Publications

September 2001 (Revised June 2005)
Case

Stevenson Industries (A)

By: John A. Davis and Kacie LaChapelle

Simon Carlson, chairman of the board of his family's fourth-generation industrial company, must decide how to deal with his conflict with the company's nonfamily CEO. Hired by the board just 15 months earlier to pursue growth more aggressively, CEO Paul Steel has upset... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Management Succession; Management Style; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Teams; Rank and Position; Organizational Culture; Decision Making; Manufacturing Industry

18 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

The Bias of Wall Street Analysts

by colleagues here at HBS (Amanda Cowen, Boris Groysberg, and Paul Healy) and elsewhere (Brad M. Barber, Reuven Lehavy, and Brett Trueman) confirms that brokerages without investment banking operations are... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

03 Apr 2017
What Do You Think?

How About Investing in Human Infrastructure?

could play a key role in the effort. With cooperation and some oversight by private industry, it might have a decent chance of success. So how about investing in human infrastructure? What do you think? References Brad Reed, A giant... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Construction

05 Jul 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Innovation Save Us From Ourselves?

as science fiction, a political polemic, heretical, or now within the realm of possibility, it builds on scientific thinking. It subscribes to a belief advanced by Paul Crutzen, an earth scientist and Nobel... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

06 Sep 2005
What Do You Think?

What are the Lessons of New Orleans?

Summing Up Management is a complex process. Good plans executed poorly may be worse than poor plans executed well. This is never truer than at times of disaster, in which plans made from afar have to be implemented by those on the scene... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

25 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Why IT Does Matter

cost performance of IT technologies over the first forty years changed by roughly 107, and for the foreseeable future will continue to evolve at the same rate. That is in sharp contrast to a train, which after eighty years moved six times... View Details

Keywords: by F. Warren McFarlan & Richard L. Nolan

04 Oct 2021
What Do You Think?

How Do We Make Sure the Right People End Up with Power in Organizations?

copy of an extensively researched recent book, Power, for All, by Professors Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro. The authors define power as “the ability to influence others’ behavior, be it through persuasion or coercion (through)... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

28 Jun 2022
Book

The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose

How can government and business work together in this fractious political moment, when finding solutions to pressing problems like inequality and climate change are more urgent than ever? Rebecca Henderson, Harvard University’s John and Natty McArthur University... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

07 May 2007
Research & Ideas

Rediscovering Schumpeter: The Power of Capitalism

personality. Something of a dandy, Schumpeter (1883-1950) was a hit with women, adored by students, and both made and lost a fortune in a matter of years. He also once initiated a sword fight with a librarian—and won. McCraw, the Isidor... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education

12 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

Can Our Parenting Struggles Make Us Better Leaders?

its culture as an amalgam of “freedom and responsibility.” By freedom, the company doesn’t mean a free-for-all. Yes, workers have the freedom to express opposing viewpoints, and they also have wide leeway with their vacation and travel... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati; Air Transportation

10 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do?

fiduciary responsibilities. A second approach, by economist Paul Portney, considered whether firms can do CSR without getting hurt competitively, and whether or not they should. He concluded that they could,... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

02 Feb 2007
What Do You Think?

Is There Too Little “Know Why” In Business?

that could not transition from a passion-driven enterprise to an execution-oriented enterprise." Paul Kohn pondered whether a sense of purpose wanes as an organization reaches a certain size. He commented: "It would be an... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

Editor's Note: Christian Ketels wrote this paper for the World Bank's Development Debate, "What Do We Mean by Export Competitiveness and How Do Countries Achieve it in an Uncertain World?" held March 29, 2010. Ketels is... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

04 Mar 2015
What Do You Think?

Can a Laissez-Faire Approach Fix Labor Market Inequality?

Summing Up When Is It In An Employer's Self-Interest to Voluntarily Raise All Wages? A laissez-faire approach to fixing labor market inequality has widespread appeal, judging by responses to this month's column. For some it is an ideal,... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

October 2016
Case

The Quiet Ascension of LA Fitness

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2016, LA Fitness was the largest chain of non-franchised fitness clubs in North America, operating 676 clubs, serving 4.9 million members, and generating revenues of over $1.9 billion. Founded by Chinyol Yi, Louis Welch, and Paul Norris in 1984, the privately held... View Details

Keywords: LA Fitness; Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Exercise; Personal Training; Retention; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; Planet Fitness; Buildings and Facilities; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Demographics; Age; Gender; Income; Residency; Borrowing and Debt; Capital; Capital Structure; Cash; Cash Flow; Cost; Private Equity; Financial Condition; Financial Liquidity; Financing and Loans; Investment Return; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Location; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Employees; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Service Operations; Leasing; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Mobile Technology; Technology Platform; Health Industry; United States; California; Los Angeles

02 Jul 2014
What Do You Think?

Are Today’s Business Heroes Challenging Our Ideas About Leadership?

heroes of these large successful corporations, in spite of their dysfunctional 'leadership'." Today's leadership heroes, however, stimulated debate about just what constitutes leadership. It is an important discussion, as several pointed out. View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

April 2020
Case

The Board's Role in Refocusing Bahrain Development Bank

By: Paul M. Healy and Alpana Thapar

In March 2016, Bahrain Development Bank’s (BDB) existing board term came to an end and Khalid Al Rumaihi was appointed the new chairman. Determining a need for change, he immediately overhauled the board and replaced BDB’s long-standing CEO. The new board quickly... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Governing and Advisory Boards; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Banking Industry; Bahrain