Publications

Accuracy Obsession: Humans Prioritize Immaterial AI Accuracy Over Their Own Compensation — Unless We Educate Them

1. Problem definition: Accuracy isn't everything. In many contexts, high or low sensitivity is more important than overall correctness — and yet, we find that humans prefer accurate algorithms, even to their detriment. Specifically, we identify and address an... View Details

31 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

American Idle: Workers Spend Too Much Time Waiting for Something to Do

productivity” “That expected leisure time changed things completely,” says Amabile. Participants worked much more productively, finishing the same tasks in less time but without any more mistakes—and without any evidence of the “deadtime effect.” Less focus on hours,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

02 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

A Rare Find in Health Care: A Simple Solution to Racial Inequity

for these long-standing disparities.” For the past 20 years, Chandra has been examining differences in health outcomes between white and Black Americans, searching for solutions to shrink the gap. In a recent working paper published... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

June 2005 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Whole Foods Market, Inc.

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

Can a short-sleeved, sandal-wearing, college dropout create a company manifesting love, joy, and happiness? Chainsaw John Mackey did. This CEO took a five-month sabbatical to hike the Appalachian Trail. More credentials: Sales-per-square foot of $690 and rising. Hiring... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Motivation and Incentives; Food; Management Practices and Processes; Groups and Teams; Success; Leadership Style; Management Teams; Business Growth and Maturation; Emerging Markets; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Consumer Products Industry

12 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Corporate Innovation Increasingly Benefits from Government Research

shrinking human services than the long-term benefits of research spending, whose outcomes might be years away. “Voters don’t get as angered about such cuts.” The research can’t predict what would happen if the US government slashed... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

December 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

7-Eleven, Inc.

By: David E. Bell and Hal Hogan

Can 7-Eleven United States replicate the successful experience of 7-Eleven Japan in selling fresh foods through convenience stores? Describes the Japanese system and shows the steps the company is taking to try to achieve the same success in the United States. View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Adoption; Success; Sales; Food; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; Japan; United States

Research Summary

Regulatory Change/Business-Government Relations

“Sources of Learning Heterogeneity: Discontinuous Regulatory Shock and its Impact on Organizational Search Behaviors”

Co-authoring with Jerry Kim, in this study I look at how discontinuous regulatory shock shapes organizational... View Details

Keywords: Business ＆ Government Relations; Regulations; Regulatory Capture; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

18 May 2016
Research & Ideas

Unethical Amnesia: Why We Tend to Forget Our Own Bad Behavior

makes us more likely to misbehave in the future. ©iStockphoto/Brian Jackson In a follow-up laboratory study, participants played a game in which they could make money by successfully predicting the outcome of a computerized coin toss.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Research & Development, Project Code SX-70 - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

the evolution of the process as brilliantly envisioned and developed by Edwin Land and his dedicated project team. It required successful outcomes in a number of arenas, all of which would need to coalesce into an interrelated,... View Details

November–December 2023
Article

Keep Your AI Projects on Track

By: Iavor Bojinov

AI—and especially its newest star, generative AI—is today a central theme in corporate boardrooms, leadership discussions, and casual exchanges among employees eager to supercharge their productivity. Sadly, beneath the aspirational headlines and tantalizing potential... View Details

Keywords: Generative Models; AI and Machine Learning; Success; Failure; Product Development; Technology Adoption

Find at Harvard

2019
Working Paper

Second Chance: Life with Less Student Debt

By: Marco Di Maggio, Ankit Kalda and Vincent Yao

Rising student debt is considered one of the creeping threats of our time. This paper examines the effect of student debt relief on individual credit and labor market outcomes. We exploit the plausibly random debt discharge due to the inability of National Collegiate,... View Details

Keywords: Student Debt; Private Student Loans; Legal Settlement; Mobility; Debt Collection; Debt Relief; Borrowing and Debt; Personal Finance; Outcome or Result; United States

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07 Apr 2015
News

Warrior Spirit

immediately Svirid lands a devastating left-handed punch. The Brazilian gets up quickly, but Svirid attacks, knocking him down again and delivering a rain of blows before the fight is stopped after just 17 seconds. It feels like a bit of an anticlimax, but Cui is... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Technical and Trade Schools; Educational Services

March 1990
Article

Architectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and The Failure of Established Firms

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Kim B. Clark

Keywords: Design; Innovation and Invention; Product; Information Technology; Failure; Business Ventures

Find at Harvard

December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
Case

NatureSweet

By: Jose Alvarez, Forest Reinhardt and Natalie Kindred

This case describes the business model and workplace philosophy of NatureSweet, a privately owned, vertically integrated greenhouse grower and marketer of fresh tomatoes with sales across the United States and $329 million in 2016 revenues. CEO Bryant Ambelang treated... View Details

10 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

High Commitment, High Performance Management

process is too top-down. Or consider how achieving high levels of dedication to the firm (a strong culture) can easily slip into an attitude that resists change. Only if learning and change become an equally valued outcome can the status... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Business Economics Online Course | HBS Online

Module 4 Markets Apply market principles to analyze industries in which no traditional market functions. Highlights The Concept of Market Equilibrium Internet versus Traditional Retail Prediction Markets Show Hide Details Concepts Market View Details

06 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

The Innovator’s Battle Plan

asymmetric battles often is the seemingly sudden end of a great firm. From the incumbent's perspective, every action it takes is rational. But the outcome is devastating. Disruption is the strategy that creates and capitalizes on... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony & Erik A. Roth

24 Oct 2019
Blog Post

Harvard’s JD/MBA: Viroopa Volla (JD/MBA 2021) Answers Your Questions

legal cases from the U.S. legal system. These cases teach students legal doctrine by showing how to analyze the facts of each case to produce a certain outcome by highlighting important tenants of judicial opinions. A second big... View Details

August 2023
Case

Stay or Go? Sarah Reynolds at Kensington Partners

By: David G. Fubini, Amr Seifeldin and Patrick Sanguineti

Sarah Reynolds, a Partner at the global Kensington Partners strategy consulting firm, has headed the firm's Telecommunications Group for a few years. Thanks to her stellar track record with clients, she has brought the group, and herself, a range of accolades and... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Consulting Firms; Client Service; Career Management; Success; Time Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career