Publications

April 2016 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Moleskine (A)

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Raffaella Sadun and Kathy Qu

Describes the founding and growth challenges facing Moleskine, an Italian-based consumer products company known for its oilcloth-covered notebooks once used by Ernest Hemingway and Vincent van Gogh. CEO Arrigo Berni and co-founder Maria Sebregondi aim to transform the... View Details

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

July–August 2021
Article

Why Do So Many Strategies Fail?

By: David J. Collis

THE PROBLEM: Seemingly successful new companies struggle to turn a healthy profit. Established firms get disrupted by upstarts. Companies that excel at serving their markets can’t adapt when customers’ tastes shift. THE ROOT CAUSE: All too often, business leaders focus... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Strategic Planning; Business Model; Value; Value Creation; Opportunities

Find at Harvard

July 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (A)

By: Nour Kteily, Deepak Malhotra and David Lane

As founders of the software company Basecamp, Jason Fried and David H. Hansson were used to being the subjects of social media attention. Both maintained active and dedicated Twitter followings for their unique perspectives on management and life. But on April 26,... View Details

04 Sep 2019
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for September 2019

between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition,... View Details

March 1992 (Revised February 1995)
Supplement

Introduction of FM Radio (B): FM Takes to the Air

Illustrates organizational and industry-wide inertia to a change that threatens the status quo. Also reinforces the message that those most willing to encourage change are either the proponents of change or those who are locked out from the existing system. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Media and Broadcasting Industry

2015
Conference Presentation

Identity Liminality And Identity Work In A Reorganization

By: Luciana Silvestri

Keywords: Identity Work; Reorganization; Cognition; Emotion; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Restructuring; Organizational Structure; Identity; Emotions; Cognition and Thinking

August 2014
Case

Opening the Valve: From Software to Hardware (A)

By: Ethan Bernstein, Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats

Valve, one of the world's top video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization with virtually no hierarchy. A 400-person organization, Valve's unique organizational form (described in detail in the case and accompanying employee... View Details

01 Dec 2015
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2015

senior partner at the executive search firm Spencer Stuart. He offers advice on generating valuable introductions, nailing interviews, negotiating compensation, cultivating a mentor, and knowing when to View Details

11 Sep 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Chief Sustainability Officers: Who Are They and What Do They Do?

Keywords: by Kathleen Miller & George Serafeim

July 1999 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Harley-Davidson Motor Company: Enterprise Software Selection

Describes Harley-Davidson's decision process for defining and selecting an enterprise-wide procurement software package and the institutional changes introduced as part of this process. Tells the story of Harley-Davidson's approach in developing integrated business... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Groups and Teams; Software; Motorcycle Industry

February 1993
Background Note

HRM Course Overview Note

By: Michael Beer

Provides an overview of the first-year required course in Human Resource Management. It argues that commitment, coordination, and competence are critical organizational outcomes and that skills in organizational diagnosis, design, and change are central to obtaining... View Details

Keywords: Change; Competency and Skills; Human Resources; Organizations; Organizational Design; Outcome or Result; Behavior