Publications

08 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 8, 2008

between organizational boundary spanners contributes to the formation of trust between firms. Our findings, using data on the supplier-buyer relationships of two major US auto manufacturers, suggest that history affects trust formation in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2015
First Look

December 1, 2015

in the workplace, less attention has been paid to the question of how to manage those workers on the opposite side of the spectrum: those who are harmful to organizational performance. In extreme cases, aside from hurting performance,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Sep 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, September 18, 2018

are static, showing how they become flexible via categorical positioning, and introduce a role for emotional frames that appeals to organizational sentiments and aspirations in innovation adoption. Download working paper:... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

October 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Reactivity: A Case of Re-Invention

By: Myra M. Hart and Sylvia Sensiper

By the time Glenn Osaka joined Reactivity as its new CEO in January 2001, the Internet bubble had burst, the financial markets had turned, and the company's core businesses were drying up. He was not hired to lead a turnaround, but Osaka found that the firm's future... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Venture Capital; Organizational Culture; Applications and Software; Leadership Style; Product; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Consulting Industry

31 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

A Scholarly Crowd Explores Crowdsourcing

powerful than the normal academic method of doing research that I will never do that again." Whether it's called crowdsourcing or open innovation, the growth of methods for yoking together groups of experts in various fields to work... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 2008 (Revised December 2011)
Case

ghSMART & Co., 2006: Pioneering in Professional Services

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Ashraf Haque

Geoff Smart, founder and CEO of ghSMART & Co., wanted to build ghSMART into the #1 management-assessment firm for CEOs and investors. However, he had just received two pieces of very bad news: the demise of an existing project and the loss of a $1 million engagement he... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Governance; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Service Industry

21 Jun 2010
Research & Ideas

Strategy and Execution for Emerging Markets

indigenous companies and investors in emerging markets worldwide. Palepu and Khanna joined forces for our Q&A. Martha Lagace: Why study emerging markets? Krishna G. Palepu: Emerging markets are the growth engine for most Western... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

25 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 25

differentiated the company from other competitors and potential entrants. INRIX's "exit" options-sale or IPO-also implied different organizational decisions across the firm; Mistele wondered how best to organize INRIX to defend... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Mar 2010
Research & Ideas

One Strategy: Aligning Planning and Execution

insights and tools one can put into practice. Steven and I describe in detail how to build organizational capabilities, set up a good structure, implement the right processes, and adopt an effective management style. Achieving strategic... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

10 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

Disruption: The Art of Framing

competitor's action as both a threat and an opportunity. Here are organizational and process changes that can help meet the challenge.It's one thing to recognize the importance of careful framing when you're faced with a disruptive... View Details

Keywords: by Clark Gilbert & Joseph L. Bower

17 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 17, 2006

regional law firm, Duane Morris entered a period of spectacular growth led by CEO Sheldon Bonovitz. Originally founded by Quakers, the firm had a distinct organizational culture featuring a number of unique... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 24

in external auditing, and 6) auditing management information systems. Working PapersEmployee Selection as a Control System Author:Dennis Campbell Abstract Theories from the economics, management control, and organizational behavior... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

April 2018
Teaching Note

InsideSales.com (A) and (B)

By: Frank Cespedes

Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 817-018 and 817-042. InsideSales.com (ISC) has been successful selling its software to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). But for various reasons, the founders see “the next stage of growth” as building a scalable sales and service... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Customer Relationship Management; Growth Management; Marketing Strategy; Salesforce Management; Talent and Talent Management; Technology Industry

2017
Supplement

Uncommon Schools (B): Seeking Excellence at Scale through Standardized Practice

By: John J-H Kim and Sarah McAra

The (B) case provides an update to the (A) case by illustrating how charter school management organization Uncommon Schools responded to the disparity in its students’ 2013 standardized test results. In 2015, CEO Brett Peiser and his management team decided to align... View Details

Keywords: Charter Schools; Nonprofit Organizations; Strategy; Teaching; Talent And Talent Management; Innovation; Education; Early Childhood Education; Middle School Education; Organizational Structure; Performance Consistency; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Education Industry

Read Now

May 2016 (Revised November 2018)
Supplement

Moleskine (B)

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Raffaella Sadun and Kathy Qu

This case discusses the decisions and outcomes of CEO Arrigo Berni and founder Maria Sebregondi that the Moleskine (A) case laid out. View Details

Keywords: Creative Industries; Brand Building; Digital Innovation; Digital Services And Strategy; Process Improvement; Organization Change And Adaptation; Culture; Identity Construction; Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Creativity; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry

February 2024 (Revised June 2024)
Case

Can Families Conquer Private Equity? Pritzker Private Capital

By: Lauren Cohen and Sophia Pan

Anthony (Tony) Pritkzer, Paul Carbone, and the Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) team wondered how to approach the firm’s next phase of growth. PPC was a private equity firm that offered a differentiated approach to the family capital market. Back in 2016, the partners... View Details

01 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

Keeping Track: Performance Measurement, Control & Strategy

are in the midst of what is often described as a gold rush. Is there any danger that firms will fly so high that they may spin out of control? A: The book is built around a number of the tensions that are inherent in all businesses — profit and View Details

Keywords: Re: Robert Simons

October 2005 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Bennie Wiley at The Partnership, Inc.

Benaree Wiley, an African American, female HBS graduate (class of 1972), was appointed CEO and president in 1991 of The Partnership, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to developing leadership potential in professionals of color and in increasing their representation... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Leading Change; Nonprofit Organizations; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; Boston

May 2002
Case

Mellon Investor Services

By: Thomas J. DeLong

James Aramanda, head of Mellon Investor Services, must decide how to change the focus of his business. He works with consultants to create a change strategy to enhance a business that is already doing well. Will he be able to interest his professionals in changing the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Management Teams; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry; United States