Organizational Culture - Publications - Faculty & Research

September 2020 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Student Success at Georgia State University (A)

By: Michael W. Toffel, Robin Mendelson and Julia Kelley

Georgia State University had developed a reputation for driving student success by nearly doubling its graduation rate for students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It did so while growing its student body and the proportion of Black/African... View Details

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May 2013
Case

Launching Krispy Natural: Cracking the Product Management Code

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Heather Beckham

Pemberton Products is a U.S. market leader in the cookie and bakery snacks segment of the sweet snack market. Looking to expand into the salty snack market, the company acquires Krispy Inc., a maker of salty snack crackers located in the southeastern U.S. To compete... View Details

Keywords: Analytics and Data Science; Competition; Organizational Culture; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Acquisition; Food and Beverage Industry; Ohio; United States

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July 2005 (Revised September 2016)
Case

24 Hour Fitness (A): The Rise, 1983–2004

By: John R. Wells, Elizabeth A. Raabe and Gabriel Ellsworth

In October 2004, Mark S. Mastrov, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, reflected on how far his company had come in just over 20 years. From humble beginnings in 1983 in San Leandro, California, 24 Hour Fitness had grown to become the largest privately-owned health-club chain in... View Details

Keywords: 24 Hour Fitness; Mark Mastrov; Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Weight Loss; Exercise; Personal Training; Retention; Sales Force Compensation; Incentive Systems; Buildings and Facilities; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Private Equity; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Nutrition; Business History; Employees; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Operations; Service Operations; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Technology Platform; Web; Web Sites; Capital Structure; Performance; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Health Industry; United States; California; San Francisco

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July 2020
Case

Amanda and Kristen: Mented Cosmetics

By: Steven Rogers, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Alterrell Mills

The co-founders (Black HBS alumnae) of an e-commerce beauty startup explore the unmet needs within the beauty industry. This case study examines the entrepreneurial opportunities that come from identifying an underserved market, specifically within the Black community... View Details

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November 2017
Teaching Note

Amazon.com, 2016

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

Teaching Note for HBS No. 716-402. On January 28, 2016, Amazon announced record 2015 operating profits of $2.2 billion on $107 billion of sales, and the markets responded with cautious optimism. For years, founder and CEO Jeffrey Bezos had prioritized growth and... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Analysis; Retail; E-commerce; Amazon; Amazon.com; AmazonFresh; Jeff Bezos; Cloud Computing; Marketplaces; Streaming; E-reader Market; Digital Media; Mobile App; Online Retail; Shipping; Database; Tablet; Kindle; Kindle Fire; Smartphone; Delivery; Market Platforms; Two-Sided Platforms; Competition; Internet; Corporate Strategy; Online Advertising; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Music Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Profit; Revenue; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Taxation; Business History; Human Resources; Resignation and Termination; Books; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Media; Distribution; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Infrastructure; Logistics; Product Development; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Culture; Public Ownership; Work-Life Balance; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Integration; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration; Hardware; Information Technology; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Technology Networks; Technology Platform; Web; Web Sites; Price; Software; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Working Capital; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Retail Industry; Advertising Industry; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Music Industry; Publishing Industry; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Video Game Industry; Web Services Industry; United States; Washington (state, US); Seattle

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11 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

The New International Style of Management

customer-centric tends to be deeply embedded throughout the organization." 'corporate Culture Trumps National Culture' These findings suggest that excellence in global corporate competition demands certain success-enabling View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

10 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

A Fast Start on Your New Job

the culture and politics of a new organization. It's so easy to fall into pitfalls in these areas and really damage your credibility. The risks obviously are highest for new leaders coming in from the outside. They often have grown up in... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

23 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: ‘Talk, Inc.’

Boris Groysberg and communications professional Michael Slind discuss the power of talk as a way to recapture high levels of employee engagement and strategic alignment. This excerpt identifies four elements critical to creating flourishing View Details

Keywords: Re: Boris Groysberg

02 Jul 2024
Book

Five Essential Elements to Build the Capital You Need to Lead

defensive back, and maybe he saw some innate coaching potential (my superpower) in the way I interacted with the other kids. Whatever the case may be, that capability, especially that coaching and encouraging potential, was the groundwork for the success I was able to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

30 Sep 2019
Book

Book Excerpt: Why a Volume on Race, Work, and Leadership

social stratification—the explicit discussion of race and organizational leadership is still considered taboo or irrelevant in many business circles. Recent research has indicated that CEOs (and lower-level managers) who champion... View Details

1990
Chapter

The Intra-organizational Environment

By: D. A. Leonard-Barton

Keywords: Organizational Design; Organizational Culture

Citation

11 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

Is Group Loyalty a Force for Good or Evil?

or where they are crossing ethical boundaries for the good of their own group.” Gino and colleagues write about this paradox in a new paper forthcoming in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes with a decidedly... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

15 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Business IT Innovation is so Difficult

especially larger ones, have done so. Those that have done the heavy IT and organizational lifting, such as Walmart, reap serious dividends. "There's a tremendous gap between the most IT-savvy firms and the IT laggards," says McElheran,... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

Article

Managing Political Misfits

By: Y. Sekou Bermiss and Rory McDonald

Not all employees agree with your politics. That's OK. View Details

Keywords: Management; Organizational Culture

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January 1982 (Revised July 2007)
Supplement

Dan Stewart (C)

Dan is given an assignment as general manager of a small division with some difficulties but exciting possibilities. How should he manage the situation? View Details

Keywords: Management; Organizational Culture

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October 1994 (Revised March 1995)
Case

Monitor Company: Personal Leadership on Diversity

Several members of a consulting firm work to develop ways to build and nurture a more diverse work environment while reflecting on personal experiences that help them to become leaders in issues of diversity. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Organizational Culture; Diversity Characteristics; Consulting Industry

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14 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating a Global Business Code

the end, phase 3 included only four companies—but all four were major multinationals, headquartered in the United States, Europe, and Japan. In the course of research, the team inadvertently discovered some cultural truths. "I... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel