Publications

Find at Harvard

March 2020 (Revised August 2020)
Case

Culture at Google

By: Nien-hê Hsieh, Amy Klopfenstein and Sarah Mehta

Beginning in 2017, technology (tech) company Google faced a series of employee-relations issues that threatened its unique culture of innovation and open communication. Issues included protests surrounding Google’s contracts with the U.S. government, restrictions of... View Details

April 2023
Article

Racial Inequality in Work Environments

By: Letian Zhang

This article explores racial stratification in work environments. Inequality scholars have long identified racial disparities in wage and occupational attainment, but workers’ careers and well-being are also shaped by elements of their work environment, including firm... View Details

Keywords: Discrimination; Race; Equality and Inequality; Working Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Organizational Culture

14 May 2024
Blog Post

Creating Emerging Markets Sustainability Series - How to Build a Culture of Intrapreneurship

differ from one country to another? Existing research across geographies highlights entrepreneurial thinking as the key to meaningful progress. When applied within the confines of an established company, this outlook can be described as... View Details

30 Mar 2020
News

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

July 2011
Case

Shifting the Diversity Climate: The Sodexo Solution

By: David A. Thomas and Stephanie J. Creary

This case profiles the evolution of Sodexo's diversity initiative. Diversity became a key priority for Sodexo, North America in 2001 after a class-action lawsuit was filed and certified in Washington, D.C. against Sodexo Marriot Services, Inc., the food services... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Business Strategy; Globalization; Management Teams; Gender; Race; Ethnicity; Age; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; Washington (state, US)

November 2005
Case

Michael Ovitz and The Walt Disney Company (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

Faced with the need to hire a new president, The Walt Disney Co. pursued Michael Ovitz, a founder of the Creative Artist Agency. Although initially disinterested, Ovitz engaged in negotiations with Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Co., in the summer of 1995... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Management Teams; Selection and Staffing; Negotiation; Organizational Culture

March 2009
Case

Barbara Norris: Leading Change in the General Surgery Unit

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria and Deborah Bell

Barbara Norris struggles to address the many problems facing her as a recently promoted nurse manager in the General Surgery Unit (GSU) at Eastern Massachusetts University Hospital (EMU). She has inherited a unit with the lowest employee satisfaction scores and highest... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Leading Change; Service Delivery; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Groups and Teams; Motivation and Incentives; Satisfaction; Health Industry

01 Mar 2023
What Do You Think?

How Much Does 'Deep Purpose' Matter to the Bottom Line?

mission is the starting point for its culture. The nature of a mission statement matters only if leaders and their employees believe in it and live it. In my research, too often I’ve found that leaders are... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 Oct 2021
News

Robots Are Hiding 27 Million Workers from Employers Who Need Them

24 Jan 2011
HBS Case

Terror at the Taj

with Ruth Page and David Habeeb of the HBS Educational Technology Group, Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership documents the bravery and resourcefulness shown by rank-and-file employees... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Accommodations

19 Aug 2021
Op-Ed

Don't Ignore Your Employees' Misery—TAKE Control

business priorities ahead of addressing employee dissatisfaction. While this approach may be business as usual for many organizations, it can erode employee trust, hurt... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and MaShon Wilson

Video

Badreddine Ouali

Badreddine Ouali, Founder and Co-CEO of Vermeg, outlines principles that have guided hiring decisions at his companies. View Details

October 1986
Supplement

Timken Co., Video

Provides interviews with four top executives of the Timken Co., including the president, Joe Toot, Jr., discussing the company's employee communications and employee relations strategy. View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management

January 2020
Article

The Job Rating Game: Revolving Doors and Analyst Incentives

By: Elisabeth Kempf

Investment banks frequently hire analysts from rating agencies. While many argue that this "revolving door" creates captured analysts, it can also create incentives to improve accuracy. To study this issue, I construct an original dataset, linking analysts to their... View Details

Keywords: Credit Rating Agencies; Investment Banking; Recruitment; Performance Evaluation; Financial Services Industry

Read Now

05 Jul 2012
What Do You Think?

Why Is Trust So Hard to Achieve in Management?

"transparency, honesty, communication, consistency and predictability are present" in everything we do as managers. Jill Machol noted the importance of keeping employees "informed as... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Jun 2021
News

Three Strategies for Winning the Post-pandemic War for Talent

01 Sep 2006
What Do You Think?

Are We Ready for Self-Management?

raises some questions. Are sufficient numbers of entry-level employees ready for self-management, especially if it requires the application of new technologies to help them... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

October 2007
Case

The AtekPC Project Management Office

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Mark Keil and John Hupp

Presents one company's efforts to implement a project management organization, or PMO, and the challenges they faced in doing so. Issues brought out in the case include defining the PMO's purpose and mission, the structure and governance of the PMO, and how to... View Details

Keywords: Projects; Goals and Objectives; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Business Strategy; Mathematical Methods; Consulting Industry