Delegation - Publications - Faculty & Research

08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Decision Rights: Who Gives the Green Light?

late William H. Meckling note these issues: The cost of delegating decision rights to those who have the relevant information but whose motivations and goals don't align with those of the company. The cost of accurately transferring the... View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

there are legal dimensions to business and they, like the financial or IT functions, need to be managed. They are too important to delegate to persons, i.e., lawyers, who may not understand the broader business objectives. Second, the law... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

15 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: It Takes a Village

ultimate control but delegated much of the management of RBS to his star nonfamily EVP, Pedro Parente. Nelson shared leadership of the ownership group with his uncle and then chairman, Jayme Sirotsky (also an exemplary leader). Nelson... View Details

06 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

Strategic Intelligence: Adapt or Die

that companies shouldn't rely on consultants to develop their strategy. Why is that? A: It's a good idea for companies to seek out support in developing strategy, but not to delegate responsibility to an outside consultant. My thesis is... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

in case of a contagion, and also increased the reliance on individual team members for psychological concerns regarding safety, pre-existing conditions, and family needs related to children. Management decided to delegate decisions on... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

02 Apr 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

Making the Move to General Manager

and less about hands-on doing. So really the challenge is about delegation and achieving leverage; and on some level it's about finding, hiring, developing, and retaining top people. With those individuals, you then have to build an... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Jul 2007
What Do You Think?

How Much of Leadership Is About Control, Delegation, or Theater?

act, and this I believe is not deception." Karen Dempster comments that "I completely believe leaders all use a form of theatre, even quietly, to express and create hopefully a calm, delegated form of control ." Just how... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

26 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

How Electronic Patient Records Can Slow Doctor Productivity

many practices realized that it made sense for clinicians—mostly physicians, but also nurse practitioners and physician assistants—to delegate some EHR-related tasks to clinical support staff, including registered nurses, licensed... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Health

01 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 1

thinking about CSR and the privately optimal level of such activities. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/12-091.pdf Delegation in Multi-Establishment Firms: Evidence from I.T. Purchasing Authors: Kristina McElheran... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

27 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Family CEOs Spend Less Time at Work

whether the CEOs in their sample simply couldn't afford to delegate key duties to professionals who would be willing to work longer hours—and thus generate better results—than the CEOs themselves. Delegation... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

06 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 6

http://www.palgraveconnect.com/esm/doifinder/10.1057/9781137294678.0461 August 2013 Journal of Economics & Management Strategy Delegation in Multi-Establishment Firms: Evidence from I.T. Purchasing By: McElheran, Kristina Steffenson... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 12

ties between section-mates lead to insights about the merits of business plans. Download the paper: http://papers.nber.org/papers/w16918 Delegation in Multi-Establishment Firms: Adaptation vs. Coordination in I.T. Purchasing Authority... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

Unlocking Your Investment Capital

risks—a process that can release more equity capacity. Finally, Merton argues, the job of managing the company's derivatives portfolio should not be delegated to in-house financial experts. The strategic importance of how a company... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

02 Aug 2021
What Do You Think?

Can Companies with Remote Management Succeed?

conditions mentioned included only if: Top management is ready to know more about customer experiences and make the investment required to put the knowledge to work. Management is prepared to delegate the task to a broad swath of the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

04 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter

impact on the organizations they lead. Hunting the High-Impact Leader From Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter By Gautam Mukunda In the middle of May 1860, delegates to the Republican National Convention met in Chicago to choose the... View Details

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational

power in a small socio-economic class. Such an environment was less tolerant of the elitism and paternalism found in large, family-dominated companies in Britain. A corporate meritocracy emerged that fostered the development of a new class of professional managers, to... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

05 Jun 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, June 5, 2018

limited quantity. The competition has no comparable model. Which price should the company choose? Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54489 Come Together: Firm Boundaries and Delegation By: Alfaro, Laura,... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

11 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

Negotiating When the Rules Suddenly Change

delegate would have been better positioned to see the big picture. Friction was high in each of those domains. Confidential information about contract talks was sometimes leaked to the press. Key players who seemed ready to sign with one... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Wheeler; Sports

25 Feb 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Starting a Business

professor Constance Bagley discusses the most frequent legal flops made by entrepreneurs, everything from hiring the wrong lawyer to puffing up the business plan. Key concepts include: Entrepreneurs tend to delegate too much to the... View Details

08 Dec 2014
Research & Ideas

A Manager’s Guide to International Strategy

shop in the current low-cost location. How to organize? What are the structures, systems, and processes that need to be in place to manage a company's international strategy? Should authority be delegated to many organizational units or... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

Publications