Publications

29 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 29

book, Joseph Badaracco answers this question in practical and, at times, provocative ways. Publisher's link: http://hbr.org/product/the-good-struggle-responsible-leadership-in-an-unforgiving-world/an/11540-HBK-ENG August 2013 Simon &... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: Feb. 28

positions. Creating Leaders: An Ontological/Phenomenological Model Authors:Michael C. Jensen, Werner Erhard, and Kari L. Granger Publication:Chap. 16 in The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, and Being, edited View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2017
Teaching Note

Google to Alphabet: Two Job Opportunities

By: Robert Simons and Jennifer Packard

This is the teaching note for "Google to Alphabet: Two Job Opportunities" HBS No.116-046 The case describes two job postings for positions at Google. The first job posting is for a Software Engineer in the Google Maps unit and the second job posting is for an Account... View Details

Keywords: Strategy And Execution; Span Of Control; Span Of Accountability; Span Of Support; Management Control Systems; Entrepreneurial Gap; Motivation; Job Design; Strategy; Information Technology; Organizational Design; Jobs and Positions; Technology Industry

19 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 19

the right questions. The challenge lies in being able to step back, reflect, and ask the key questions that are critical to your performance and your organization's effectiveness. In What to Ask the Person in the Mirror, HBS professor and business leader View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 27

ordinary managers. In The Innovator's DNA, the authors identify five capabilities demonstrated by the best innovators: (1) Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas from unrelated fields; (2) Questioning:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

PublicationsSeven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution Author:Robert L. Simons Publication: Harvard Business Press, 2010 Abstract To stay ahead of the pack, you must translate your... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jul 2010
First Look

First Look: July 20

Chairman (B) Robert L. Simons and Kathryn RosenbergHarvard Business School Supplement 110-004 This case continues the story begun in "Pfizer: A Letter from the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

06 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 6, 2008

Working PapersHighbrow Films Gather Dust: A Study of Dynamic Inconsistency and Online DVD Rentals Authors:Katherine L. Milkman, Todd Rogers, and Max H. Bazerman Abstract We report on a field study demonstrating systematic differences... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 8: Linking Performance to Markets

This module reading shows how to link profit plans and other performance measurement systems to both internal and external markets. Starting with the transfer of goods and services within a firm, the module discusses the different methods of designing transfer pricing... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Transfer Pricing; Activity Based Costing; Return On Investment; Residual Income; EVA; Strategy; Cost Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Markets; Investment Return

Research Summary

Changing the World: Life Choices of Influential Leaders

This project studies the life choices made by a variety of people who have left a lasting legacy. Using biographical data, we are examining the choices that high-impact individuals faced in their lives and the paths they chose to follow. The leaders we study come... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Work-life Balance; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Success

March 2024
Case

Katharine Graham: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the life of Katharine Graham from housewife to publisher of the Washington Post. Born into a family of wealth, Graham described herself as a “doormat wife” after she married Phil Graham and stayed at home to raise their children. His unexpected death... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Power and Influence; Personal Characteristics; Leadership Style; Success; Work-Life Balance; News; Newspapers; Media; Gender; Publishing Industry

29 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 29

Business-to-Business Marketing, edited by Gary L. Lilien and Rajdeep Grewal. Edward Elgar Publishing Company, 2012 Abstract This chapter focuses on the topic of coordinating marketing and sales in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1998 (Revised June 1999)
Case

Bausch & Lomb, Inc.: Pressure to Perform

By: Robert L. Simons, Alex C. Sapir '97 and Indra Reinbergs

Bausch & Lomb is the subject of press attacks and experiences a sharp fall in stock price when management practices are exposed. Aggressive goal setting, supported by financial market expectations, is discussed as a precursor to a series of events that results in... View Details

Keywords: Performance Expectations; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Financial Markets; Financial Statements; Business and Shareholder Relations

July 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Pfizer: Letter from the Chairman (A)

By: Robert L. Simons and Natalie Kindred

This case explores maximizing shareholder value as a goal in executive decision making. Over a period of nine years, three different Pfizer CEOs make critical decisions intended to increase shareholder value. But the results are disappointing. To allow students to... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Annual Reports; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value Creation; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 14: Managing Strategic Risk

This module reading provides an overview of the business conduct boundaries, strategic boundaries, and internal control systems used to manage risk. Boundary systems—linked to clear, enforceable sanctions—are essential whenever demanding performance goals are set and... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Strategy Execution; Boundary Systems; Innovation; Internal Controls; Fraud; Human Behavior; Staff Experts; Strategy; Risk Management; Behavior; Governance Controls; Management Practices and Processes; Boundaries; Employees; Business Strategy; Innovation and Invention

12 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 12

Handbook for Banking and Governance, edited by James Barth, Chen Lin, and Clas Wihlborg. Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing, forthcoming Abstract In this chapter, we examine the characteristics of acquisition of private firms View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 25

of $191 million. Media entrepreneur L. Lowry Mays (MBA 1962) had built Clear Channel through a concerted campaign of acquisitions over 30 years by consolidating fragmented media businesses, delighting... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

Authors:David E. Bell and Mary L. Shelman Publication:Harvard Business Review 89, no. 11 (November 2011) An abstract is unavailable at this time. Read the article: http://hbr.org/2011/11/kfcs-radical-approach-to-china/ar/1 Tax Policy and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 1: Managing Organizational Tensions

This module reading lays the foundation for executing strategy using performance measurement and control systems. Properly applied, these systems can overcome the organizational blocks that impede the potential of all people who work in modern organizations. This... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Strategy Execution; Performance Measurement; Profit Planning; Organization Design; Profitable Growth; Management Attention; Organizational Conflict; Human Behavior; Strategy; Ethics; Goals and Objectives; Organizational Design; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Performance; Measurement and Metrics