Publications

February 2010 (Revised March 2010)
Supplement

Leading Change at Simmons (E)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Susan Thyne

This case updates the “Leading Change at Simmons” series by examining Simmons' increasing debt under the ownership of Thomas H. Lee, a private equity firm. Charlie Eitel, the former CEO, wonders what the company's, and his, legacy will be after declaring bankruptcy... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Leading Change; Operations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Ownership; Performance Improvement; Consumer Products Industry

13 Aug 2024
Op-Ed

Can AI Save Physicians from Burnout?

unease, and high turnover rates. Now, many health care organizations are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a potential solution to physician overwork and burnout. After all, AI offers long-sought-after benefits for clinicians, such as reduced clinical... View Details

Keywords: by Susanna Gallani, Lidia Moura, and Katie Sonnefeldt; Health

01 Sep 2015
First Look

First Look -- September 1, 2015

performance. Using panel data from the Japanese National Hospital Organization, we analyze performance improvements following regulation requiring standardized measurement and peer disclosure of absolute and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

What Happens When Business Owners Turn to ChatBots for Advice

AI’s capabilities to help solve business problems, particularly in parts of the world with fewer resources and less access to technology. “The fact that generative AI was a little over a year old, and we could use it to advise several hundred Kenyan entrepreneurs how... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

January 2014
Case

CleanSpritz

By: John A. Quelch and Alisa Zalosh

Sales of CleanSpritz all-purpose cleaning spray have been steadily declining for the past five years, and management believes the decline correlates to a growing environmental concern among U.S. consumers. CleanSpritz's management is considering several options to... View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Competition; Marketing Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Improvement; Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry

30 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 30, 2008

benefit of increased labor is improved quality. The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of labor on profitability through its impact on quality. Since employees at retail stores perform both... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

2007
Other Unpublished Work

Say on Pay Vote and CEO Compensation: Evidence from the UK

By: Fabrizio Ferri and David Maber

In this study, we examine the effect on CEO pay of new legislation introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) at the end of 2002 that requires publicly-traded firms to submit an executive remuneration report to a non-binding shareholder vote ("say on pay") at the annual... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Corporate Governance; Government Legislation; Executive Compensation; Performance Improvement; Business and Shareholder Relations; United Kingdom

March 1999
Case

MotivAction plc (A)

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

The owner/manager of MotivAction is developing a package of incentives and bonuses that he hopes will stimulate sales growth, encourage development of new autonomous teams, and increase profitability. If they are adopted, these new incentives will replace others... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Performance Improvement; Growth and Development Strategy; Decisions; Profit; Organizational Culture

Find at Harvard

22 Feb 2010
Research & Ideas

Manager Visibility No Guarantee of Fixing Problems

encountering. Drawn from the health-care industry, the research is based on a sample of 69 randomly selected hospitals, 20 of which participated in a three-part cycle of process improvement activities. Focusing on one area of the hospital... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

Professors Introduce Valuation Software

the synergies and performance improvements I anticipate being able to generate? Q: There are other analysis/valuation tools and books on the market. How does yours differ? A: Our tool has several features.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

17 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 17

asymmetry in message strength in turn permits cutoff equilibria, where players take action after receiving a minimum number of confirmations. Good Morning Creativity: Task Reactivation During Sleep Enhances Beneficial Effect of Sleep on Creative View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

02 Jan 2013
What Do You Think?

Should We Rethink the Promise of Teams?

failing MBA students are about helping the students overcome their fears of engaging in classroom discussion, to improve the frequency of their classroom contributions.) These are all points made in a new book by Susan Cain, Quiet: The... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

June 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Reckitt Benckiser: Fast and Focused Innovation

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Ryan Johnson

Since its 1999 merger Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods company, led by its CEO Bart Becht, RB developed a reputation for rapid product innovation and industry leading profit margins. RB's stated strategy was to focus on its Powerbrands and high growth... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Global Strategy; Innovation Leadership; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Performance Improvement; Commercialization; Consumer Products Industry

19 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

Do I Dare Say Something?

(Abstract) Sarah Jane Gilbert: Can you explain the meanings of latent voice episodes and upward voice? Amy Edmondson and James Detert: Latent voice episodes describe those moments at work when someone considers speaking up about an issue, problem, or even an View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert

29 Dec 2019
Research & Ideas

Read Our Most Popular Research Stories of 2019

experimentation will improve performance over time. However, the benefits of experimentation vary. Managerial Quality and Productivity Dynamics Which managerial skills, traits, and practices matter most for... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 2013 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Benetton Group S.p.A., 2012

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

On May 31, 2012, after 36 years on the Milan Stock Exchange, Benetton was officially delisted and taken private by Edizione, the Benetton family's holding company. Since 2000, Benetton shareholders had seen its market value fall from $4.3 billion to $720 million at the... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Fashion; Retail; Privatization; Family Ownership; Performance Improvement; Problems and Challenges; Management Teams; Globalized Firms and Management; Change Management; Restructuring; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Italy

October 1993 (Revised October 1996)
Case

Paragould City Cable

By: Willis M. Emmons III

Unhappy with the prices provided by the local, privately owned cable television operator, the city of Paragould, Arkansas constructs a competing municipally owned cable system. Once in operation, Paragould City Cable faces vigorous competition from the incumbent... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Television Entertainment; Competitive Strategy; Distribution Channels; Media; Public Sector; Programs; Growth and Development Strategy; Cost; Performance Improvement; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Arkansas