Publications

SSRN

Read Now

November 2010 (Revised December 2015)
Background Note

Spans of Control and Accountability

By: Eugene F. Soltes

Overview of Spans of Control and Accountability. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design

Educators

This HBS working paper focuses on the relationship between business strategy, organization structure, and diagnostic control systems. The project analyzes data from 75 field studies to illustrate how managers adjust span of accountability and span of control to... View Details

Sep 2007 - 2007
Conference Presentation

Antecedents of Boundary Spanning in Cross-functional NPD Teams

By: James R. Dillon, Shikhar Sarin and Amy C. Edmondson

Boundary spanning has been shown in prior research to enhance innovativeness and performance of product development teams. In this study, we examine team conditions that foster boundary spanning behavior. We analyze survey data from 207 members of 54 cross-functional... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Innovation and Invention; Groups and Teams; Behavior; Performance Improvement; Boundaries; Leadership Style; Product; Complexity; Integration; Power and Influence

24 Jun 2013
Working Paper Summaries

The Entrepreneurial Gap: How Managers Adjust Span of Accountability and Span of Control to Implement Business Strategy

Keywords: by Robert L. Simons

July 2019
Article

The Gravitational Pull of Expressing Passion: When and How Expressing Passion Elicits Status Conferral and Support from Others

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Christopher To, Shira Agasi, Stéphane Côté and Adam D. Galinsky

Prior research attributes the positive effects of passion on professional success to intrapersonal characteristics. We propose that interpersonal processes are also critical because observers confer status on and support those who express passion. These interpersonal... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Admiration; Support; Emotions; Communication; Perception; Status and Position; Success; Situation or Environment; Competition

Register to Read

June 2017
Teaching Note

Google to Alphabet: Two Job Opportunities

By: Robert Simons and Jennifer Packard

This is the teaching note for "Google to Alphabet: Two Job Opportunities" HBS No.116-046 The case describes two job postings for positions at Google. The first job posting is for a Software Engineer in the Google Maps unit and the second job posting is for an Account... View Details

Keywords: Strategy And Execution; Span Of Control; Span Of Accountability; Span Of Support; Management Control Systems; Entrepreneurial Gap; Motivation; Job Design; Strategy; Information Technology; Organizational Design; Jobs and Positions; Technology Industry

June 2017
Teaching Note

The Kursk Submarine Rescue Mission (Supplement)

By: Robert Simons and Jennifer Packard

Supplement to the Kursk Teaching Note 114-097. View Details

Keywords: Job Design; Levers Of Control; Organization; Span Of Support; Span Of Accountability

09 Apr 2012
News

Diagnosing Your Top Team's Span of Control

June 2014 (Revised June 2017)
Teaching Note

The Kursk Submarine Rescue Mission (Case and Multimedia)

By: Anette Mikes and Amram Migdal

Teaching note for 114-708 View Details

Keywords: Span Of Support; JDOT; Job Design; Levers Of Control

01 Mar 2016
News

Expressions of Support

put to use immediately where they are most needed, whether to support financial aid, educational innovation, global understanding, or pathbreaking research. Support for the HBS Fund enables the School to... View Details

March 1981
Article

Characteristics and External Orientation of Boundary Spanning Individuals

By: Michael Tushman and Thomas Scanlan

Article

How to Get the Most Out of Peer Support Groups: A Guide to the Benefits and Best Practices

By: Boris Groysberg and Robert Russman Halperin

For years business leaders have turned to peer forums—groups of four to 10 people with similar interests who meet regularly for confidential conversations—to share their problems, find support and insights, and learn and grow. But because such forums are small and... View Details

Keywords: Peer Comparison; Support; Workplace; Peer Relationships; Personal Development and Career

Register to Read

1 Nov 2013
Conference Presentation

The Entrepreneurial Gap: How Managers Adjust Span of Accountability and Span of Control to Implement Business Strategy

By: Robert L. Simons

Research Summary

Monetary and Non-monetary Incentives

By: Susanna Gallani

In this line of research, Prof. Gallani explores the interplay between monetary and non-monetary incentives in organization. In particular, she explores the effectiveness of non-monetary motivation mechanisms, including mission statements and company values, feedback,... View Details

Keywords: Non-monetary Rewards; Rewards And Penalties; Feedback; Span Of Support; Social Pressure

May 1983
Case

Office of Administrative Support

01 Jun 2015
News

A World of Support

HBS Fund Supports the School’s Global Interests “No other management school has the global reach of HBS or a similar global brand power.” Gaëtan Hannecart (MBA 1994) Global Understanding is one View Details

01 Dec 2015
News

A Legacy of Support

Jonathan Kraft (MBA 1990) and Robert Kraft (MBA 1965) Celebrating their 50th and 25th Reunions in 2015, father-son duo Robert and Jonathan Kraft have strong ties to HBS. The eldest of four sons of Robert and... View Details

23 Oct 2014
News

Transparency in support of innovation

August 2011
Article

From the Outside In: The Negative Spillover Effects of Boundary Spanners' Relations with Members of Other Organizations

By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Katerina Bezrukova, Karen A. Jehn and Martin Euwema

Contrary to much boundary spanning research, we examined the negative consequences of boundary spanning contact in multi-organizational contexts. Results from a sample of 833 Dutch peacekeepers show that employees' boundary spanning contact with members of other... View Details

Keywords: Inter-organizational Contact; Boundary Spanning; Peacekeeping; Relationships; Jobs and Positions; Organizations; Attitudes