Technology & Operations Management
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- November–December 2024
- Article
How to Avoid the Agility Trap
By: Jianwen Liao and Feng ZhuAgility is all the rage in strategy circles these days. According to conventional wisdom, organizations should rapidly react to technological advances, new market dynamics, and shifting consumer preferences. But in practice this is nearly impossible to pull off, because the environment is evolving much faster than firms can respond to. The consequences of trying to keep up with every change are stark: the erosion of competitive advantages, a myopic focus on the short term, and organizational chaos. In their research the authors have repeatedly seen that in volatile environments, firms anchoring their strategies in a few enduring factors, rather than many transient ones, are more likely to achieve sustainable growth. This approach is called strategic constancy. It involves recognizing the fundamental aspects of the company’s business model—its core values, customer relationships, brand identity, and key competencies—and remaining dedicated to them despite external pressures. It emphasizes depth over breadth—deepening the company’s competitive advantage in its core areas rather than spreading efforts thinly over many.
- November–December 2024
- Article
How to Avoid the Agility Trap
By: Jianwen Liao and Feng ZhuAgility is all the rage in strategy circles these days. According to conventional wisdom, organizations should rapidly react to technological advances, new market dynamics, and shifting consumer preferences. But in practice this is nearly impossible to pull off, because the environment is evolving much faster than firms can respond to. The...
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- November 2024
- Case
Fire at Notre Dame de Paris
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jerome BarthelemyIn early 2019, the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral was severely damaged by a fire. Though many people still believe that the fire was due to errors made at the “sharp end”, the case suggests that it resulted from the combination of various types of errors that could have been avoided.
- November 2024
- Case
Fire at Notre Dame de Paris
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jerome BarthelemyIn early 2019, the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral was severely damaged by a fire. Though many people still believe that the fire was due to errors made at the “sharp end”, the case suggests that it resulted from the combination of various types of errors that could have been avoided.
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- October 24, 2023
- Article
10 Beliefs That Get in the Way of Organizational Change
By: Frances X. Frei and Anne MorrissIn their new book, Move Fast and Fix Things, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss outline five strategies to help leaders tackle their hardest problems and quickly make change. Their final strategy is to execute your plan with a sense of urgency. They argue that most big organizational problems deserve a more urgent response — a metabolic rate that honors the frustration, mediocrity, and pain of the status quo. To get there you need to strip out distractions, update your assumptions — such as the below 10 beliefs that get in the way of moving fast — and launch yourself over whatever administrative hurdles are in the way of making progress.
- October 24, 2023
- Article
10 Beliefs That Get in the Way of Organizational Change
By: Frances X. Frei and Anne MorrissIn their new book, Move Fast and Fix Things, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss outline five strategies to help leaders tackle their hardest problems and quickly make change. Their final strategy is to execute your plan with a sense of urgency. They argue that most big organizational problems deserve a more urgent response — a metabolic rate that...
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
How to Avoid the Agility Trap
- November–December 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review
Cheerful Music
- November 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Fire at Notre Dame de Paris
- November 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) and (B) Video Supplement
- November 2024 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Is a Single-Family Office Right For You?
- November 2024 |
- Technical Note |
- Faculty Research
10 Beliefs That Get in the Way of Organizational Change
- October 24, 2023 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review (website)
MDH Partners: Evolving a Family Legacy
- October 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research