Technology & Operations Management

- May–June 2025
- Article
What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Michaela J. Kerrissey

Psychological safety—a shared belief among team members that it’s OK to speak up with candor—has become a popular concept. However, as its popularity has grown, so too have misconceptions about it. Such misunderstandings can lead to frustration among leaders and employees, stymie constructive debates, and ultimately harm organizational performance. In this article the authors identify the following six common misperceptions: Psychological safety means being nice; it means getting your way; it means job security; it requires a trade-off with performance; it’s a policy; and it requires a top-down approach. They explain why each misperception gets in the way and give advice on how to counter it. They also offer leaders a blueprint for building the kind of strong, learning-oriented work environment that is crucial for success in an uncertain world. Leaders should clearly communicate what psychological safety is and what it isn’t, and take steps to improve the quality of conversations and to establish structures and rituals that will help teams assess their progress in building a psychologically safe environment.
- May–June 2025
- Article
What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Michaela J. Kerrissey

Psychological safety—a shared belief among team members that it’s OK to speak up with candor—has become a popular concept. However, as its popularity has grown, so too have misconceptions about it. Such misunderstandings can lead to frustration among leaders and employees, stymie constructive debates, and ultimately harm organizational...
- April 8, 2025
- Article
Creating Workplaces Free of Forever Chemicals

By: Joseph G. Allen, Heather A. Henrikson and Michael W. Toffel

Forever chemicals are toxic and widely used in buildings and yet they remain on the rise globally with little regulation to control them. In the United States, for example, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations currently cover only forever chemicals in water—and only six of the more than 10,000. But organizations have a responsibility and role to play in eliminating them from workplaces in the same way they might have asbestos in years past. At Harvard University and several corporations, leaders are following a simple, two-part playbook: Demand transparency from suppliers and avoid entire classes of chemicals.
- April 8, 2025
- Article
Creating Workplaces Free of Forever Chemicals

By: Joseph G. Allen, Heather A. Henrikson and Michael W. Toffel

Forever chemicals are toxic and widely used in buildings and yet they remain on the rise globally with little regulation to control them. In the United States, for example, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations currently cover only forever chemicals in water—and only six of the more than 10,000. But organizations have a responsibility...
- April 2025 (Revised April 2025)
- Case
JPMorganChase: Leadership in the Age of GenAI

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Karim R. Lakhani and David Lane
- April 2025 (Revised April 2025)
- Case
JPMorganChase: Leadership in the Age of GenAI

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Karim R. Lakhani and David Lane

About the Unit

As the world of operations has changed, so have interests and priorities within the Unit. Historically, the TOM Unit focused on manufacturing and the development of physical products. Over the past several years, we have expanded our research, course development, and course offerings to encompass new issues in information technology, supply chains, and service industries.

The field of TOM is concerned with the design, management, and improvement of operating systems and processes. As we seek to understand the challenges confronting firms competing in today's demanding environment, the focus of our work has broadened to include the multiple activities comprising a firm's "operating core":

the multi-function, multi-firm system that includes basic research, design, engineering, product and process development and production of goods and services within individual operating units;
the networks of information and material flows that tie operating units together and the systems that support these networks;
the distribution and delivery of goods and services to customers.

Recent Publications

What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Michaela J. Kerrissey

May–June 2025 |
Article |
Harvard Business Review

Psychological safety—a shared belief among team members that it’s OK to speak up with candor—has become a popular concept. However, as its popularity has grown, so too have misconceptions about it. Such misunderstandings can lead to frustration among leaders and employees, stymie constructive debates, and ultimately harm organizational performance. In this article the authors identify the following six common misperceptions: Psychological safety means being nice; it means getting your way; it means job security; it requires a trade-off with performance; it’s a policy; and it requires a top-down approach. They explain why each misperception gets in the way and give advice on how to counter it. They also offer leaders a blueprint for building the kind of strong, learning-oriented work environment that is crucial for success in an uncertain world. Leaders should clearly communicate what psychological safety is and what it isn’t, and take steps to improve the quality of conversations and to establish structures and rituals that will help teams assess their progress in building a psychologically safe environment.

