Intuition - Publications - Faculty & Research

29 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

How to Succeed in Business (According to a 15th Century Trade Merchant)

Cotrugli gives equal due to the importance of luck and boldness. A merchant also must be canny, but not overly so: “The shrewdness of the merchant, or his cunning, must be employed in moderation: he should neither hurt others nor allow himself to be got the better of,... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

18 Dec 2019
Book

6 Skills That Wise Companies Harness for World-Changing Innovation

for our children,'” Takeuchi says. “When he heard this, that’s when Honda himself decided it was time for him to retire.” 2. Rely on intuition to grasp the essence of people, things, and events. Takeuchi explains this practice as having... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

25 May 2021
Research & Ideas

White Airbnb Hosts Earn More. Can AI Shrink the Racial Gap?

percent. "One thing we can say: The algorithm is race-blind." By relying on intuition and other methods to set rates, many hosts of all backgrounds were overpricing their properties. The research team found that the algorithm’s price... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Technology; Accommodations

21 Aug 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

Companies Love Big Data But Lack the Strategy To Use It Effectively

discussions around case studies. “First, students learned a framework for combining intuition and data/analytics (including regression and optimization) into a comprehensive decision-making strategy. Second, students developed an... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

03 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles of 2010

to Make Careful Decisions? Summing up reader responses, Professor Jim Heskett finds compelling arguments for a process involving intuition based on analysis and experience. Should people also make their own decision-making process more... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

02 Dec 2010
What Do You Think?

Making Right Choices: Art or Science?

using art to sharpen the intuitiveness that goes into the moment of choice." Others maintained that choosing is neither an art nor a science. Laurence McKinney said, "We ultimately base our decisions on 'feelings'" and... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

23 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Overcoming Nervous Nelly

your heart is already racing, you can use that high arousal in a positive way by being energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate," she says. "People's intuition is to try and calm down. You are better off running with your high... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

04 Nov 2015
What Do You Think?

Why Does Gender Diversity Improve Financial Performance?

intuition tell you? Why does lack of gender diversity hurt corporate performance? What do you think? Next Month: What Will It Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Leadership? To Read More Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince, Why... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

29 May 2006
Research & Ideas

Why CEOs Are Not Plug-and-Play

establishing a new market-driven personnel system, improving cross-functional collaboration, and simplifying product development. Steve Bennet was hired in 2000 as CEO at Intuit in large part because of his reputation as a driver of... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Andrew N. McLean & Nitin Nohria; Employment

15 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 15

subjects' decisions are consistent with those predicted by the Intuitive Criterion refinement, which is based on equilibrium domination logic, or the Undefeated refinement, which is based on Pareto optimization logic, and find the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

05 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 5

between the firm and an outside investor. A common assumption in the signaling game literature is that beliefs among the participants in the game are refined using the Intuitive Criterion refinement. Our experimental results provide... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Apr 2015
What Do You Think?

Are Technology Companies Ripe for Disruption?

technological sophistication, and, as claimed in a recent, well publicized lawsuit, gender? My inspiration for these rants is Scott Cook (HBS MBA '76), co-founder of Intuit and a true disruptor. From its founding Intuit, quickly became... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer; Technology

05 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

Understanding the Process of Innovation

data-driven analytical approach to understanding new market opportunities. "That's a great process for finding gaps in well-established markets," says Christensen, "but it's a bad process for making intuitive bets."... View Details

Keywords: by Loren Gray

14 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

Andy Grove on the Confident Leader

self-confidence to make an irrational or intuitive decision that goes against the logic of the organization? AG: I've made the point about pretending confidence and building your own confidence in the face of this valley of death. If you... View Details

Keywords: by Walter Kiechel; Technology

03 Dec 2001
What Do You Think?

What Happens When the Sumo Master Learns Judo?

small can outsmart the large. Exhibit A is the story of Intuit, the financial software provider. Intuit has continued to dominate Microsoft in its niche through intensifying focus, defining the competitive space, listening to customers... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

19 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Your Customers: Use Them or Lose Them

customer is such an apparent risk that the quoted Progressive rate is higher than the competition's, Progressive is happy if that customer goes elsewhere to buy cheaper insurance. "They are happy to have the competition get those customers," said Frei.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

23 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Strategy for Small Fish

software), these strategies have endured for many years and enabled the growth of large and successful firms (such as Intuit and Siebel Systems). A well-executed niche strategy, because of its focus, will exhibit strong defenses against a... View Details

Keywords: by Marco Iansiti & Roy Levien

31 Oct 2007
HBS Case

Climate Change Puts Heat on GMs

What is the responsibility of business regarding social issues? And how does that jibe with maximizing profits? In "UBS and Climate Change—Warming Up to Global Action?" Associate Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Professor Forest Reinhardt present the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Energy; Utilities

07 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

The Debate over Taxing Foreign Profits

foreign income from taxation. The intuition for this is that tax rules should leave "who owns what" undistorted. If countries impose worldwide taxation, then the highest-productivity buyers may be handicapped by their tax... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

Should Entrepreneurs Pitch Products or Ideas for Products?

idea because the monopoly surplus is higher than that from a duopoly,” Luo explains. This intuition was originally developed by her colleagues Dennis Yao at Harvard Business School and Jim Anton from Duke University. “This threat is more... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Motion Pictures & Video; Entertainment & Recreation; Banking

Publications