Publications

September 2013
Article

Great Leaders Who Make the Mix Work

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Business leaders send a powerful message when they make a commitment to diversity that goes beyond rhetoric. But what motivates them to do so, and how do they actually create inclusive cultures? To find out, the authors interviewed 24 CEOs whose firms were known for... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Development; Working Conditions; Leading Change; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Culture; Diversity; Gender

November 1991 (Revised June 1992)
Case

AT&T: The Dallas Works (A)

Describes the organizational challenges facing an AT&T plant a few years after the breakup of AT&T. In an effort to empower workers and to unite the factory behind change, management proposes an unusual team-based approach to driving the change. Teaching Objective: To... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Telecommunications Industry; Texas

18 Jun 2012
Research & Ideas

Better by the Bunch: Evaluating Job Candidates in Groups

have worked on" —Max Bazerman A recent collaboration between Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) reveals that you're much less likely to stereotype by gender if you apply an "evaluation nudge"—an... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

Teaching Interest

Managing the Future of Work (MBA Education—Elective Curriculum)

By: Christopher T. Stanton

The nature and scope of work is changing rapidly, creating massive business challenges in the shadow of broader political and social shifts. HBS launched a major initiative in 2017 on Managing the Future of Work to define these workplace issues and... View Details

November 1991 (Revised June 1992)
Case

AT&T: The Dallas Works (B)

Describes the innovative use of a cross-level team as a tool for driving change at a troubled AT&T plant. After the team is disbanded, the case raises questions about the group's achievements, and about how well the organization is positioned to tackle the changes that... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Groups and Teams; Telecommunications Industry; Texas

Educators

06 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

The Power of Leadership Groups for Staying on Track

and confidence the group provides enables you to face difficult situations in your life and work and navigate them successfully. In a True North Group where people share their... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

September 2008
Case

Adobe Systems: Working Towards a "Suite" Release (A)

By: David A. Thomas and Lauren Barley

The case examines the tools a manager can use to keep her project on track and manage conflict and tension as Adobe prepares to launch Creative Suite 3, the biggest software release in the company's 25-year history. The protagonist, Yvonne Murray, is a group program... View Details

Keywords: Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Product Launch; Projects; Groups and Teams; Conflict Management; Power and Influence

Educators

September 2008
Supplement

Adobe Systems: Working Towards a "Suite" Release (B)

By: David A. Thomas and Lauren Barley

The case examines the tools a manager can use to keep her project on track and manage conflict and tension as Adobe prepares to launch Creative Suite 3, the biggest software release in the company's 25-year history. The protagonist, Yvonne Murray, is a group program... View Details

Keywords: Change; Interpersonal Communication; Crisis Management; Product Launch; Projects; Conflict of Interests; Integration; Software

March 2024 (Revised April 2024)
Supplement

From "BIG" Ideas to Sustainable Impact at ICL Group (B)

By: Linda A. Hill and Lydia Begag

In August 2023, Raviv Zoller, CEO of ICL Group, discussed his upcoming business trip to St. Louis with Eduard Croitoru, VP of ICL Corporate Initiatives, to commemorate the construction of ICL's new $400 million advanced manufacturing facility. In preparation for the... View Details

14 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Blockbuster! Why Star Power Works

of five characteristics. First, nerves of steel are critical: Any manager who executes a blockbuster strategy will have to be willing to make big moves that, if they don't work out as planned, could really hurt the company's bottom line.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation

23 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: How Wikipedia Works (or Doesn’t)

concept of "Enterprise 2.0"—a term coined by McAfee on the general idea of how Web 2.0 technologies can be used in business—popped up on Wikipedia, McAfee beamed. "I was bizarrely proud when my work rose to the level of inclusion in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Publishing

November–December 2020
Article

Our Work-from-Anywhere Future

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury

The pandemic has hastened a rise in remote working for knowledge-based organizations. This has notable benefits: Companies can save on real estate costs, hire and utilize talent globally, mitigate immigration issues, and experience productivity gains, while workers can... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Best Practices; Employment; Health Pandemics; Geographic Location; Opportunities; Problems and Challenges

Register to Read

26 May 2003
Research & Ideas

When Silence Spells Trouble at Work

every interaction, shut down creativity, and undermine productivity. Take the case of Jeff, a team leader at a Fortune 100 company who was working on a large, long-term, high-pressure project. Each Tuesday, Jeff and his peers had a... View Details

Keywords: by Leslie A. Perlow

22 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

The Hard Work of Failure Analysis

analysis and deep probing, individuals tend to leap prematurely to unfounded conclusions and misunderstand complicated problems. Some understanding of system dynamics, the ability to see patterns, statistical process controls, and group... View Details

Keywords: by Amy Edmondson & Mark D. Cannon

20 Nov 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Entrepreneurship and Business Groups: An Evolutionary Perspective on the Growth of the Koç Group in Turkey

Keywords: by Asli M. Coplan & Geoffrey Jones

09 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Industry Self-Regulation: What’s Working (and What’s Not)?

"Self-regulation" increasingly rings like a mantra in business. Just think of topics in the news over the past couple of months, such as the Italian fashion industry's move toward self-regulation to discourage the hiring of dangerously thin models. Or the View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 1999
Article

Changes in the Work Environment for Creativity during Downsizing

By: T. M. Amabile and Regina Conti

This study examined the work environment for creativity at a large high-technology firm before, during, and after a major downsizing. Creativity and most creativity-supporting aspects of the perceived work environment declined significantly during the downsizing but... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Situation or Environment; Creativity; Resignation and Termination; Employees; Business or Company Management; Motivation and Incentives; Management Practices and Processes; Crisis Management; Groups and Teams; Communication; Announcements; Interpersonal Communication