Publications

28 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 28

F. Baird Leslie A. Perlow and Thomas J. DeLongHarvard Business School Supplement 403-086 Presents profiles written by six members of the HBS Class of 1976 from the 10th and 20th reunions. The six alumni represent a cross section of the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

The Most Popular Stories and Research Papers of 2017

are irrationally motivated to complete arbitrary sets of tasks, donations, or purchases—and organizations can take advantage of that, according to new research by Kate Barasz, Leslie John, Elizabeth Keenan, and Michael Norton. Plus: The... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Jun 2012
What Do You Think?

Is Something Wrong with the Way We Work?

mobile devices experience "phantom vibration syndrome," when one's pocket buzzes and there's no phone there.) The second book, Sleeping With Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work, by Harvard Business School Professor View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Consulting

September 2024
Article

Backstage Matters: Collective Energy and Information Sharing on Global Teams

By: Wenjie Ma, Leslie A. Perlow and Eunice Eun

It is well documented that information sharing – which is central to team effectiveness – is complicated by cultural and geographical factors. However, little is known about the process of information sharing between subgroups within global teams. Building on Goffman’s... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Groups and Teams; Geographic Scope

September 2019
Case

Mary Elizabeth Carter (MBA 2017)

By: Leslie A. Perlow, Eunice Eun and Matthew Preble

February 2020
Article

Why Prosocial Referral Incentives Work: The Interplay of Reputational Benefits and Action Costs

By: Rachel Gershon, Cynthia Cryder and Leslie K. John

While selfish incentives typically outperform prosocial incentives, in the context of customer referral rewards, prosocial incentives can be more effective. Companies frequently offer “selfish” (i.e., sender-benefiting) referral incentives, offering customers financial... View Details

Keywords: Incentives; Prosocial Behavior; Judgment And Decision-making; Referral Rewards; Motivation and Incentives; Consumer Behavior; Decision Making

October 2018 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Sidewalk Labs: Privacy in a City Built from the Internet Up

By: Leslie K. John, Mitchell Weiss and Julia Kelley

Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.

By the time Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, began hosting a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session in January 2018, he had only nine months remaining to convince the people... View Details

April 2012
Article

The Impact of Relative Standards on the Propensity to Disclose

By: Alessandro Acquisti, Leslie K. John and George Loewenstein

March 2014
Article

Cheating More for Less: Upward Social Comparisons Motivate the Poorly Compensated to Cheat

By: Leslie K. John, George Loewenstein and Scott Rick

Intuitively, people should cheat more when cheating is more lucrative, but we find that the effect of performance-based pay rates on dishonesty depends on how readily people can compare their pay rate to that of others. In Experiment 1, participants were paid 5 cents... View Details

Keywords: Dishonesty; Social Comparison; Pay Secrecy; Motivation and Incentives; Fairness; Decision Making; Compensation and Benefits

May 2012
Article

Measuring the Prevalence of Questionable Research Practices with Incentives for Truth-telling

By: Leslie K. John, George Loewenstein and Drazen Prelec

Cases of clear scientific misconduct have received significant media attention recently, but less flagrant transgressions of research norms may be more prevalent and in the long run more damaging to the academic enterprise. We surveyed over 2,000 psychologists about... View Details

Keywords: Research; Practice; Motivation and Incentives; Surveys; Values and Beliefs; Measurement and Metrics

2012
Chapter

Using Decision Errors to Help People Help Themselves

By: George Loewenstein, Leslie John and Kevin G. Volpp

Keywords: Decisions; Welfare; Behavior

January 2011
Article

Good Intentions, Optimistic Self-Predictions, and Missed Opportunities

By: Derek Koehler, Rebecca White and Leslie K. John

Self-predictions are highly sensitive to current intentions but often largely insensitive to factors influencing the readiness with which those intentions are translated into future behavior. When such factors are under a person's control, they could be used to... View Details

Keywords: Planning; Saving; Behavior; Forecasting and Prediction

2024
Working Paper

Should I Stay or Should I Disclose? How Omission Bias Guides Our Disclosure Decisions

By: Elinora Pentcheva and Leslie John

August 2023
Technical Note

Two Ways of Pursuing a Calling

By: Leslie Perlow and Hannah Weisman

Work can be a means to a financial end, a stepping stone to higher-level jobs, or a meaningful end in itself: a calling. The technical note provides an overview of two different ways people can pursue a calling: with an internal focus or external focus. View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Job Search; Job Design and Levels; Happiness; Identity; Well-being; Motivation and Incentives; Human Needs; Satisfaction; Mission and Purpose; Health Industry; Music Industry; Education Industry; Fine Arts Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

2009
Article

The Dynamics of Silencing Conflict

By: Leslie Perlow and Nelson Repenning

In many organizations, when people perceive a difference with another they often do not fully express themselves. Despite creating innumerable problems, silencing conflict is a persistent phenomenon. While the antecedents of acts of silence are well documented, little... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Management Style; Conflict Management; Societal Protocols

August 2020
Case

Gerald Chertavian

By: Leslie Perlow and Matthew Preble

Gerald Chertavian (HBS 1992) finds himself at a personal crossroads. It is 1999--the height of the dot com-bubble--and Chertavian and his business partners have just sold their Internet-based business for $83 million. His share of the sale’s proceeds means that he has... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Personal Development and Career; Decision Choices and Conditions

January 2020
Case

The Power of Enduring Relationships

By: Leslie Perlow and Matthew Preble

Keywords: Relationships; Relationship Satisfaction

October 2019
Case

Mia Mends

By: Leslie Perlow and Matthew Preble

October 2018
Case

Phuc Huynh and Teach for Vietnam (A)

By: Leslie Perlow and Eunice Eun

This Harvard Business School case is about Harvard Kennedy School graduate, Phuc Huynh, who wants to establish Teach for Vietnam (TFV) in his home country and become an official Teach for All partner. It considers the concepts of giving back in one’s career and the... View Details

Keywords: Vietnam; Giving Back; Career Decisions; Education; Social Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Mission and Purpose; Leadership Development; Education Industry; Viet Nam; Asia