Publications

February 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Case

AptDeco: Circular Economy Furniture Marketplace

By: Ayelet Israeli and Jamie Merkrebs

AptDeco, a used furniture marketplace, was growing rapidly in the tri-state area. The co-founders were confident that the business model, financial position, and unit economics positioned AptDeco for scaling in the massive $120 billion furniture market, despite its... View Details

Teaching Interest

Overview

By: Jill J. Avery

Creating Brand Value (MBA elective course)

Overview:

In the consumer/retail space, brands are often companies’ most valuable assets and sources of their sustainable competitive advantage. But, managing brands to achieve their full value potential... View Details

July 2020
Case

Driving Transformation at the Majid Al Futtaim Group

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Esel Çekin

The case opens with Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Holding, anticipating on the Group’s next phase in the multi-year transformation journey and reflecting on the initiatives he implemented to create the Group’s growth-oriented culture. Founded in 1995,... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; United Arab Emirates; Middle East; Dubai

Program

Disruptive Innovation

on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities. Read More Answering Your Questions Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and View Details

May 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Brief Biographical Note on P. Roy Vagelos

By: Nitin Nohria and Bridget Gurtler

Provides background biographical information on P. Roy Vagelos, chief executive officer of Merck Pharmaceuticals. Teaching Purpose: To chart the development of a leader in the pharmaceutical industry. View Details

Keywords: Biography; Teaching; Leadership Development; Mission and Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Ethics; Pharmaceutical Industry

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Web

Business & Environment

Rising This episode is another in our series on Climate Resilience featuring Alex Berkowitz, Founder and CEO of Coastal Protection Solutions (CPS), a startup developing nearshore infrastructure that reduces wave energy and enhances... View Details

July 19, 2024
Article

The CEO’s Journey Is a 3-Act Play: Planning for the Distinct Phases of Your Tenure Increases Your Odds of Success.

By: Nitin Nohria

Instead of treating a leadership role as an unending sprint, CEOs should approach their tenure as a series of three phases. Act one requires a leader to establish legitimacy, build a top team, and begin to communicate and implement a change agenda. Act two requires... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Business or Company Management; Leadership

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April 1998 (Revised April 2004)
Case

NEC: A New R&D Site in Princeton

In 1992, Daizburo Shinoda, a senior R&D manager at NEC, has to deal with a succession issue regarding the leadership of NEC's R&D site in Princeton, N.J. In deciding whom to appoint as the next leader of NEC's most important R&D site abroad, Shinoda has to consider a... View Details

Keywords: Management Succession; Corporate Strategy; Research and Development; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Information Technology Industry; New Jersey

March 2018
Supplement

Sandra Brown Goes Digital (C): Raising Quality in a Healthcare Company

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jonathan Cohen

Using digital and social media tools and lessons learned from prior change campaigns as a middle manager in a large biotech company, Sandra Brown continued in a new role in the quality division, engaging staff in a quality movement at the company. She had found a new... View Details

Keywords: Digital; Grassroots Movement; Managing Change; Career Path; Stakeholder Engagement; Engagement; Health Care Industry; Quality; Leading Change; Performance Improvement; Personal Development and Career; Social Media; Health Industry

November 2012
Case

The Universalization of L'Oréal

By: Rajiv Lal and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In 2010, half of the world's cosmetics sales came from the so-called emerging markets for the first time; L'Oréal opened three new subsidiaries, in Egypt, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan; and the Paris, France-based cosmetics and personal care powerhouse declared its... View Details

Keywords: Retailing; Marketing; Cosmetics Industry; L'Oreal; India; R＆D; Globalization; Product Development; Research and Development; Emerging Markets; Retail Industry; Latin America; Asia; Middle East

June 2013 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Governance and Sustainability at Nike (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Nien-hê Hsieh and Lara Adamsons

Two members of Nike's executive team must decide what sustainability targets to propose to Nike's CEO and to the corporate responsibility committee of Nike's board of directors. Set in 2012, the case traces the evolution of Nike's approach to environmental and social... View Details

Keywords: Nike; Hannah Jones; Mark Parker; Phil Knight; Philip Knight; Eric Sprunk; Jill Ker Conway; Phyllis Wise; Don Blair; Sustainable Business And Innovation; SB＆I; Flyknit; DyeCoo; Footwear; Athletic Footwear; Apparel; Athletic Apparel; Sustainability; Greenpeace; Detox Campaign; Dirty Laundry; Water; Water Use; Water Pollution; Water Resources; Corporate Responsibility Committee; Judgment; Board Of Directors; Board Committees; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Footwear Industry; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Ethics; Fairness; Globalized Firms and Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Management Practices and Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance; Alignment; Supply Chain; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Judgments; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Asia; China; United States; Oregon; Portland

February 2017
Case

Aston Martin: A Second Century of Performance and Luxury

By: Vish V. Krishnan, Karim R. Lakhani and Amram Migdal

Following the March 2016 launch of DB11, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.’s first new sports car platform in over a decade, this case discusses the future strategy of the famed British luxury auto manufacturer. Since its founding in 1902, Aston Martin has been characterized... View Details

17 Jul 2019
Blog Post

Tech for the People

HBS Leadership Fellow Henry Tsai (MBA 2017) was working as a technology and innovation advisor in the San José mayor’s office in the fall of 2017 when he began thinking about the plight of families forced from their homes during natural... View Details

April 2011 (Revised July 2014)
Case

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.: Driving Change Through Internal Communication

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind

Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), confronted in 2003 with an urgent need to change how it operated externally, adopted a highly innovative approach to communicating internally. This case, set in 2010, presents an overview of the new, more interactive model of employee... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Innovation and Management; Leading Change; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Corporate Strategy; India

01 Aug 2023
What Do You Think?

As Leaders, Why Do We Continue to Reward A, While Hoping for B?

occur because of policies that conflict with incentives or the ways the incentives are administered. In 1975, Steve Kerr, who would later become head of executive development at General Electric and head of its famous educational campus... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

24 Apr 2019
Blog Post

Meet the Latino Student Organization

initiatives related to MBA admissions, alumni, career development and more to advocate for and empower the Latino community on campus and beyond. The LASO Board is led by the club’s three Co-Presidents – Amy Hernandez Turcios, Daniel... View Details

Web

Initiatives & Projects - Faculty & Research

science of innovation through a systematic program of solving real-world innovation challenges while simultaneously conducting rigorous scientific research and analysis. Leadership The Leadership Initiative... View Details

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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March 2023
Case

Innovation at Google Ads: The Sales Acceleration and Innovation Labs (SAIL) (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards

In 2018, Ana Owczarzak was appointed to lead Google Ads' new innovation and accelerator team - the Sales Acceleration and Innovation Labs (SAIL). The purpose of SAIL was to offer testing and incubation services for individuals within Google Ads who were developing new... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Organizational Design; Technology Industry; Advertising Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States