Publications

12 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

When Experts Play It Too Safe: Innovation Lessons from a NASA Experiment

suggests new research based on an international competition to design a NASA robot. "When experts have a been-there-done-that mindset, potential breakthroughs may hit the discard pile before companies can evaluate them in full." Harvard Business School Assistant... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Aerospace

April 2004 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Columbia's Final Mission

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Amy C. Edmondson, Michael Roberto, Laura Feldman and Erika Ferlins

Describes the 16-day final mission of the space shuttle Columbia in January 2003 in which seven astronauts died. Includes background on NASA and the creation of the human space flight program, including the 1970 Apollo 13 crisis and 1986 Challenger disaster. Examines... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Crisis Management; Management Skills; Organizational Culture; Groups and Teams; Behavior; Aerospace Industry

Web

United Fruit Company Photograph Collection - Photography Collections - Historical Collections

Motor Co. United Fruit Co. Smaller Collections Yousuf Karsh Portraits Margaret Bourke-White Farm Security Administration 1934 Art and Industry Exhibition Early Aviation Electric Railway Jones & Laughlin... View Details

18 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

The Best Person to Lead Your Company Doesn't Work There—Yet

‘cast a much wider net’ For public companies, the findings offer a fresh look at a potential pool of candidates. The authors cite Boeing CEO David Calhoun as just one prominent example. Calhoun, who became vice chairman of General Electric after running the View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

February 2010 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes

The case, in a non-profit project-oriented setting, introduces fundamental risk management principles and processes that are easily applicable to private sector settings. Gentry Lee, senior systems engineer and de-facto chief risk officer, is applying a new... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Governance; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Management Systems; Risk Management; Projects; Aerospace Industry; United States

February 2015 (Revised May 2015)
Case

Boeing 787: Manufacturing a Dream

By: Rory McDonald and Suresh Kotha

This case traces the design and development of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Emphasis is on executive leadership and firm strategy in coordinating across a global network of partners in the production of a new aircraft. View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Operations Strategy; Project Management; Coordination; Product Development; Operations; Production; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Aerospace Industry; United States

20 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?

less clear, but the company has expressed interest in extending its technology to private customers. Weinzierl also points to two lesser-known companies that are deeply embedded in the development of space bases: Bigelow Aerospace View Details

Keywords: by Scott Wallask; Aerospace; Aerospace; Aerospace

November 2016 (Revised September 2018)
Case

Elon Musk's Big Bets

By: David B. Yoffie, Eric Baldwin and Brandon Kaufmann

Between late 2014 and late 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk undertook several major, and risky, initiatives that would dramatically expand the scale and scope of Tesla’s business. In late 2014, Tesla began construction on a $5 billion “gigafactory” that would manufacture... View Details

Profile

Davida Bynum

created a deeply enriching environment for me. Outside of schoolwork, she encouraged me to participate in in performing arts, mock government, sports, cheerleading, church activities, and engineering camps. I even attended an View Details

June 2024
Article

Real Growth in Space Manufacturing Output Substantially Exceeds Growth in the Overall Space Economy

By: Tina Highfill and Matthew Weinzierl

Accurately measuring real economic output in the space economy is made difficult by the rapid increase in capabilities and decrease in prices of launch and satellite technologies achieved over the past two decades. Nominal measures of output in space will tend to... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Economic Growth; Price; Production; Aerospace Industry

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Professor Nolan earned his B.A. from the University of Washington in Production and Operations Research in 1962, and his M.B.A and Ph.D. in 1963 and 1966, respectively. Upon graduation in 1966, he joined Boeing Commercial Airplane Company as an Information... View Details

Keywords: aerospace; aerospace; aerospace

09 May 2023
Research & Ideas

Where to Find Remote Work Now: 250 Million Job Postings Paint a Complex Picture

researchers found. “There is so much variability in the decision to commit to remote work, even for companies that are in the same industry and compete for the same type of talent.” The researchers found similar patterns across... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

Web

Leadership - Faculty & Research

businesses, and realize the full value of GE’s assets. Keywords: Leadership ; Health Industry ; Aerospace Industry ; Industrial Products Industry ; Financial Services Industry ; North America ; Europe... View Details

09 Nov 2023
Blog Post

The No. 1 Character Trait You Will Need to Succeed in Business

they saw their failures as learning experiences that proved to be useful in the future. As the author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh said: “It takes as much courage to have tried View Details

09 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Leadership Lessons of the Great Recession: Options for Economic Downturns

With global markets in turmoil over the last several weeks, leaders throughout the world are starting to think about how they should respond if confronted with an economic downturn. Yet what do we know about how leaders decide what to do when demand suddenly falls?... View Details

Keywords: by Sandra Sucher & Susan Winterberg; Aerospace; Aerospace

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

investigators cited MCAS as the cause. Still, Boeing did not ground the 737 MAX, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to do so. FAA took 20 months and numerous changes before the 737 MAX was... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

January 2017
Case

Danaher Corporation, 2007–2017

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

On July 2, 2016, Danaher Corporation completed the spinoff of Fortive Corporation. The previous day, Danaher’s stock price had reached an all-time high. In 2015, Danaher had decided to split off its test and measurement, fuel and fleet management, and automation... View Details