Publications

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March 1999
Case

Merck & Co., Inc.: Corporate Strategy, Organization and Culture (A)

By: Michael Beer and Perry Fagan

In the early 1990s, Merck faced a series of challenges because of significant changes in its competitive and regulatory environment (e.g., growth in power of pharmaceutical buyers like managed care organizations led to price pressures and President Clinton's review of... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Management Practices and Processes; Competitive Strategy; Management Teams; Health Care and Treatment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Situation or Environment; Alignment; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

10 Nov 2015
Blog Post

Using an MBA for a Career Change

I applied to MBA programs because I wanted to change careers. I went from spending six years at one company to trying out a number of industries and function areas in two years. During that time I learned two important things: 1. Maybe... View Details

17 Sep 2019
News

How a New Leader Broke Through a Culture of Accuse, Blame, and Criticize

March 2025
Case

The Changing Climate on Wall Street

By: Clayton S. Rose, Maxim Pike Harrell and Michael Norris

Increasing and conflicting regulatory requirements and political pressures regarding climate change tested the leaders of U.S. financial institutions, as they struggled to determine how best to comply while managing their business and its risks. In October 2024,... View Details

Program

Leading Change and Organizational Renewal

innovation and agility across your organization Diagnose organizational problems that hinder innovation Embed new ways of doing things within your corporate culture Build a shared vision of success around View Details

January 2025
Case

GE Appliances 2025: Energizing Change

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

At the turn of 2025, Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances following its acquisition by Chinese appliance giant Haier in 2016, is reviewing progress toward his net zero carbon vision for homes, which would otherwise exacerbate the global warming climate crisis. An... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Technological Innovation

11 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Four Ways to Create Lasting Change

Clinics in Minnesota. That effort produced enduring behavioral and cultural changes regarding an issue (medical errors) that has proven very difficult to address for many health care institutions. Moving... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

August 2021
Article

A Mixed Methods Study of Change Processes Enabling Effective Transition to Team-based Care

By: Michael Anne Kyle, Emma-Louise Aveling and Sara J. Singer

Team-based care is considered central to achieving value in primary care, yet results of large-scale primary care transformation initiatives have been mixed. We explore how underlying change processes influence the effectiveness of transition to team-based care. We... View Details

Keywords: Team-based Care; Primary Care; Health Care and Treatment; Transformation; Groups and Teams; Change Management

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November–December 2023
Article

Storytelling That Drives Bold Change

By: Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss

When tackling urgent organizational problems, leaders usually work hard to identify underlying causes, tap a wide range of knowledge, and experiment with solutions. But once they’ve mapped out a plan, there’s one more crucial step they must take: crafting a story so... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Problems and Challenges; Emotions; Communication Strategy

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February 2008 (Revised September 2010)
Case

Enterprise Culture in Chinese History: Zhang Jian and the Dasheng Cotton Mills

By: Elisabeth Koll

This case focuses on the legal and managerial evolution of limited-liability firms in China, using the example of the Dasheng cotton mills in Nantong near Shanghai. Dasheng, one of the earliest and most successful industrial enterprises in pre-war China, was founded by... View Details

Keywords: History; Law; Organizational Culture; Family Ownership; State Ownership; Corporate Governance; Financial Crisis; Business and Government Relations; Entrepreneurship; Change; Manufacturing Industry; Shanghai; China

13 Oct 2020
News

To Foster Innovation, Cultivate a Culture of Intellectual Bravery

September 2011 (Revised August 2013)
Case

The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change

By: Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery

In 2010, for the first time in 23 years, PepsiCo did not invest in Superbowl advertising for its iconic brand. Instead, the company diverted this $20 million to the social media-fueled Pepsi Refresh Project: PepsiCo's innovative cause-marketing program in which... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Advertising Campaigns; Investment Return; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Social Marketing; Cost vs Benefits; Food and Beverage Industry

March 2009
Case

Barbara Norris: Leading Change in the General Surgery Unit

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria and Deborah Bell

Barbara Norris struggles to address the many problems facing her as a recently promoted nurse manager in the General Surgery Unit (GSU) at Eastern Massachusetts University Hospital (EMU). She has inherited a unit with the lowest employee satisfaction scores and highest... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Leading Change; Service Delivery; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Groups and Teams; Motivation and Incentives; Satisfaction; Health Industry

21 May 2021
News

See Us Unite for Change

once said you can change a culture and build a country when you are in the hearts and minds of the people. We want to not just enter the homes of viewers, but also their hearts and minds to drive change,”... View Details

Keywords: Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

April 2014
Supplement

Managing Change at Axis Bank (B)

By: Paul Healy and Rachna Tahilyani

Axis Bank is India's third largest private sector bank. In April 2009, Shikha Sharma, an outsider was appointed as its CEO. She took over from a person who had overseen ten years of rapid growth at the bank. The selection of an outsider as the new CEO surprised many... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Valuation; Finance; Banks and Banking; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; India

01 Jun 2024
News

In My Humble Opinion: Career Change

When Wakana Tanaka (MBA 2003) was 13 years old, her father’s new job took the family from their home in Tokyo to Jakarta. It was a big change, not just geographically but also culturally. Tanaka enrolled in an international school where she was encouraged to have her... View Details

Keywords: Michelle Cassidy; recruitment; demographics; Japan

October 2013 (Revised October 2013)
Supplement

Henkel's CEO Kasper Rorsted: On Building a Winning Culture

By: Robert L. Simons

Keywords: Performance Measurement; Performance Appraisals; Human Resource Management; Work/life Balance; Strategy Execution; Values; Organizational Transformations; Pay For Performance; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Values and Beliefs; Work-Life Balance; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits