Organizational Behavior
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- Harvard Business Review
Culture is not the culprit
When Organizations Are in Crisis, It's Usually Because the Business is Broken.
By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague- Harvard Business Review
Culture is not the culprit
When Organizations Are in Crisis, It's Usually Because the Business is Broken.
By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague -
We blame women for not taking the lead in the workplace. Here's why that's wrong.
By: Robin ElyWomen and men alike make a lot of assumptions about women. Yet when it comes to women and work, some of the most ubiquitous beliefs are the most mistaken.
We blame women for not taking the lead in the workplace. Here's why that's wrong.
By: Robin ElyWomen and men alike make a lot of assumptions about women. Yet when it comes to women and work, some of the most ubiquitous beliefs are the most mistaken.
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2015 Thinkers50 Innovation Award
By: Linda A. HillProfessor Linda Hill won the 2015 Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award for Innovation. She was also ranked #6 overall on the Thinkers50 ranking.
2015 Thinkers50 Innovation Award
By: Linda A. HillProfessor Linda Hill won the 2015 Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award for Innovation. She was also ranked #6 overall on the Thinkers50 ranking.
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- HBS Working Knowledge
CEOs and Coaches
How Important is Organizational 'Fit'?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit NaikHow big a factor is matching the right coach with the right team?
- HBS Working Knowledge
CEOs and Coaches
How Important is Organizational 'Fit'?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit NaikHow big a factor is matching the right coach with the right team?
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- HBS Working Knowledge
Is it Worth a Pay Cut to Work for a Great Manager (Like Bill Belichick)?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik- HBS Working Knowledge
Is it Worth a Pay Cut to Work for a Great Manager (Like Bill Belichick)?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik -
- HBS Working Paper Series
Does 'What We Do' Make Us 'Who We Are'?
Organizational Design and Identity Change at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
By: Ranjay Gulati, Ryan Raffaelli, and Jan Rivkin- HBS Working Paper Series
Does 'What We Do' Make Us 'Who We Are'?
Organizational Design and Identity Change at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
By: Ranjay Gulati, Ryan Raffaelli, and Jan Rivkin
About the Unit
Through its research, teaching, and course development, the Organizational Behavior Unit creates and disseminates knowledge that advances the understanding of how to lead and manage with the aim of increasing personal and organizational effectiveness. Although specific research interests span a wide range of subjects, the faculty share a problem driven, interdisciplinary, multi method approach that has led to significant impact on theory and practice.
Our current intellectual agenda builds on the rich history of OB at HBS and focuses squarely on the organizational changes and challenges arising from today's increasingly global and more competitive economy. In the last decade, the faculty have been recognized for their work on leadership in an increasingly diverse and dynamic environment, the evolution of managerial careers in our society, managing diversity, and organizational design and change to meet evolving needs and expectations in a changing world.
Recent Publications
Scaling Up Transformational Innovations
By: Peter Koen, Ananya Sheth, Mike DiPaola and Linda A. Hill
- November–December 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review
For large companies operating in mature sectors—such as Procter & Gamble in consumer goods, Apple in consumer electronics, and Adobe in cloud software—driving growth is a perennial challenge. Growth through acquisition is always an option, but companies often quickly find that the costs outweigh the benefits. According to the authors, the only reliable path to maintaining market leadership is transformational innovation: major changes to products and services that redefine what customers expect by delivering significantly improved performance, providing new kinds of value, resolving long-standing trade-offs, and/or radically reducing manufacturing costs. To understand what makes transformational innovations successful, the authors studied two of them at Procter & Gamble: Oral-B iO, a “smart” electric toothbrush that step-changed the experience of oral hygiene, and Always Infinity, a best-in-class menstrual pad that resolved the long-standing tension between comfort and protection. In this article the authors present a playbook for scaling up transformational innovation, organized around four major challenges: providing sufficient leadership, building the right team, mobilizing resources and capabilities, and making big-bet decisions.
Why Employees Quit
By: Ethan Bernstein, Michael B. Horn and Bob Moesta
- November–December 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review
The so-called war for talent is still raging. But in that fight, employers continue to rely on the same hiring and retention strategies they’ve been using for decades. Why? Because they’ve been so focused on challenges such as poaching by industry rivals, competing in tight labor markets, and responding to relentless cost-cutting pressures that they haven’t addressed a more fundamental problem: the widespread failure to provide sustainable work experiences. To stick around and give their best, people need meaningful work, managers and colleagues who value and trust them, and opportunities to advance in their careers, the authors say. By supporting employees in their individual quests for progress while also meeting the organization’s needs, managers can create employee experiences that are mutually beneficial and sustaining.
