Publications

Educators

November 2007
Case

Differences at Work: Allie (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Rachel Gordon

On a business trip, Allie's boss demands that she and a colleague skip planned company meetings and "meet him at the beach in their bikinis." View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Managerial Roles; Ethics; Gender; Diversity; Power and Influence

November 1993 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Jack Thomas

By: John P. Kotter and Andrew P. Burtis

This redisguised version of an earlier case, Tom Levick, provides an updated setting but does not change the teaching objectives. Chronicles the first six weeks of experience on the job for a recent business school graduate. Emphasis is on managing... View Details

Keywords: Power and Influence; Behavior; Leadership Style; Strategy; Rank and Position; Publishing Industry

Educators

01 Oct 2018
News

Get Involved

contribute to leaving the world a little bit different than you found it, but in a good way? It's just touching other people, understanding that you have an influence in how this world is shaped and how this world operates, no matter how... View Details

Keywords: Finance

February 2023 (Revised November 2024)
Case

Ronald Reagan: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the rise of Ronald Reagan from small town Illinois to two-term president of the United States. An unlikely candidate for the world’s most powerful job, the case describes the different roles that Reagan filled over his life: radio announcer, Hollywood... View Details

Keywords: Politics; Entertainment; Personal Characteristics; Business And Government; Values And Beliefs; Mission And Purpose; Decision Making; Government Administration; Management Style; Power and Influence; United States

Educators

October 2013
Article

When Power Makes Others Speechless: The Negative Impact of Leader Power on Team Performance

By: Leigh Plunkett Tost, Francesca Gino and Richard P. Larrick

We examine the impact of subjective power on leadership behavior and demonstrate that the psychological effect of power on leaders spills over to impact team effectiveness. Specifically, drawing from the approach/inhibition theory of power, power-devaluation theory,... View Details

Keywords: Power; Leadership; Team Performance; Groups and Teams; Performance; Leadership Style; Power and Influence

18 Apr 2023
Blog Post

HBS Students and Alumni Fostering a Supportive Community

business and sparked his interest in leveraging it to address social issues, which ultimately led him to HBS. Alexxis Isaac (MBA 2020) Mbanusi, who now works for Guild Education, a tech platform that helps employers reskill their... View Details

01 Mar 2006
News

Faculty Research Online

your overall global strategy, says Professor Pankaj Ghemawat. One key: recognizing that regions don’t stop at national borders. An excerpt from the December 2005 Harvard Business Review. The Geography of Corporate Giving Where a company is headquartered View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

September 13, 2023
Article

The Myth of the CEO as Ultimate Decision Maker

By: Nitin Nohria

Chief executives are responsible for guiding corporations, so the role inevitably requires making many decisions. But people overestimate the level of personal involvement CEOs have in this process. Instead of making decisions, CEOs tend to shape decisions, by... View Details

Keywords: Problem Solving; Delegation; Leadership Style; Decision Making; Time Management; Power and Influence

Register to Read

1982
Chapter

Power and Enterprise in Action: Corporate Middle Managers as Entrepreneurs

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Power and Influence; Business or Company Management

2008
Book

Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations

By: Abraham Zaleznik

In this compelling look at charismatic leaders and their leadership styles, Abraham Zaleznik asserts that leaders are either "hedgehogs," who view leadership as a single-minded track driven by unwavering rules, or "foxes," who assess and re-evaluate their... View Details

Keywords: Attitudes; Leadership Style; Government and Politics; Power and Influence; Innovation and Invention

Web

Harvard Business School

Baker Library Special Collections Exhibits More Exhibits Explore the Exhibit Student Pioneers The Value of Business Education The Golden Age of Black Business AASU Early Years & Influence AASU Founders Core Demands & Proposals Early Years... View Details

22 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 22

spontaneity should lead her to attribute it special meaning ("Why would I think of him in this moment unless it is important?"), and it should consequently exert a greater influence on her judgment ("I must still have... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

Don't Let Power Corrupt You

By: Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro

Although power is essential to taking charge and driving change, it makes leaders vulnerable to two traps that can not only erode their own effectiveness but also undermine their teams. Hubris—the excessive pride and self-confidence that can come with power—causes... View Details

Keywords: Humility; Empathy; Hubris; Leadership; Power and Influence; Moral Sensibility; Performance Effectiveness

July 2009
Journal Article

Dirty Work, Clean Hands: The Moral Psychology of Indirect Agency

By: Neeru Paharia, Karim Kassam, Joshua Greene and Max Bazerman

When powerful people cause harm, they often do so indirectly through other people. Are harmful actions carried out through others evaluated less negatively than harmful actions carried out directly? Four experiments examine the moral psychology of indirect agency.... View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Power and Influence

2008
Working Paper

Dirty Work, Clean Hands: The Moral Psychology of Indirect Agency

By: Neeru Paharia, Karim S. Kassam, Joshua D. Greene and Max H. Bazerman

When powerful people cause harm, they often do so indirectly through other people. Are harmful actions carried out through others evaluated less negatively than harmful actions carried out directly? Four experiments examine the moral psychology of indirect agency.... View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Power and Influence

Read Now

16 Feb 2022
News

Holding Business to Account

realized, and they had a say in how a company ran and the ability to influence everything from labor practices to environmental policies. It would be years before the model Aiyer envisioned would be christened “impact investing,” but she... View Details

1997
Chapter

The Politicization of Organizational Life

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Power and Influence