Publications

September 2019 (Revised May 2021)
Case

pymetrics: Early Days

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2013, CEO Frida Polli was contemplating the next steps for her start-up business, pymetrics. After receiving her PhD in neuropsychology and MBA from HBS, she was determined to put her scientific and academic knowledge to work to build a business solving real world... View Details

Jan W. Rivkin is a Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. In the past, he has served as Faculty Chair of the MBA Program, Senior Associate Dean for Research, and head of the Strategy Unit. His research, course development, and teaching focus on... View Details

Keywords: airline; computer; internet; music; transportation

Research Summary

A Consistent Weighted Ranking Scheme with an Application to NCAA College Football Rankings (with Chaim Fershtman and Neil Gandal)

The NCAA college football ratings, in which the so-called national champion is determined, has been plagued by controversies the last few years. The difficulty arises because there is a need to make a complete ranking of teams even though each team has a different... View Details

02 Apr 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

Making the Move to General Manager

this transition into general management." For new general managers—or just as likely in companies these days, senior functional managers who operate as part of an executive team or who have important... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Big Spaceship: Ready to Go Big?

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind

Big Spaceship, a digital marketing agency, faced a rather big challenge: How to scale the distinctive culture that was essential to its competitive strategy? Renowned for the cutting-edge websites that it developed to market major Hollywood movies and leading consumer... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Management; Human Capital; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Groups and Teams; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation

July 1997 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Chattanooga Ice Cream Division,The

By: Carl S. Sloane

Senior functional officers (marketing, manufacturing, research & development, control, and human resources) clash over alternative ideas for turning around a business in decline. The general manager is faced not only with choosing between competing ideas, but also... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Management Teams; Groups and Teams; Managerial Roles; Conflict Management; Decisions; Performance

01 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Encouraging Dissent in Decision-Making

Everest, several climbers, including two of the world's most experienced professionals, died in part because junior team members didn't speak up when their expert leaders ignored their own core operating principles surrounding safety. In... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

Career Coach

Cathy Hutchinson

Cathy (Kellogg '01) is a member of the Career & Professional Development team and coaches students and alumni interested in entertainment/ media & technology career paths. In addition to managing external marketing,... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media; Sports; Telecommunications; Technology

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

A Perfect Fit: Aligning Organization & Strategy

professor Michael Beer says companies should do on a regular basis. "Business success is a function of fit between a host of key variables within an organization," he says. "Strategy, values, culture, employees, systems,... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

12 May 2020
Blog Post

The Importance of Coordination: Apoorva Pasricha Reflects on Crisis Leadership

schools transitioned to online learning, “the pandemic highlighted digital inequities around devices and connectivity and created a greater sense of urgency,” says Pasricha. Suddenly, Pasricha and her colleagues had to reorganize their View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Technology; Nonprofit / Government

28 Apr 2020
Blog Post

The Importance of Coordination: Apoorva Pasricha Reflects on Crisis Leadership

schools transitioned to online learning, “the pandemic highlighted digital inequities around devices and connectivity and created a greater sense of urgency,” says Pasricha. Suddenly, Pasricha and her colleagues had to reorganize their View Details

September–October 2016
Article

What Senior Executives Should Know About Sales

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Business is more complex, data more abundant, and more specialists are needed to stay up-to-date with functional best practices. As a senior executive, you can worry all you want about disruption, but you need a salesforce aligned with strategy to do something about... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Management Teams

Register to Read

18 May 2017
Blog Post

Why We Recruit: Hilton

warmth of hospitality unites us as a team to create remarkable hospitality experiences around the world every day. And, our amazing Team Members are at the heart of it all! How long has your organization... View Details

Keywords: Hospitality

February 2009 (Revised April 2011)
Case

Mistry Architects (A)

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Robert G. Eccles and Mona Sinha

Describes an architecture firm founded and run by a husband and wife team, Sharukh and Renu Mistry, that emphasizes "green" building. The firm presents an unusual mix of projects-spanning the spectrum from larger corporate projects to small private homes. The mix also... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Customer Focus and Relationships; Design; Housing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Community Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Nonprofit Organizations; Conflict and Resolution