Publications

September 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Compilation

Max Green: Work Patterns at Ditto (C)

According to his managers, Max, a software engineer on a product development team, is an organizational superstar. Describes his life and provides a log of how Max spends his time. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Time Management; Groups and Teams; Work-Life Balance; Information Technology Industry

September 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Compilation

PEARL Project, The: Work Patterns at Ditto (A)

Describes life on a product development team, the behaviors that are rewarded, and the difficult tradeoffs members often have to make as a result. This is a rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Time Management; Groups and Teams; Work-Life Balance; Motivation and Incentives; Information Technology Industry

September 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Compilation

Time Distribution and Interaction Patterns for PEARL Project Team: Work Patterns at Ditto (D)

Provides data to enable students to analyze how software engineers spend their time. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Time Management; Work-Life Balance; Information Technology Industry

September 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Teaching Note

Versity.com (TN)

Teaching Note to (9-403-132), (9-403-133), and (9-403-134). View Details

September 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Teaching Note

Work Patterns at Ditto (TN) (A), (B), (C), and (D)

Teaching Note to (9-404-055), (9-404-056), (9-404-057), and (9-404-058). View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Behavior; Decision Choices and Conditions

September 2003
Teaching Note

Profiles of the Class of 1976 (TN)

Teaching Note for (9-403-087), (2-403-081), (2-403-086), (2-403-084), (2-403-085), (2-403-082), and (2-403-083). View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Behavior

September 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Teaching Note

Cat is out of the Bag, The: Kana and the Layoff Gone Awry (TN) (A), (B), and (C)

Teaching Note for (9-403-117), (9-403-118), and (9-403-119). View Details

June 2003
Case

Peabody Simpson at the Crossroads

By: Rajiv Lal, Nitin Nohria and Leslie Freeman

Three managing directors at Peabody Simpson had just returned from a firm-wide recruiting event at Columbia University, which they had covered together, as all were alumni. They were commiserating about having to submit revised forecasts to their division heads by the... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Capital Budgeting; Recruitment; Reports; Organizational Design

May 2003
Article

Is Silence Killing Your Company?

By: Leslie Perlow and Stephanie Williams

Keywords: Business Ventures

2003
Book

When You Say Yes But Mean No: How Silencing Conflict Wrecks Relationships and Companies

By: Leslie Perlow

“Saying yes when you really mean no” is a problem that haunts organizations from start-ups to multi-nationals. It exists across industries, levels, and functions. And it’s exacerbated by a down economy, when the fear of losing one’s job is on everybody’s mind and the... View Details

Keywords: Conflict and Resolution; Relationships; Business Ventures

2003
Chapter

Studying Work Groups in India, China, and Hungary

By: Leslie Perlow

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Working Conditions

February 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Peter Jacobs at Versity.com

Peter Jacobs is Versity.com's new professional CEO. This case provides a behind-the-scenes look at his thoughts and feelings about the company's evolution as he takes charge and tries to establish a new direction for the company. View Details

Keywords: Perspective; Growth and Development Strategy; Planning; Leadership; Management Teams

February 2003 (Revised September 2003)
Case

Howie Cohen at Versity.com

Howie Cohen is Versity.com's founder. This case provides a behind-the-scenes look at his thoughts and feelings about his company's evolution as they expand across the country and bring in a professional management team. View Details

Keywords: Leadership

February 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Versity.com

Versity.com has grown from four college students working out of a dorm to a $125 million venture capital-backed company. The young founders and new professional managers struggle to create a company vision and grapple with the question of whether to acquire another... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Growth and Development; Organizational Design; Mission and Purpose; Strategic Planning; Conflict and Resolution; Mergers and Acquisitions; Management Teams; Core Relationships

January 2003 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Cat is out of the Bag, The: KANA and the Layoff Gone Awry (A)

Vicki Amon-Higa, vice president of KANA, a publicly traded, midsize development company, was working with Bryan Kettle, KANA's CFO, to plan a layoff in which KANA would reduce the size of its workforce by nearly 40%. Despite the best of intentions, news of the layoff... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Employees; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Problems and Challenges; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Conflict Management

January 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Cat is out of the Bag, The: KANA and the Layoff Gone Awry (B)

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

January 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Cat is out of the Bag, The: KANA and the Layoff Gone Awry (C)

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

2003
Class Lecture

The Danger of Silencing Conflict at Work

By: Leslie Perlow

Keywords: Conflict Management

November 2002 (Revised October 2003)
Supplement

Anne F. Baird

By: Leslie A. Perlow and Thomas J. DeLong

Presents profiles written by six members of the HBS Class of 1976 from the 10th and 20th reunions. The six alumni represent a cross section of the class of 1976 and provide a snapshot of life at the time of the reunions. View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career