Publications

15 Dec 2021
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2021

surprisingly, the 10 most-read articles on Harvard Business School Working Knowledge reflected the mood swings of another challenging, complex year for managers and employees everywhere. The 10 most popular articles 1. COVID Killed the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

10 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Time to Move On? Career Advice for Entrepreneurs Preparing for the Next Stage

teach others! My father called any lesson, even if we failed, “money in the bank.” Take time to reflect on what you learned (above) and how you might be able to mentor others to grow or avoid pitfalls. Not only will this help others... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

22 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

How to Learn from the Big Mistake You Almost Make

What if businesses could learn from their worst mistakes without actually making them? How might the same progress and innovation occur, without firms incurring the costs associated with such errors? The results of a recent study about close calls in health care... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Health

07 Mar 2023
HBS Case

ChatGPT: Did Big Tech Set Up the World for an AI Bias Disaster?

ChatGPT’s buzzy debut has made for a rough few months for Google. Close watchers of the tech giant say: It didn’t have to go this way. Essentially scooped by a competitor on its home turf, Google has scrambled to release its own artificial intelligence (AI) mega-system... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis; Technology

09 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Organizations

In Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices, the authors combine the latest thinking from the biological and social sciences to lay out a new theory on human nature. The idea: We are all influenced and guided by four drives: acquiring, bonding, learning, and... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Lawrence & Nitin Nohria

03 Jan 2023
What Do You Think?

How Would the Leadership Style of Girl Scouts' Frances Hesselbein Fare Today?

Efforts were made to extend membership among girls of color. No ad appeared without girls from diverse backgrounds. It achieved some success. The Boy Scouts consistently received more contributions than the Girl Scouts, reflecting the... View Details

Keywords: Re: James L. Heskett

20 Sep 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Updating the Balanced Scorecard for Triple Bottom Line Strategies

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan and David McMillan; Accounting

15 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for General Motors? Or are those just headlights from an oncoming train? Among Harvard Business School faculty, it depends on whom you ask. The carmaker—home to such storied brands as Cadillac, Buick, and Chevrolet—enjoyed a 46... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

30 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Recruiters: Highlight Your Company’s Diversity, Not Just Perks and Pay

Employers are dangling all sorts of sparkling lures to capture hot job candidates in the battle for top talent: Generous compensation. Stock options. Lofty titles. But Harvard Business School research suggests that many companies fail to promote a key draw for many... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

23 May 2023
Research & Ideas

Lessons on Life, Graffiti, and Value: 'It's in That Darkness That You Can Actually Develop and Evolve'

James W. Riley has been confronted with questions of identity and alienation since he was a teenage graffiti artist navigating 1990s Los Angeles. “I’ve always had this notion of going places and being in spaces that maybe subtly said, ‘You don’t belong here,’” said... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

February 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Supplement

Confronting a Necessary Evil: The Firing of Alex Robins (B)

By: Joshua D. Margolis

A manager recounts his experience firing the person he was asked to replace and reflects on the challenges of the experience. Teaching Purpose: To role-play and reflect on tasks that entail harming other people to fulfill one's responsibility. View Details

Keywords: Resignation and Termination

September 2023
Case

Derek Aguirre

By: Leslie Perlow and Hannah Weisman

Derek Aguirre is the executive director of a nonprofit organization in Detroit, Michigan that uses the sport of squash as a vehicle to support young people in low-income urban areas. The case discusses his path to pursue meaningful work and his reflections on the... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Job Search; Happiness; Well-being; Work-Life Balance; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Enterprise; Business Startups; Sports; Education; Mission and Purpose; Education Industry; Sports Industry; Service Industry; United States; Boston; Detroit

August 1983 (Revised June 1986)
Case

Johnson & Johnson (A)

By: Francis Aguilar

Describes the Johnson & Johnson culture and the corporate systems, structures, and procedures which reflect and promote it. The principal teaching objectives are to gain an understanding of the impact a strong culture can have on strategic decisions and to consider how... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Management Systems; Organizational Structure; Business Growth and Maturation; Corporate Strategy; Growth Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

July 2010 (Revised June 2016)
Case

Erik Peterson at Biometra (A)

By: John J. Gabarro, Thomas DeLong and Jevan Soo

Describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation. Raises issues of corporate divisional relationships and the difficulties facing an inexperienced manager who seems to be... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Leadership; Managerial Roles; Product Launch; Organizational Structure; Problems and Challenges; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

July 2004
Supplement

Harold Morton: Joining a Board

By: F. Warren McFarlan

A trustee reflects on his first several years' experience. View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Governance; Experience and Expertise

April 2023
Case

Ryan Serhant: Time Management for Repeatable Success (A)

By: Ashley Whillans and Hawken Lord

From an open-concept 90’s-style stone and wood cabin in Dublin, New Hampshire, Ryan Serhant reflected on his career as a real estate broker. As Ryan stared into the fireplace that featured prominently in the center of the house, he wondered whether the period of... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Time Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Real Estate Industry

July 5, 2023
Editorial

Why Management Research Needs a Radical Rethink

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

Business school teaching and academic studies do not reflect new climate change realities View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Business Education

Read Now

March 2001
Supplement

Francisco de Narvaez at TIA: Selling the Family Business

By: Linda A. Hill and Kristin Doughty

Francisco de Narvaez reflects on the process of selling his family's retail business. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Business Exit or Shutdown

April 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Confronting a Necessary Evil: The Firing of Alex Robins (A)

By: Joshua D. Margolis

A manager recounts his experience firing the person he was asked to replace and reflects on the challenges of the experience. Teaching Purpose: To role-play and reflect on tasks that entail harming other people to fulfill one's responsibility. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Problems and Challenges; Leadership Development; Behavior; Decision Making; Resignation and Termination