Publications

October 1991 (Revised June 1992)
Case

Nigel Andrews and General Electric Plastics (A)

Describes some critical challenges involved in creating employee empowerment. In the context of General Electric's efforts to debureaucratise the company, employees were encouraged to become more "self-confident". This effort, called "Workout," was introduced all over... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Employees; Manufacturing Industry; United States

01 Jun 2009
News

Insights from the Post-Macho Workplace

and to work reliably and effectively, they were willing to do that. How did the change in culture benefit the company? These organizational changes, which were instituted around the company as a whole,... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Oil and Gas Extraction; Mining

2011
Case

UFIDA (E)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Donghong Li and Lijuan Liu

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Leadership Style

01 Mar 2004
Lessons from the Classroom

Mission to Mars: It Really Is Rocket Science

In a recent case study, professor Alan MacCormack and research associate Jay Wynn swung for the moon—Mars, actually. After two high-profile missions to Mars failed in 2000, MacCormack wanted to understand the organizational and procedural... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

24 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

SuperCorp: Values as Guidance System

the Cemex Way, a set of "best practice" principles and processes developed over the years to help people succeed in the Cemex family, the company disseminated its culture across its increasingly far-flung global network.... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

1985
Chapter

Providing the Corporate Environment to Foster Innovation

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Organizational Design; Organizational Culture

June 2016
Case

Macy's Reinvents Its Millennial Business

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

Molly Langenstein, Macy’s executive vice president for fashion and new business development, and members of Macy’s senior team were rethinking the company’s approach to serving millennial customers, customers born between the years of 1980 and 2000. To tackle this... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Age; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Business Processes; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry

Web

IT Strategy: Helping Leaders Grow Their Skills | Information Technology

vital members of our organization to grow, develop, and thrive. Leaders equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge are better prepared to navigate the complexities of the business landscape, drive innovation, and foster a culture of... View Details

September 1994
Case

MCI: From Mainframe to Metroplex

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr., Nitin Nohria and James Berkley

Keywords: Information Technology; Management; Organizational Culture

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16 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 16, 2018

Guide to Corporate Culture: How to Manage the Eight Critical Elements of Organizational Life By: Groysberg, Boris, Jeremiah Lee, Jesse Price, and J. Yo-Jud Cheng Abstract—Executives are often confounded by View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Jun 2022
Lecture

The Power of Trust

By: Sandra J. Sucher

We were delighted to be joined by Professor Sandra Sucher of Harvard Business School, a leading researcher on management practice and the author of The Power of Trust, to explore the core elements underpinning trust in business and to talk about some real-world... View Details

Keywords: Trust; Corporate Accountability; Organizational Culture; Leadership

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January–February 2021
Article

Making Space for Emotions: Empathy, Contagion, and Legitimacy’s Double-Edged Sword

By: Andreea Gorbatai, Cyrus Dioun and Kisha Lashley

Legitimacy is critical to the formation and expansion of nascent fields because it lends credibility and recognizability to once overlooked actors and practices. At the same time, legitimacy can be a double-edged sword precisely because it facilitates field growth,... View Details

Keywords: Legitimacy; Collective Identity; Emotional Contagion; Field-congifiguring Events; Empathy; Natural Language Processing; Mixed Methods; Organizational Culture; Emotions; Groups and Teams

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October 2000 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Avon Products (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Greg Rogers

Presents the results of the decision taken in the (A) case. Describes the subsequent challenges faced by Avon Products in promulgating its globalization worldwide. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Gender; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

April 1985 (Revised November 1987)
Case

Sun Hydraulics Corp. (B)

Fifteen years later, the company has achieved widespread recognition in the industry for its innovative designs, its quality products, and its highly ethical standards for business dealings. This case describes the organization, the plant, and current concerns. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Ethics; Engineering; Organizational Culture; Technology Industry

10 Feb 2014
HBS Case

Stressing Safety in South Africa’s Platinum Mines

One morning last fall, Gautam Mukunda told the MBA students in his first-year Leadership and Organizational Behavior class to crawl under their desks and stay there. He wanted them to experience a sense of how it feels to work in a... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Manufacturing

2006
Chapter

The Corporation's Evolving Personality

By: Lynn S. Paine

Keywords: Business Ventures; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation

29 Jun 2009
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Leading Change

markets, business processes, and organizational structure—and to improve them to achieve growth. Success will depend on leaders who are able to stabilize the company as they identify and exploit opportunities, find new market niches,... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

November 1990 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Apple Computer (C): The Human Resource Function

Explores how the human resource (HR) function at Apple Computer can best support the company's strategy. Describes in detail the HR function. The function is considering a reorganization at the end of the case, in response to criticism from non-HR employees and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Business Strategy; Computer Industry; United States