Publications

March 2011
Article

Zoom In, Zoom Out

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Zoom buttons on digital devices let us examine images from many viewpoints. They also provide an apt metaphor for modes of strategic thinking. Some people prefer to see things up close, others from afar. Both perspectives have virtues. But they should not be fixed... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Cognition and Thinking; Perspective; Leadership; Opportunities; Decisions

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01 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 1

believe that such acquisitions are overpriced. In fact, however, those are the ones that can pay off spectacularly. Read the paper: http://hbr.org/2011/03/the-big-idea-the-new-ma-playbook/ar/1 Mindful Leadership Author:William W. George... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2008
Case

Sloan & Harrison: Non-Equity Partner Discontent

By: Boris Groysberg and Eliot Sherman

The law firm, Sloan & Harrison, was dealing with some discontent among its junior non-equity partners. These partners were concerned with the transparency of the advancement process, their ability to position themselves as both leaders within the firm and rainmakers,... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Human Resources; Leadership Development; Management Style; Performance; Work-Life Balance; Legal Services Industry

11 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone

and the way unexpected crises can emerge rapidly, leaders must move faster and display more strategic agility than ever before. Much of Watkins’ advice about how company officials should assume a leadership post still holds true. It’s... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

February 2022
Case

Leading The UK Vaccine Task Force

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Claudia Pienica

This case describes the first six months of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, under the leadership of Kate Bingham. With a career spent in the private sector as a biotech investor, Bingham’s appointment within the government was considered unusual. The overarching brief given... View Details

28 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

Capital Rules: The Tensions of Global Finance

Throughout this period, the United States has consistently turned to unilateral decisions and bilateral trade and investment treaties to advance its national interests. It has largely fallen to the Europeans to exercise leadership in the... View Details

Keywords: by Rawi Abdelal

January 2002 (Revised June 2002)
Background Note

A Note on Building and Leading Your Senior Team

By: Linda A. Hill and Maria Farkas

As performance demands intensify in fast-moving global markets, more executives are coming to rely on senior teams for strategic and operational assistance. Team building with powerful senior executives presents special challenges, including competition for their boss'... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Selection and Staffing; Leadership; Management Teams; Operations; Organizational Culture; Rank and Position; Strategy

29 Mar 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Do CEO Activists Make a Difference? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Keywords: by Aaron K. Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel

February 2012 (Revised June 2012)
Case

Rospil.info

By: Paul Healy, Karthik Ramanna and Matthew Shaffer

What should business leaders do about corruption? In December 2011, four HBS alumni met to debate how to engage the unprecedented protests against Vladimir Putin's corrupt government, which had erupted in Russia in response to alleged fraud in the recent parliamentary... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Crime and Corruption; Government and Politics; Social and Collaborative Networks; Blogs; Information Industry; Russia

23 Jan 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Tommy Koh: Background and Major Accomplishments of the ’Great Negotiator, 2014

Keywords: by James K. Sebenius & Laurence A. Green

November 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Taking Charge at Dogus Holding (A)

By: Rakesh Khurana, Gina Carioggia and Simon Johnson

Describes 37-year-old Ferit Sahenk's challenges in taking over his father's traditionally managed $14 billion Turkish conglomerate in a period of economic instability. Leading the large holding company into the 21st century will require the establishment of a more... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Trade; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Family Business; Change Management; Turkey

April 2003
Case

Captain Crisis in the United States Army, The

From 1989 to 1999, the Army watched as captain attrition rose from a planned and acceptable 6.7% to a staggering 10.6%. At the beginning of a new century, the Army leadership is concerned that current and projected staffing levels for junior officers are insufficient... View Details

Keywords: Human Capital; Retention; Government and Politics; Public Administration Industry

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January 2018
Supplement

In the Eye of a Geopolitical Storm: South Korea's Lotte Group, China and the U.S. THAAD Missile Defense System (B)

By: Andy Zelleke and Brian Tilley

This case explores Lotte Group’s challenge of how to respond to Chinese government pressure in 2017, following the Group’s February decision to transfer land to the South Korean government, on which Seoul intended to deploy the U.S.-built THAAD missile defense system.... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Corporation; Corporate Governance; Leadership; International Relations; Decision Making; South Korea; China; Japan; United States

January 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Singapore: 'From Third World to First'

By: Charlotte L. Robertson and Mattias Fibiger

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong prepared to step down in 2022, Singapore faced a number of pressing challenges, from popular discontent at home to geopolitical tensions abroad. The country had become very rich after decades of successful economic management, but... View Details

Keywords: Government Administration; Economic Growth; Public Opinion; Singapore

25 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 25

Ramanna Abstract—SEC oversight of publicly listed firms ranges from comment letter (CL) reviews of firms’ reporting compliance to pursuing enforcement actions against violators. Prior literature finds that firm political connections (PC)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Jun 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, June 27

relating to political legitimacy and legal authority. The module note was written for students in the first-year course Leadership and Corporate Accountability. Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

The Right and Wrong Way to Do ‘CEO Activism’

By: Aaron K Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel

CEO activism—where leaders take public stands on controversial social and political issues that aren’t related to their company’s bottom line—has become increasingly common. CEO activism has attracted favorable media attention, but has also resulted in backlash and... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Social Issues; Communication Strategy; Performance Effectiveness

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Read Now

17 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 17

buy or sell stock. Read the article: http://hbr.org/2012/07/what-good-are-shareholders/ar/1 Clear and Present Danger: Planning and New Venture Survival amid Political and Civil Violence Authors:Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 4, 2012
Article

Business Leaders Are More Than Profiteers, as They Deliver Growth in an Efficient, Fair Manner

By: Karthik Ramanna

The legitimacy of market capitalism rests on its ability to deliver freedom, prosperity, and growth in a manner that is efficient and fair. The pursuit of profit is a central but not the only element of capitalism. There are many circumstances, such as when lobbying... View Details

Keywords: Capitalism; Leadership; India