anxiety, and perhaps anger. Best practice for managers includes understanding yourself and recognizing your limitations.... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

31 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

State and Local Governments Peer Into the Pandemic Abyss

Carlson School of Management, show how the link between sales tax dependence and layoffs sheds light on the growing fiscal crisis of state and local governments. The correlation between sales tax dependence and View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

Publications