Publications

October 2007 (Revised December 2008)
Case

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group: The Human Capital Strategy

By: Boris Groysberg and Eliot Sherman

Describes the development and implementation of one of the world's most advanced human resource management support systems. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a global banking leader that began implementing a strategy for measuring the impact of human capital on... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Human Resources; Human Capital; Management Systems; Measurement and Metrics; Performance Effectiveness; Strategy; Information Technology; Banking Industry

October 1981
Background Note

Note on Rewards Systems

By: Michael Beer

Looks at rewards in general, and pay in particular, and studies the conditions that may enhance or detract from employee satisfaction and organizational effectiveness. View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Wages; Organizations; Performance Effectiveness; Motivation and Incentives; Satisfaction

23 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

The Open Office Revolution Has Gone Too Far

newest issue of the renowned British research journal, the oldest scholarly journal in the world dating back to the 1600s. This latest issue was organized around the theme of how architecture impacts collective behavior. As its title suggests, Bernstein’s paper... View Details

Keywords: Re: Ethan S. Bernstein

04 Nov 2002
Research & Ideas

From Lone Star to Team Player

When does a star performer become a corporate nightmare? And what can you do about it? HBS Working Knowledge's Mallory Stark conducted this e-mail interview with Morten Hansen.Stark: Can you describe what you mean by "lone... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

November 1998 (Revised December 1998)
Case

Asea Brown Boveri (Condensed)

By: Robert L. Simons

The merger of Asea AB and BBC Brown Boveri required a restructuring of operations and a change in organizational cultures. Competitive success also necessitated the benefits of scale while remaining "local" for political and customer-responsiveness reasons. The case... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Restructuring; Cost vs Benefits; Competitive Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Growth and Development; Performance Effectiveness; Consumer Products Industry

February 2004 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Hewlett-Packard: Culture in Changing Times

By: Michael Beer, Rakesh Khurana and James Weber

HP had been a highly successful and respected company for decades. It was well known for its company culture and management practices--the HP way--which emphasized both profits and people. Changing markets, strong competitors, and the growth of its computer business,... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Decision Choices and Conditions; Human Resources; Leading Change; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Performance Effectiveness; Adoption; Competition

25 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

Hiding From Managers Can Increase Your Productivity

production,' " he writes. "Then they were told 'whenever the [customers/managers/leaders] come around, don't do that, because they'll get mad.' " Rather, veterans advised embeds to perform tasks strictly by the book... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Manufacturing

20 Dec 2011
First Look

First Look: December 20

high degree of variance. These findings suggest that different cultural value orientations exert different patterns of effects on the performance of self-managing multicultural teams, depending on the stage... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

22 Mar 2017
Research & Ideas

What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?

quota. This raises a key question for sales managers: What kind of quota is the most motivating? Could salesforce performance be kick-started if that quota incentive was delivered more frequently? The answer is contained in a new paper,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

April 2006 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Chrysanthemum and Dragon: JAFCO Asia in China

By: Rawi E. Abdelal and David Lane

In the autumn of 2002, JAFCO Asia, a subsidiary of JAFCO Co., Ltd., became the first foreign private equity firm to open an office in Beijing's Haidian Science Park. JAFCO was the only Japanese private equity firm operating in China. As such, Managing Director Vincent... View Details

Keywords: History; International Relations; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Performance Effectiveness; Foreign Direct Investment; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; China; Beijing; Japan

27 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 27, 2007

effect of market orientation on business performance to the study of the various combinations of strategic orientations that firms can pursue in different situations, studying how the more successful... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

02 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles of 2011

motivator is our natural tendency to measure our own performance against the performance of others. 2011 Top 10 Working Papers: (# Unique Visitors) What Do CEOs Do? (3,708)... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

16 May 2012
Research & Ideas

Can Decades of Military Overspending be Fixed?

37 states participate in the development and production program. The empty weight of the aircraft is 31,670 pounds and the wing area is 840 square feet. The aircraft has two engines generating 35,000 pounds of thrust, enabling the F-22 to travel at a speed of Mach 1.8... View Details

Keywords: by J. Ronald Fox; Service

17 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 17

with ethnic Indians in other countries 32% (9 percentage points) more likely to choose a worker in India. Yet, the size of the Indian diaspora on oDesk and the timing of its effects make clear that the Indian diaspora was not a very... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Waking Up a Sleeping Company

One of the greatest challenges for the values-centered culture is to produce top performance and succeed in the market against "win at any cost" competitors. Values are only one part of an organization's culture; the other half... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

April 2007
Article

Wintel: Cooperation and Conflict

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and David B. Yoffie

We study competitive interactions between Intel and Microsoft, two producers of complementary products. In a system of complements, like the PC, the value of the final product depends on how well the different components work together. This, in turn, depends on the... View Details

Keywords: Conflict and Resolution; Competition; Cooperation; Value; Performance Effectiveness; Research and Development; Motivation and Incentives; Investment; Price; Product Launch; Product

Find at Harvard

August 2006 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Management Levels at Staples (A): Company and Organization

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne Levesque

One of six cases that describe the roles and responsibilities of managers at each of the hierarchical levels of management within the U.S. Stores business unit of Staples, the world's largest office supply company. Together, the cases form a complete integrated... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Managerial Roles; Operations; Performance Effectiveness; Strategic Planning; Perspective; Retail Industry