Publications

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Article

Why Leadership Training Fails—and What to Do about It

By: Michael Beer, Magnus Finnström and Derek Schrader

U.S. corporations spend enormous amounts of money—some $456 billion globally in 2015 alone—on employee training and education, but they aren't getting a good return on their investment. People soon revert to old ways of doing things, and company performance doesn't... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership Development; Organizational Design; Employees; Business Processes; United States

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February 1994
Case

Kathryn McNeil (A)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

Charles Foley, vice president of the computer retailing firm Sayer MicroWorld, must decide whether or not to fire his employee, Kathryn McNeil, a 37-year-old product manager who has been unable to work as many hours as her colleagues due to her status as a single... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Employees; Work-Life Balance; Resignation and Termination; Mergers and Acquisitions; Retail Industry

November 1996 (Revised February 1997)
Case

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Stephanie L. Woerner

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) runs one of the nation's most important research libraries and a museum focusing on colonial history. Financial analysis shows that the society has absorbed increased costs of operation over the past decade through slow but... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Cost; Human Resources; Leadership Style; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Managerial Roles; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Strategy; Pennsylvania

March 2002 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Intevis: Brokering the Boundaryless Career

Illustrates technology strategy, knowledge management, and the challenges of managing temporary professionals in the increasingly modular semiconductor industry. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Knowledge Management; Employees; Semiconductor Industry

23 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 23, 2008

Working PapersA Resource Belief-Curse: Oil and Individualism Authors:Rafael Di Tella, Juan Dubra, and Robert MacCulloch Abstract We study the correlation between a belief concerning individualism and a measure of luck in the US during... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 2019
Case

JTC: Stronger Together with Shared Ownership

By: Ethan Bernstein and Daniela Beyersdorfer

Nigel Le Quesne, CEO of Jersey-based financial services firm JTC, firmly believed that "shared ownership" was at the heart of his company’s successful track record. The firm had seen its revenues, profits, and number of clients and staff grow steadily throughout its... View Details

Keywords: Ownership; Employee Ownership; Leadership Style; Compensation and Benefits; Organizational Culture; Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Going Public; Mission and Purpose; Management Practices and Processes; Human Resources; Financial Services Industry; Channel Islands; Europe; United States

Web

Lifelong Learning - Alumni

Programs, HBS Clubs, HBS Initiatives, and other partners. More Resources for Your Life and Career Explore Select a topic below to explore programs, content, and other resources available to HBS alumni... View Details

October 2019 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance

By: Michael Chu, Brian Trelstad and John Masko

In 2009, Dan Meyer and Richard Palmer, two veterans of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, founded Nehemiah Manufacturing to build FMCG brands while providing jobs to Cincinnati, Ohio’s beleaguered urban core. Two years later, the pair made their first... View Details

Keywords: Fast Moving Consumer Goods; Social Entrepreneurship; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Employment; Human Capital; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Social Marketing; Mission and Purpose; Prejudice and Bias; City; Urban Scope; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio; United States

January–February 2014
Article

Can a Strong Culture Be Too Strong?

By: David A. Garvin

The article presents a case study of a business enterprise with high employee turnover that is considering adopting a personnel management innovation, referred to as People Support, involving a group of managers whose role is to listen to and help resolve employees'... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Retention; Organizational Culture

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School Leadership | About

Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean, Business in Global Society, Unit Head, General Management Matthew C. Weinzierl Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business... View Details

28 May 2024
In Practice

Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

a former senior partner at McKinsey. Letian Zhang: Collaborative skills are increasingly important The labor market is changing in a lot of ways. Some of my recent work looks at changing skill requirements from employers. In this paper, for example, I find that the... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

22 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

When Protestors Knock at Your Door

As globalization trends increase, so does the ability of non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Oxfam International, and the World Wildlife Fund to shape public and corporate policy on everything from View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

02 Apr 2024
What Do You Think?

What's Enough to Make Us Happy?

like the inscription “He Came Out Even” on my gravestone. To what degree do we compare ourselves to others in measuring? Years ago, a former student who became human resource director at a well-known Wall... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

20 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency

perspectives might the wealthy businessman draw on as he transitions from CEO to commander in chief? To get a better sense of the months ahead, The Gazette asked Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty members how Trump’s nearly 50 years of experience in building a View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese

11 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone

lab, on the production line, and in the field. And that’s where you will invariably find raw talent that’s been hidden by nervous bosses who haven’t wanted to credit the people who are really doing the work. Work with the human View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

John C. Mulliken

Strategy consultant, former CTO & CPO, public & private company board member, retail & climatetech entrepreneur, early stage investor. Father of two, husband, sailor, hiker, and aspirational road biker.

John is a senior lecturer in the... View Details

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

Comparison of Costco to Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club,” Academy of Management Perspectives, August 2006. David Glass, in a comment confirmed by email on April 10, 2002. James L. Heskett, Earl W. Sasser, Jr., and Leonard A. Schlesinger, What... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

March 2011 (Revised June 2011)
Supplement

Arck Systems (D)

By: Ian Larkin

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits