by Robert L. Simons - Publications - Faculty & Research

03 Feb 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Accountability and Control as Catalysts for Strategic Exploration and Exploitation: Field Study Results

25 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

An Organization Your Customers Understand

subordinate to the functions? Maybe you should organize by product, with separate units set up to serve specific markets. You play with the different combinations in your hands. How to decide ... This is the most obvious—and... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

30 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Tuning Jobs to Fit Your Company

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, professor Robert Simons wrote about how organizations can design jobs for maximum performance. In this excerpt, Simons discusses... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

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

22 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution

Business leaders can't develop and execute effective strategy without first gathering the right information, says Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons. In his new book, Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

17 Nov 2015
Working Paper Summaries

Self-Interest: The Economist's Straitjacket

Keywords: by Robert Simons

December 2023
Case

Robert McNamara: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the life of Robert McNamara from Harvard Business School to Ford Motor Company to the U.S. Department of Defense. McNamara excelled in every job along the way: becoming the youngest-ever professor at Harvard Business School, the first non-family... View Details

Keywords: Performance Measurement; Military; Leadership Development; Values and Beliefs; Personal Characteristics; Leadership Style; Success; Business and Government Relations; Power and Influence; Business Education; War

Citation

Educators

Purchase

04 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: Harder Than I Thought

Editor's note: A hybrid of a novel and a guidebook, Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a Twenty-First Century Leader invites readers to critique the journey of Jim Barton, the new CEO of a west coast aerospace firm. Written by business... View Details

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan & Shannon O'Donnell; Aerospace

24 Aug 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Performance Hacking: The Contagious Business Practice that Corrodes Corporate Culture, Undermines Core Values, and Damages Great Companies

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin and Richard L. Nolan; Air Transportation

24 Oct 2023
HBS Case

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

What makes a leader great? A dose of luck, for sure. But specific leadership traits mark extraordinary individuals time and time again and help elevate the standouts from the vast middle. That’s the overarching takeaway from an extensive and growing collection of... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

08 Nov 2024
HBS Case

What Wartime Service Taught These Historic Leaders

during military conflicts. As countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom honor their veterans this month, Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons reflects on how service... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Entertainment & Recreation

01 May 2017
Research & Ideas

Bad At Your Job? Maybe It's the Job’s Fault

Simons says. “They control this narrow slice, but their jobs are tied to things like revenue growth and profitability. The missing piece is the support they are given to accomplish their goals.” When using the tool, a job can be evaluated... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

13 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

How 'Small C' Change Can Beat Large-Scale Rebuilding

to success. The recent Champions League victory of FC Bayern Munich under new head coach Hansi Flick illustrates this powerful lesson. The dynamics of a comeback: A view from inside By making the historic treble of winning the Champions... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Sascha L. Schmidt, and Sebastian Flegr; Sports

27 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

How the FBI Reinvented Itself After 9/11

It is hard to imagine a more difficult and tragic trial by fire for a new leader. On September 4, 2001, Robert Mueller started his new job as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A mere... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

CEO. Excerpt from The Adventures of an IT Leader, by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell: Crisis Thursday, June 28, 9:24 a.m. Barton was enjoying an... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

02 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Four VCs on Evaluating Opportunities

the technologist are issues we try to avoid. Robert Simon Director, Alta Partners There are two schools of thought in evaluating new opportunities. In the first, the venture capitalist says, "I invest... View Details

Keywords: by Lauren Barley

23 Apr 2024
In Practice

Getting to Net Zero: The Climate Standards and Ecosystem the World Needs Now

With each month clocking record-breaking temperatures across the planet, this Earth Day reflected the renewed urgency of regulators and businesses to find climate-change solutions. The US Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted new rules that will mandate... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

18 Jun 2001
Lessons from the Classroom

Why Leaders Need Great Books

year, will eventually earn them a decent funeral by the time they die. The problem, though, is that if they miss even two weeks' worth of payments, they forfeit everything they've contributed to date. Big Demand According to Joseph View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do?

been published in a new book: Environmental Protection and the Social Responsibility of Firms: Perspectives from Law, Economics, and Business. The coauthors are Bruce L. Hay, Harvard Law School; Robert N.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

January 2025 (Revised February 2025)
Case

From Neverkusen to Meisterkusen:* Building a Winning Organization at Bayer Leverkusen

By: Boris Groysberg, Brian L. Walker, Sascha L. Schmidt and Gamze Yucaoglu

This case follows Bayer Leverkusen football team through 2018-2024, as Fernando Carro takes the helm and makes organizational changes. Led by CEO Fernando Carro, sporting director Simon Rolfes, and head coach Xabi Alonso, the Club becomes league champion for the first... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Alignment; Competitive Strategy; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Sports Industry; Europe; Germany

Citation

Educators

Purchase