Publications

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16 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist?

opposite is true. For example, we trust managers to carry out the interests of shareholders: We can build contracts to align manager incentives with those of shareholders, but we are never able to completely contract on all the things we... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

01 Oct 2014
What Do You Think?

Is Too Much Focus a Problem?

Others identified factors accounting for too much focus. Yadeed Lobo said: "I think focus in organizations might have its roots in competitive strategy, intense focus on differentiation or cost consciousness." Edward Hare put it this way: "Let's face it,... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Research Summary

The Evolution of Corporate Structure, Internal Governance, and Leadership

My research documents the evolution of the internal governance of senior management in large US firms over a 20-year period and explores, via multiple methods, the causes and consequences of these changes. My findings suggest that... View Details

February 2018 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Omar Simmons: Franchising and Private Equity

By: Steven Rogers and Alyssa Haywoode

Omar Simmons, managing director of a private equity fund that owns 53 Planet Fitness Health Clubs, has to choose: continue in private equity or shift his career to managing and growing the health clubs. An African-American graduate of Princeton University and Harvard... View Details

Keywords: Diversity Characteristics; Ethnicity Characteristics; Health Club Franchises; African-american Entrepreneurs; Finance; Private Equity; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Motivation and Incentives; Personal Development and Career; Franchise Ownership; Consulting Industry; Boston

Web

US Business Immigration Overview - Alumni

This can include the internet version of the required newspaper advertisement. Participation in on-campus recruiting events ( HBS campus presentations and/or interviews ) Posting with trade or professional organizations Having an established employee referral program... View Details

March 1998 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Hamptonshire Express

By: V. G. Narayanan and Ananth Raman

Presents a series of problems that face a newspaper publisher, including inventory level, effort level, subsidy for unsold inventory, and commission for sales. Each problem is accompanied by one or more spreadsheets. Students must make various operational decisions. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Motivation and Incentives; Performance; Operations; Problems and Challenges; Decision Making; Sales; Demand and Consumers; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Publishing Industry; United States

23 Jun 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovative Ways to Encourage Personal Savings

Putting together the money for everything from a short-term emergency to retirement is hard enough, a challenge that low- and moderate-income families endure every day. Yet as HBS professor Peter Tufano describes, new and old products targeted at people who haven't... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

August 1983
Article

The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization

By: T. M. Amabile

Considers the definition and assessment of creativity and presents a componential framework for conceptualizing this faculty. Including domain-relevant skills, creativity-relevant skills, and task motivation as a set of necessary and sufficient components of... View Details

Keywords: Theory; Social Psychology; Creativity; Cognition and Thinking; Motivation and Incentives; Personal Characteristics

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Web

Effects of Climate Change - Business & Environment

vulnerable areas more resilient and decide when to rebuild, restrict development, or retreat Economic development and innovative technologies have contributed to climate change—and are also essential to address it. Government policies can create View Details

March 2010 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Systems Infrastructure at Google (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Stecker

This case describes how a senior vice president of engineering at Google, Bill Coughran, leads a high-performing engineering organization. The case focuses specifically on Coughran's encouraging two teams of engineers to develop competing solutions for application... View Details

Keywords: Independent Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Leadership Development; Product Design; Groups and Teams; Creativity; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Technology Industry; United States

12 Nov 2021
News

Alumni Business Leaders on Confronting the Climate Change Challenge

environments that shaped the commercial opportunity. The UK offered a framework that provided an incentive of around 50 percent of your income. Israel offered a feed-in-tariff approach. Through dedication, we have become the largest... View Details

April 2019
Case

Barber Cardiosystems

By: Ranjay Gulati and Paul S. Myers

Barber Cardiosystems, based in Melbourne, Australia, designs and manufactures therapeutic devices used for treatment of coronary conditions. Over four decades, it has grown to be among the top 200 medical device companies in the world. It competes against much larger... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Strategic Alignment; Cost Management; Performance Productivity; Organizational Culture; Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Design; Strategy; Leadership; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Australia

01 Jun 2022
What Do You Think?

Is Stakeholder Management Facing New Headwinds?

priorities of shareholder management are clear: shareholders have the loudest voice and the greatest influence. Some may argue that this notion became distorted by an element of agency theory that advocated outsized incentives for... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

April 2012 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Dovernet

By: Robert Simons and Natalie Kindred

This case illustrates the implications of using stringent performance measurement systems to create performance pressure, motivate employee achievement, and sharpen a firm's competitiveness. It opens by describing the downsides of the ruthlessly competitive culture at... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Information Technology; Competitive Advantage; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; Vancouver

01 Mar 2021
What Do You Think?

What Does Remote Work Mean for Middle Managers?

through our computers and phones. Remote work has given top leaders incentives to use these communication technologies to not only communicate with every individual in the organization but even meet their pets and check out their living... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

17 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Business Should Support Employees Who Are Caregivers

careers began when men dominated the workforce and women shouldered all caregiving needs. Now a vicious cycle persists: Employees suffer in silence and eschew potentially helpful benefits, and employers assume that employees are coping well and curtail these resources.... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

March 2017
Case

Intellectual Ambition at Harvard Business School: Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger

By: Jan W. Rivkin and Amram Migdal

This case, set in the 1920s and 1930s, discusses the contributions of Harvard Business School (HBS) Professors Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger to management research and to the Human Relations Movement in management scholarship. The case focuses on their research... View Details