The Three Traps That Stymie Reinvention: Organizational Identity, Architecture, and Collaboration Can Be Either Assets or Liabilities to Pursuing Growth in New Sectors
By: Ryan Raffaelli
- Fall 2024 |
- Article |
- MIT Sloan Management Review
In more than a decade of researching innovation, I have observed how organizations respond to new opportunities, technological changes, or unexpected market shifts that threaten to upend their current business model. This process, which I call reinvention, may occur proactively or reactively. In interviews, focus groups, and workshops with 1,451 individuals who faced reinvention dilemmas across a broad array of sectors, I have found that a core challenge of reinvention is that an organization’s past success can either be the greatest asset or the chief liability to its future. The article introduces three traps that can limit a company’s ability to find new avenues for growth: organizational identity, architecture, and collaboration. It highlights how to avoid them by laying the appropriate communications groundwork to foster a coherent identity, setting up new organizational structures, and paying close attention to interpersonal dynamics at the team and individual level.
Skills-First Hiring at IBM
By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah Mehta
- October 2024 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
A video supplement to accompany "Skills-First Hiring at IBM" (case no. 422-013)
Keywords: Competency and Skills; Experience and Expertise; Talent and Talent Management; Human Resources; Employees; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Jobs and Positions; Job Design and Levels; Job Interviews; Society; Social Issues; Technology Industry; United States; New York (state, US)
Strategic Decision Making at Platform Transitions: The Case of Nokia (2010-2011).
By: Timo O. Vuori and Michael Tushman
- October 2024 |
- Article |
- Strategic Management Journal
We studied Nokia’s decision to adopt the Windows platform in 2011 to induce new theory on the emotional dynamics of incumbent firms’ strategic decision making at platform transitions. We find that platform companies’ entry into an established industry activates a cosmological episode—a period when long-held core assumptions about the industry become invalid—for incumbent senior teams, triggering anxiety and stunting self regulation. Distinct mechanisms then influence incumbent senior team’s emotions toward external platform options—myopic appraisals of firm competitiveness inside a platform (vs. platform competitiveness against other platforms), appraisals of changing firm boundaries, and emotional resonance of potential partners. These emotions contribute to emotional drift, with top managers ultimately favoring the emotionally attractive option. These findings extend theory on platforms, strategy, and emotion.
Moss & Associates: 'Empower to Create the Exceptional'
By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott
- September 2024 (Revised November 2024) |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
In 2023, Moss & Associates, a Fort Lauderdale-based general contractor, celebrated its 20th anniversary. The business was founded by Bob Moss and his sons, Chad and Scott. The company had grown to 3,800 employees generating over $3 billion in revenues via two business lines: construction management and solar EPC. Moss cultivated a “Moss-first” culture. As Moss continued to grow, how should the culture grow with it?
Sona Comstar and Blackstone: Unlocking Value Through Business Transformation
By: Ranjay Gulati and Kanika Jain
- September 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Private equity firm Blackstone’s majority investment in automotive systems manufacturer Sona Comstar had culminated in the largest IPO in the Indian auto components industry in 2021, with stellar returns for all involved. This EV supplier was the result of a 2019 merger of Sona BLW, a gear manufacturer founded in 1995, and Comstar, a starter motor manufacturer, to create Sona Comstar. The 4-year journey from investment to IPO had entailed the development of a strategic roadmap to transform the new entity into a technology-led automotive systems supplier focused on electric vehicles. By 2023, Sona Comstar was a leader in the EV space, had a rigorous R&D program, and boasted strong growth, excellent margins, and high returns. With Blackstone’s complete exit, Sona Comstar now had to plan its strategy for achieving its ambition to be the next global engineering giant.
Board Director Dilemmas: The Tradeoffs of Board Selection
By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Patrick Sanguineti
- September 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
After retiring from a long and successful career in financial auditing, Linda McGill looked forward to the prospect of joining a board. She felt the time was right to leverage the breadth of her experience while fulfilling one of her long-term goals. Though somewhat of a stretch, the thought of helping to guide a complex, multinational listed company was particularly exciting, given not only the scale of the responsibility, but also the potential prominence and financial upside it could bring her. At the same time, Linda also considered an invitation to join the board of a midsize, PE-backed family company she had worked closely with in the past. Though appreciative for the offer, she was aware that the company was facing ongoing challenges that might require a serious time commitment from her to address. How would Linda weigh the tradeoffs of her options?
Harvard Business Publishing
Seminars & Conferences
There are no upcoming events.