Publications

August 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Quality Imaging Products (QIP)

Martin Stein, a recent business school graduate, is the new owner of Quality Imaging Products (QIP), a $10-million-a-year remanufacturer of printer and copier ink cartridges. Within weeks of buying the company, QIP's vp for finance, gives an ultimatum: a raise or he... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Manufacturing Industry

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

December 2008 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Hema Hattangady and Conzerv (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman and David Kiron

This case describes the evolution of a fast-growing Indian energy firm. It illustrates both leadership change as Hema is evolving as a leader, as well as how organization architecture (culture, systems, incentives, and human resources) is evolving. The case highlights... View Details

Keywords: Change; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Energy Industry; India

14 Apr 2019
Interview

How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Dave Stachowiak

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She has been recognized by the Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers for many years and was honored with their Talent Award in 2017. Amy is the author of... View Details

Keywords: Psychological Safety; Organizational Culture; Groups and Teams; Performance Effectiveness

February 1980 (Revised June 1984)
Case

Quaker Steel and Alloy Corp.

By: John J. Gabarro

Lower middle-level manager is faced with the need to bring about a change in the call patterns of the sales force selling her product. Based on an earlier case by P.R. Lawrence. View Details

Keywords: Change; Managerial Roles; Organizational Culture; Salesforce Management; Steel Industry

September 2011
Teaching Note

Growing Pains at Stroz Friedberg (TN)

By: David A. Garvin

Teaching Note for 311008. View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Growth and Development; Revenue; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; System; Transformation; Consulting Industry

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

01 Mar 2013
News

Leveraging Female Talent

over the world. My sample includes CEOs of large companies, board members, political figures, Olympic athletes, writers, and television personalities, among others. About 10 percent are men. I understand you're also considering the issue of women and success on an... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

December 2007 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Leadership in Energy: Jim Rogers at Cinergy

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria, Colleen Kaftan and Geoff Eckman Marietta

Jim Rogers, CEO of the energy company Cinergy, has led the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier energy companies through selecting a focused strategy, aligning the organization to support it, and mobilizing all the employees to implementation. The... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Alignment; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry

May 1997 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Vermeer Technologies (E): New Beginning

By: Ashish Nanda

The Vermeer team is pleasantly surprised by the benefits and hospitality that their new surroundings offer. Their happiness is tempered, however, by discomfort with some elements of the "Microsoft Way." As the Vermeer engineers embark on a punishing schedule for the... View Details

Keywords: Performance Expectations; Horizontal Integration; Organizational Design; Organizational Culture; Product Development; Information Technology Industry

08 Oct 2010
What Do You Think?

Will Transparency in CEO Compensation Have Unintended Consequences?

Often the CEO is portrayed as 'the only person in the world who could do this job' You can thank the financial press for this mystique." In pointing out the futility of the effort, Rebecca West commented that "the current exclusionary process of creating CEOs... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

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

2014
Other Article

Communicating Change: When Identity Becomes a Source of Vulnerability for Institutional Challengers

By: Ryann Elizabeth Manning, Julie Battilana and Lakshmi Ramarajan

Social movements challenge institutions through two related communication processes: articulating collective action frames and constructing collective movement identity. We argue that frames not only express movement identity, but also provide openings through which... View Details

Keywords: Identity Threat; Institutional Change; Social Movements; Framing; Social Issues; Identity; Organizational Culture; Change