Publications

2007
Book

Mergers: Leadership, Performance & Corporate Health

By: David G. Fubini, Colin Price and Maurizio Zollo

Drawing on their own extensive integration experience, the systematic analysis of 167 mergers, and cutting edge academic research, the authors of this book identify the common leadership challenges to be tackled for the achievement of what we call 'corporate health',... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Health; Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Success

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September 2005 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (A)

By: Daniel C. Snow, Steven C. Wheelwright and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Scharffen Berger, a premium brand chocolate, is growing rapidly and must decide where and when to add capacity in the production line and with what technology. The company must consider the demands of marketing, the impact on quality and reputation, and the economics... View Details

Keywords: Production; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Capacity; Quality; Expansion

April 2002 (Revised September 2002)
Case

Transformation of Seattle Public Schools, 1995-2002

Investigates the reform of the Seattle Public Schools from 1995 to 2002. To initiate reform in 1995, the district hired John Stanford, an Army general, and Joseph Olchefske, an investment banker, as the district's superintendent and chief financial officer,... View Details

Keywords: Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Organizational Structure; Education; Business Strategy; Public Administration Industry; Education Industry; Seattle

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March 2001
Case

Yvette Hyater-Adams and Terry Larsen at CoreStates Financial Corp.

By: David A. Thomas, Nancie Zane PHD and Emily Heaphy

Yvette Hyater-Adams, senior VP of CoreStates Bank, and CEO Terry Larsen reflect on their five-year mentor-protege relationship. They describe how building a relationship across both race and gender was challenging and ultimately highly rewarding. Their relationship... View Details

Keywords: Race; Gender; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Management Teams; Relationships; Banking Industry

December 1980 (Revised June 2006)
Case

University Health Services: Walk-In Clinic

The walk-in clinic for general outpatient care at a major university experiences complaints about excessive waiting times. The system is changed to provide for initial screening of arriving patients in order to route them to appropriate health care providers. The... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Service Delivery; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Evaluation; Health Industry

November 1994 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Dennis Hightower: Walt Disney's Transnational Manager

By: Ashish Nanda

Describes the actions taken by Dennis Hightower as president of Disney Consumer Products in Europe and the Middle East from 1988 to 1994. Focuses on how he has established a regional office and knit local operations closer together, the benefits that the process has... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Change Management; Corporate Strategy; Personal Development and Career; Consumer Products Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Europe

01 Jun 2023
News

Righting the Ship

When Ross Stuckey (PLDA 21, 2016) joined the headquarters of the NAVSEA Warfare Centers as their capital improvement program (CIP) manager in 2016, he was charged with leading divisional managers at each of the NAVSEA WC’s 10 subsidiaries. He also was responsible for... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

15 May 2018
News

Spreading the Safety Net

Photo via LinkedIn Photo via LinkedIn In a May 6, 2018, op-ed in the New York Times, Rent the Runway co-founder and CEO Jennifer Hyman (MBA 2009) discussed the reasoning behind her recent decision to equalize benefits for all employees—a move that fulfills both a moral... View Details

27 Apr 2015
Lessons from the Classroom

Leadership Lessons From Outer Space

Asked for leadership advice, Terry Virts thought for a moment, letting his microphone float weightless in front of him before responding. "You have to adapt your leadership style to the situation you're in," he said. Nobody... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Aerospace

15 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Five Questions for Paul Gompers and Josh Lerner

efforts have been launched in the past decade to "transplant" the venture model: to adapt the key features of the venture capital approach within large corporations, academic institutions and hospitals, and nations without a... View Details

Keywords: by Carol Elsen; Financial Services

27 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Gen AI Marketing: How Some 'Gibberish' Code Can Give Products an Edge

at the top because it genuinely has more desired features? Or is it just because I’m putting in some gibberish?” she asks. You Might Also Like: Why Technology Alone Can't Solve AI's Bias Problem How Humans Outshine AI in Adapting to... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology

04 Aug 2023
Blog Post

Four Remarkable Stories of HBS MBA Students Tackling Climate Change

their inspiring stories. Chidalu Onyenso: Empowering small business owners’ self-sufficiency Climate change and the energy crisis have disproportionately impacted underdeveloped countries and the most vulnerable populations with them. These nations often lack the... View Details

01 Mar 2012
News

Alumni Book Briefs

team, how to measure progress, and more. The Virtual Manager: Cutting-Edge Solutions for Hiring, Managing, Motivating, and Engaging Mobile Employees by Kevin Sheridan (MBA 1988) (Career Press) As more and more jobs can be performed from home, managers must learn how to... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

05 Nov 2024
Research & Ideas

AI Can Help Leaders Communicate, But Can't Make Employees Listen

how do we get this to work, so it’s credible and widely accepted?” You Might Also Like: Global Talent, Local Obstacles: Why Time Zones Matter in Remote Work How Humans Outshine AI in Adapting to Change What Happens When Business Owners... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Information Technology; Technology

11 Mar 2021
Blog Post

A Year as Co-Presidents: Q+A with AASU's Bukie Adebo (MBA 2021) and Alexis Jackson (MBA 2021)

execute some of our community-building goals because of COVID-19. We planned to have a full in-person retreat, but that wasn't possible. We're still working to adapt our social programming to the hybrid format. We were slow to make the... View Details

23 Feb 2023
News

In My Humble Opinion: Hometown Reboot

venues. The development, an adaptive reuse of a school building and former Jewish synagogue, received statewide recognition for incorporating the highest standards for green buildings, an energy microgrid, and an urban farm. “If there’s... View Details

Keywords: April White

25 Aug 2022
News

Comfort Zone

you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself,” Fraser says. To create peace of mind, airports should redesign spaces around what Fraser refers to as experience technology. “That means everything from space, materials, furnishings, equipment, sound—basically how you View Details

March 2024 (Revised September 2024)
Case

Supercell 2.0: Clash of Plans

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and George Gonzalez

Founded in 2010, Supercell was a Helsinki, Finland-based mobile gaming company that had developed and launched five global hit mobile games: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day, Brawl Stars, and Boom Beach. The company’s early philosophy was that it could produce... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Restructuring; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Video Game Industry; Finland