Publications

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October 2021
Background Note

How to Write an Action-Planning Memo

By: Ryan Raffaelli and Akshaya Varghese

The ability to communicate an action plan through writing is essential for advancing ideas, earning credibility, and garnering support. Research has shown that leaders who write formal plans are more likely to execute successfully—written plans help members of an... View Details

Keywords: Writing; Action Plan; Communication; Competency and Skills; Planning

November 2007
Article

Solve the Succession Crisis by Growing Inside-Outside Leaders

By: Joseph L. Bower

This article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. In his interviews and data analysis, Harvard Business School professor Bower found... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Leadership Development; Management Practices and Processes; Management Succession; Planning

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24 Oct 2012
News

How 'luck' can be used to enhance success

Keywords: News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

01 Mar 2021
Blog Post

Best Practices for Creating a Successful Virtual Internship

these programs to exist beyond the global pandemic because of the unique ability to connect with students across geographies and expand the pool of potential candidates. To help organizations think through the process of creating a View Details

Keywords: All Industries

September 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Zurich Insurance: Fostering People Management Practices

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after implementing five new people practices focused on manager development, diversity and inclusion, job model and data analytics, recruitment, and talent pipeline. The case provides background for the company, as... View Details

Keywords: Managing Change; Organizational Behavior; Diversity Management; Organizational Architecture; Recruiting; Succession Planning; Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Human Capital; Human Resources; Insurance; Leadership; Diversity; Organizational Structure; Recruitment; Management Succession; Insurance Industry

September 2012
Case

Getting Back to Your Roots: Rose Carpenter's Story

By: John A. Davis, Janet Kraus and Lisa Strope

Rose Carpenter is a successful entrepreneur who is considering the personal implications of leaving the business she created to pursue her own interests. View Details

Keywords: Career Planning; Entrepreneurs; Life Planning; Work-Life Balance; Entrepreneurship; Decisions

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Leadership Execution and Action Planning (LEAP) - Course Catalog

to keep, and how fast it all must happen. This module focuses on the common mistakes, management styles of successful turnaround leaders, and action plans that can serve as the starting point for a leader... View Details

June 2018
Teaching Note

Zurich Insurance

By: Boris Groysberg, David Lane and Joni Coughlin

This teaching note addresses six cases in the Zurich Insurance series, the overview case (HBS No. 417-035) and five cases focused on particular change efforts (HBS Nos. 417-036 through 417-040).
Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after... View Details

Web

Planning a Class Session - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

preparation meets opportunity.” Seneca, 1st century AD The spontaneous and "in-the-moment" dynamics of successful case discussions mask the considerable planning that instructors carry out prior to each... View Details

01 Dec 2002
News

Hong Kong Club Thrives, Plans Next Global Alumni Conference

capitalism.” In Hong Kong, Teo immersed himself in the local club, where Philip Leung (MBA '76) and Hamilton Ty Tang (MBA '90) currently serve as copresidents. “Before I knew it,” he says, “we were in charge of putting on the 1997 HBS Global Alumni Conference.” The... View Details

Web

In-Office, Remote, or Hybrid: Strategies for Success - Recruiting

Insights & Advice 08 Jul 2025 In-Office, Remote, or Hybrid: Strategies for Success tag Recruiting Advice Recruiting Strategies While many employees find themselves back in the office a great deal of the time, remote and hybrid work remain... View Details

15 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

The Surprisingly Successful Marriages of Multinationals and Social Brands

the key descriptor is not simply a difference in size but rather in kind. We are not referring to every small company, but only to those that have become social icons because an integral part of their distinctiveness and success is rooted... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

Article

Beyond Good Intentions: Prompting People to Make Plans Improves Follow-through on Important Tasks

By: Todd Rogers, Katherine L Milkman, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton

Many intend to stay fit but fail to exercise or eat healthfully; students intend to earn good grades but study too little; citizens intend to vote but fail to turnout. How can policymakers help people follow through on intentions like these? Plan-making, a tool that... View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Success; Planning

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January 2020
Case

Blackstone at 35: Performance, Innovation, and the Next Generation

By: Josh Lerner

Keywords: Finance; Private Equity; Investing; Succession Planning; Leadership; Fund Management; Fund Raising

01 Jun 2000
News

HBS Business Plan Contestants Pin Their Hopes on the Internet

level of participation and accomplishment in the Business Plan Contest reflects the fact that student interest in entrepreneurship at the School is at an all-time high," said Dean Kim B. Clark. Past Business View Details

February 2022
Case

Toraya

By: Lauren Cohen and Akiko Kanno

Mitsuharu Kurokawa was the 18th generation leader of a family firm that produced and sold premium Japanese sweets, Toraya Confectionery Co., Ltd. He had succeeded the business from his father, Mitsuhiro Kurokawa who had led the firm for thirty years. Mitsuharu was... View Details

Keywords: Branding; Luxury Brand; Succession; Family Business; Management Succession; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Marketing; Expansion; Globalization; Innovation and Invention; Customer Satisfaction; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; Japan

01 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

The Airbnb Lesson for Startups? Success Takes More Than Technology

wealthy tourists. Airbnb remains Y Combinator’s biggest success story, but it was aggressive on-the-ground outreach that helped speed its early growth in key markets. Add in an industry with entrenched leaders and a limp economy in the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Travel; Tourism

January 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Less Is More: Will Aldi's Expansion Plans Pay Off in a Crowded U.S. Grocery Market?

By: David Collis and Haisley Wert

In 2024, the discount grocery retailer Aldi announced bold U.S. expansion plans. Within five years, the German company would increase its store count by 30% to reach 3,200+ stores across the United States and approach becoming the fifth largest grocery retailer in the... View Details

Keywords: Scope; Grocery; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; United States

June 2016
Teaching Note

The Rawlinsons: Facing Life and Career Decisions as a Couple

By: Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

David and Nadia Rawlinson are a dual-career power couple who both seek executive careers in large organizations. At the beginning of the case, Nadia has taken a new job in San Francisco, while David has been offered an opportunity in London. What are the risks of... View Details

Keywords: Career Management; Career Planning; Personal Development and Career; Gender