Publications

2008
Working Paper

The Architecture of Platforms: A Unified View

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and C. Jason Woodard

The central role of "platform" products and services in mediating the activities of disaggregated "clusters" or "ecosystems" of firms has been widely recognized. But platforms and the systems in which they are embedded are very diverse. In particular, platforms may... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Industry Clusters; Infrastructure; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms

2020
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 4 The Mirroring Hypothesis: Linkages Inside and Across Transaction Free Zones

A technology is a specific way to achieve a material goal. It describes a feasible path—a recipe—by which a group of people can arrive at a goal that none could achieve individually. Technical recipes thus require linkages between and among the various contributors to... View Details

Keywords: Modularity; Mirroring Hypothesis; Information Technology; Organizations

2019
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 17 The Wintel Standards-based Platform

The purpose of this chapter is to use the theory of bottlenecks laid out in previous chapters to better understand the dynamics of an open standards-based platform. I describe how the Wintel platform evolved from 1990 through 2000 under joint sponsorship of Intel and... View Details

Keywords: Open Platforms; Bottlenecks; Wintel Platform; Disintermediation; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Business History; Digital Platforms; Computer Industry

November 2005 (Revised October 2012)
Case

The Auction for Burger King (A)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and James Quinn

Paul Walsh, CEO of Diageo, must evaluate bids received in an auction of the Burger King restaurant unit. Describes how Diageo came to own Burger King, the attempts to turn the unit around, the strategic reasons for its sale, the auction process, and various bidders'... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Leveraged Buyouts; Bids and Bidding; Valuation; Auctions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Negotiation Tactics; Service Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Purchase

03 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 3

MacCormack, Alan, Robert Lagerstrom, and Carliss Y. Baldwin Abstract—We propose a network-based methodology for operationalizing enterprise architecture. Our methodology is based upon using a "Design... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 5, 2019

incumbent Assad regime. Our results show, first, that refugees are far more likely to agree to a ceasefire proposed by a civilian as opposed to one proposed by armed actors from either the Syrian government... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Research Summary

Distributed Innovation in Open Systems—The Role of Modularity

Distributed innovation in open systems is an important trend in the modern global economy. As education levels rise and communication costs fall, more people have the means and motivation to innovate. Supply chains now stretch around the world as firms outsource... View Details

2019
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 8 Rationalizing Flow Processes

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the value structure of flow production processes and to explain why it is necessary to rationalize flow processes using the tools of systematic management. I first explain the problems facing managers of multi-step flow... View Details

Keywords: Flow Processes; Bottlenecks; Systematic Management; Production; Management; Problems and Challenges

10 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Perspectives on Anti-Racism in the HKS Curriculum

In fall 2020, the Harvard Kennedy School incorporated a two-week module on Race and Racism in the Making of the United States as a Global Super power into the MPP core curriculum. The school created this module in response to calls by the... View Details

30 Aug 2016
First Look

August 30, 2016

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51569 Building the Agile Enterprise: IT Architecture, Modularity and the Cost of IT Change By: MacCormack, Alan, Robert Lagerstrom, David Dreyfus, and Carliss Y. View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

18 Mar 2008
First Look

First Look: March 18, 2008

Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/08-084.pdf Exploring the Duality between Product and Organizational Architectures: A Test of the Mirroring Hypothesis Authors:Alan D. MacCormack, John Rusnak, and Carliss Y. View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 2001 (Revised September 2011)
Case

PepsiCo's Bid for Quaker Oats (A)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and Leonid P Sudakov

Throughout 1999, PepsiCo closely tracked several potential strategic acquisitions. In the fall of 2000, it appeared that the right moment for an equity-financed acquisition had arrived. At this time, PepsiCo management decided to initiate confidential discussions with... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Stock Shares; Negotiation; Strategy; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry

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2018
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 5 Complementarity

The purpose of this chapter is to relate the theory of task networks and technology set forth in previous chapters to theories of firm boundaries from economics and management. Complementary goods have more value when used together than separately. Complementarity may... View Details

Keywords: Complementarity

23 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 23, 2015

Sciences Modularity and Organizations By: Baldwin, Carliss Y Abstract—Modularity describes the degree to which a complex system can be broken apart into subunits (modules) that can be recombined in various ways. Modularity is important... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2012
Case

Teaming at GE Aviation

By: Rakesh Khurana, Jeffrey Polzer, Willy Shih and Eric Baldwin

Describes the challenges and successes encountered by GE's Aviation business in implementing a teaming work structure and culture in plants across its supply chain. GE Aviation leadership had seen dramatic gains in productivity, quality, and worker satisfaction in... View Details

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22 Jun 2010
First Look

First Look: June 22

they evolved in response to macroeconomic shocks that affected the Brazilian economy during this period. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-109.pdf The Mirroring Hypothesis: Theory, Evidence and Exceptions (revised) Authors:Lyra Colfer and View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 14

Carliss Y. Baldwin Abstract The existing theory of modularity explains how modular designs create value. We extend this theory to address value appropriation. A product or process design that is modular with... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2011
Case

Changes to Harvard University's Governing Board

By: Rakesh Khurana and Eric Baldwin

This case examines the decision made by the governing board of Harvard University, known as the Harvard Corporation, to alter its size and operations. The case provides background on Harvard's history, its existing governance structure, and some of the issues that... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Decisions; Education Industry