Citation

Climate Change Adaptation with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

By: Michael W. Toffel and Nabig Chaudhry

April 2025 |
Background Note |
Faculty Research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as powerful tools to address climate change. This note summarizes a wide range of the uses of AI/ML to drive climate change adaptation and resilience, the measures organizations and governments are taking to better withstand the impacts of the physical manifestations of climate change such as rising temperatures and extreme weather events and the consequential economic, business, and societal changes. As an emerging frontier, climate adaptation presents significant opportunities for AI/ML to improve understanding, planning, and implementation of strategies that reduce physical climate risks. AI/ML can help identify high risk areas, predict extreme weather events, develop early warning systems, and support resilient infrastructure, among other applications. This note provides a background of AI/ML applications in climate adaptation, calls attention to areas where AI/ML can and already is driving progress, and highlights the potential for further innovation.

Keywords: Climate Change; Adaptation

Citation

Educators

Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion PowerPoint Supplement

By: Michael W. Toffel, Ken Pucker and Stacy Straaberg

April 2025 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) case introduces Allbirds as a footwear startup not only focused on simple design, comfort, and sustainable natural materials but on decarbonizing the wider fashion industry. Background material highlights the growing environmental impact of the footwear industry, including its use of leather and fossil-fuel-based materials and its focus on shorter product lifespans. Allbirds’ product development process, by contrast, collaborated with suppliers to develop natural materials including wool and sugarcane to substitute for conventional petroleum-based materials and leather. The case is set in 2021, when Allbirds was extending its product range into apparel and expanding beyond its online store to open more retail stores around the world. Allbirds was freely sharing its know-how and material innovations with its competitors to try to scale its efforts to decarbonize fashion, yet the company was also keen to remain ahead and differentiated based on its shoes’ comfort, minimalist design, and sustainable natural materials. The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B) case encourages students to assess Allbirds’ product development and go-to-market strategies now that Allbirds is a publicly listed company. The (B) case provides a 2024 update on Allbirds including its initial public offering, mounting losses, decreasing share price, and the release of a strategic transformation plan. It also covers co-founders Tim Brown’s and Joey Zwillinger’s transition out of the co-CEO role.

Keywords: Decarbonization; Climate Impact; Environmental Strategy; Innovation; Product Design; Supply Chain Management; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Product Development; Climate Change; Environmental Management; Environmental Sustainability; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; United States; California

Citation

Purchase

Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) and (B)

By: Michael W. Toffel, Ken Pucker and Stacy Straaberg

April 2025 |
Teaching Note |
Faculty Research

Citation

Purchase

Columbia's Final Mission (B)

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Richard M. Bohmer and Michael A. Roberto

April 2025 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Citation

Purchase

Creating Workplaces Free of Forever Chemicals

By: Joseph G. Allen, Heather A. Henrikson and Michael W. Toffel

April 8, 2025 |
Article |
Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

Forever chemicals are toxic and widely used in buildings and yet they remain on the rise globally with little regulation to control them. In the United States, for example, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations currently cover only forever chemicals in water—and only six of the more than 10,000. But organizations have a responsibility and role to play in eliminating them from workplaces in the same way they might have asbestos in years past. At Harvard University and several corporations, leaders are following a simple, two-part playbook: Demand transparency from suppliers and avoid entire classes of chemicals.

Keywords: Occupational Health; Safety Regulations; Regulation; Working Conditions; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Safety; Health

Citation

Read Now

JPMorganChase: Leadership in the Age of GenAI

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Karim R. Lakhani and David Lane

April 2025 (Revised April 2025) |
Case |
Faculty Research

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Hurtigruten: Sea Zero

By: Christian Kaps and Michael W. Toffel

March 2025 |
Case |
Faculty Research

Hurtigruten was deciding whether the next ship they built should be fully electric. But such a vessel's battery, the size of electric cars, needed to be charged on the ship's multi-day voyage along the Norwegian coast. Before making such a $250 million investment, the company needed to understand where en route it needed charging infrastructure and how it could access sufficient power at ports. These considerations had to be balanced against the uncertainty around the government's emissions targets for Hurtigruten's fleet, and customers' desire for sustainable tourism.