Motivating Professionals - Publications - Faculty & Research

08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Decision Rights: Who Gives the Green Light?

where decision costs are minimal is only part of the battle. You still must deal with the fact that those imbued with decision authority are invariably motivated by their own sets of personal and View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

21 Feb 2005
Op-Ed

Is Business Management a Profession?

epidemic of business scandals would be to speak of a widespread failure among CEOs and other senior executives (along with board members, auditors, financial analysts, and others) to uphold their professional obligations. To speak of the... View Details

Keywords: by Rakesh Khurana, Nitin Nohria & Daniel Penrice

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

the writing of popular film scripts like The Matrix or Star Wars. Character behaviors, actions, and motivations hook the interest of readers at all levels, regardless of their professional experience with... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

23 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 23

imprints: the founder's own, direct work experience, as well as the indirect influence of parental work experiences and professional education. Our findings further suggest that the effects of direct imprinting are strongest from the... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

14 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Understaffed and Overworked: What Now?

accomplish," he says. The toughest thing for most people is initiating this type of discussion, DeLong continues. In his work with professional service firms, he's found that many people would rather work 80 hours per week than hold... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Michelman

09 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

How Tennis, Golf, and White Anxiety Block Racial Integration

interacting with racial minorities motivates White people to self-segregate, says Harvard Business School professor Jon M. Jachimowicz. And White people often attempt to erect barriers—even seemingly innocuous ones like stricter dress... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

20 Dec 2010
Research & Ideas

Panama Canal: Troubled History, Astounding Turnaround

sufficiently motivated group of commandos) could knock the canal out for at least a year. Sabotage would be harder during wartime, of course—the only battle during World War II that would have been affected by adding 17 days of additional... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Transportation

18 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

How New Managers Become Great Managers

chapters and a more prescriptive style to reflect today's world of expanding globalization, accelerated change, and increased complexity. This excerpt discusses the importance for young managers to continue to develop as professionals via... View Details

Keywords: by Linda Hill

03 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

Cut Payroll Costs with Transparency, Fairness, and Compassion

Engaged and Motivated Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness Some companies have opted to make pay cuts commensurate with salary ranges, with higher-paid employees taking a larger percentage cut than lower-paid workers. Estée Lauder... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

25 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Feeling Stuck? Getting Past Impasse

professionals may be confronted with a sense of psychological impasse and how they can free themselves. Martha Lagace: What sorts of thoughts, feelings, and images do people experience when they face an impasse? Timothy Butler: First,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

18 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Looking in the Mirror: Questions Every Leader Must Ask

DuPont's vision is "to be the world's most dynamic science company, creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer and healthier life for people everywhere." This vision helps DuPont employees better understand what (and why) they are spending... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

05 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

How Anchor Investors Help Impact Funds Succeed

the experience of development and fundraising professionals in the impact investing space—that anchor investors are motivated by the ability to catalyze additional change by supporting fund managers early in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

28 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

changing aspirations. Secondly, Unilever developed strengths in the acquisition of other firms, and their subsequent "Unileverization." After the failed merger attempts of the late 1960s, Unilever professionalized its... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products

17 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Business Should Support Employees Who Are Caregivers

friend, more workers are scaling back, stepping away, or choosing alternative professional opportunities that help them balance these demands. Companies that ignore this emerging crisis risk losing their hardest-to-find and highest-paid... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

05 Oct 2020
Book

Want to Be Happier? Make More Free Time

time more: 1. Prioritize important work and fend off interruptions. On average, business professionals spend 23 hours a week trapped in meetings, and a recent survey of more than 700 workers revealed that 99.9 percent were routinely asked... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

23 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap

well, too. Sponsorship is a pretty new concept, but it’s becoming more popular, especially in professional service firms.” Sponsorship programs are meant to boost confidence among protégés, increasing the likelihood that they will compete... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

07 Nov 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Sir Alex Ferguson--Managing Manchester United

the heart of his long-run success” Ferguson's career indeed is an impressive feat. Look around for leading executives in any industry who have managed to succeed with the same firm at the highest levels for nearly three decades. Ferguson's talents include deft... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports; Entertainment & Recreation

16 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist?

long-term interests with short-term pulls, etc. One of the most unexplored areas, which we are only now beginning to be able to measure, is the degree to which people are motivated by the "aerial coin of praise" and social... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

10 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Taking Advantage of Life’s (Few and Far Between) Inflection Points

her future was uncertain now that her professional champion was departing. It was unclear whether her boss had retired of her own volition or had been forced out—or something in between. All Michelle knew was that on an otherwise... View Details

Keywords: Re: Howard H. Stevenson

25 Jun 2013
First Look

First Look: June 25

governments have started to list state-owned enterprises, have selected professional managers to run them, and have given them more financial autonomy. We argue that the transformation from owner and manager to majority shareholder has... View Details