Great American Business Leaders of the 20th CenturyGreat American Business Leaders of the 20th Century   

Identifying and chronicling the lives of 20th century men and women whose business leadership shaped the ways that people live, work, and interact. And understanding how contextual influences deeply affected the opportunities available for businesses throughout the last century. 

Leadership Initiative 

Leaders have always faced the job of inspiring others while making important decisions with incomplete information. Today's leaders are confronted with challenges and opportunities that have never been more dynamic or complex. We help leaders effectively understand and manage these forces.

Faculty & Research 

The Treasure You Seek: A Guide to Developing and Leveraging Your Leadership Capital

By: Archie Jones
  • 2024
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  • Book
In The Treasure You Seek, I share my lessons in leadership―focused on the notion of leadership capital and the 5 Cs (capability, culture, communication, connection, and confidence). Each of the 5 Cs...

Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems

By: Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss
  • 2023
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  • Book
Speed has gotten a bad name in business, much of it deserved. When Facebook made "Move fast and break things" an informal company motto, it fueled a widely held belief that we can either make...

ICARE: Frontline Leadership at Michelin

By: Hubert Joly and Emilie Billaud
  • JULY 2025
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  • Case
In 2025, Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux reflected on the company’s transformation since taking the helm in 2019. Amid a volatile global landscape marked by inflation, rising competition, and geopolitical and sustainability pressures, Michelin had achieved strong financial and operational results....

New WOW at Equitable (A): A New Way of Working

By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman
  • JUNE 2025
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  • Case
Equitable CEO Mark Pearson executes a company-wide change management- transforming a sleepy but reasonably performing firm in a traditional industry not known for innovation, into an innovation-focused agile organization.

The Value of Art on Campus as a Vision for Educating Leaders Who Make a Difference

By: James Riley, Alexis Lefort and Helen Yap
  • JUNE 2025
  • | 
  • Case
This case explores the debate surrounding the installation of a large contemporary sculpture, Inés by Jaume Plensa, at Harvard Business School under the leadership of Dean Nitin Nohria. Set in 2016, the case examines the role of physical campus design and public art in shaping a learning...

(Family) Size Matters: Nico Oprée and the Decreasing Power of Family Unity over Time

By: Lauren Cohen, Octavian Graf Pilati, Dominik V. Eynern and Sophia Pan
  • JUNE 2025
  • | 
  • Case
Nico Oprée, a fourth-generation (G4) member of his family’s heavy manufacturing business, found himself reflecting on how the firm would navigate a deepening shareholder conflict. While the second generation (G2) had managed the business in harmony, dynamics shifted dramatically by the third...

How to Manage for Collective Creativity

Linda Hill
14 Sep 2014

Executive Education 

We offer programs that strengthen the leadership capacity of individuals and their organizations.

MBA Experience 

Students exercise the leadership skills they will practice in business and beyond, and leave with lessons in leadership that are practical, priceless, and most importantly, real.

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Strategic Management

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Develops distinctive strategies to achieve competitive advantage
Translates broad strategies into specific objectives and action plans
Defines strategic issues clearly despite ambiguity
Aligns the organization to support strategic priorities
Initiatives focus on societal challenges that are too complex for any one discipline or industry to solve alone.