- 19 Sep 2023
- Research & Ideas
What Chandrayaan-3 Says About India's Entrepreneurial Approach to Space
India reached an unexplored part of the moon despite its limited R&D funding compared with NASA and SpaceX. Tarun Khanna discusses the significance of the landing, and the country's advancements in data and digital technology.
- 12 Sep 2022
- Research & Ideas
When Experts Play It Too Safe: Innovation Lessons from a NASA Experiment
A study of an international robotics competition reveals how experts prioritize easy-to-execute inventions over moonshot ideas. Are companies missing out on potential breakthroughs? Research by Jacqueline Lane and Karim Lakhani.
- 13 Jan 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Recognition Incentives for Internal Crowdsourcing: A Field Experiment at NASA
What to do if organizational hierarchy hinders a platform aimed at worker collaboration? A field experiment with NASA employees finds that they respond to managerial appreciation above other incentives.
- 20 Feb 2019
- Research & Ideas
Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?
Private rocket companies are competing to be the first to send paying tourists into space, perhaps even this year. Matthew Weinzierl lays out the strategic roadmap to the stars. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Dec 2018
- Research & Ideas
Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History
Global free trade is not the natural order of things, so it needs to be carefully tended to and maintained. Sophus Reinert and Dante Roscini discuss trade over time and what history teaches. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 06 Dec 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Honda Created a Civic for Very Light Jets. How High Will It Fly?
After thirty years of research and development, HondaJet is finally in the air and winning its market. Gary Pisano discusses how Honda moved from cars and lawn mowers to multimillion-dollar private aircraft. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 May 2016
- HBS Case
Who Owns Space?
Industry is looking to the stars for a new commercial frontier. NASA is looking to industry to help broaden the scope of space exploration. And Professor Matt Weinzierl is looking at what this interplay means for the future of the New Space sector. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Apr 2016
- Research & Ideas
Why Your Company Wants to be a 'Cognitive Referent' (Hint: SpaceX)
Companies that come to epitomize a nascent market—think Starbucks and boutique coffee—can capture greater success than other startups, says Rory McDonald. Is there a roadmap to becoming a “cognitive referent”? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Sep 2015
- Research & Ideas
Leadership Lessons of the Great Recession: Options for Economic Downturns
In the new case study “Honeywell and the Great Recession,” Sandra Sucher and Susan Winterberg explore employer tradeoffs when a downturn hits: conducting layoffs vs. orchestrating furloughs. Plus: Video interviews with Honeywell CEO Dave Cote. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 27 Apr 2015
- Lessons from the Classroom
Leadership Lessons From Outer Space
Beaming in from space via teleconference, International Space Station Commander Terry Virts discusses leadership, technology, and thunderstorms with professors and students at Harvard Business School. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Feb 2014
- Research & Ideas
Companies Detangle from Legacy Pensions
Although new defined benefit plans are rare, many firms must still fund commitments to retirees. Luis M. Viceira looks at the pension landscape and the recent emergence of insurance companies as potential saviors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Dec 2012
- Research & Ideas
Book Excerpt: Harder Than I Thought
Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a Twenty-First Century Leader invites readers to critique the fictional journey of Jim Barton, the new CEO of a west coast aerospace firm. The book was written by business scholars Robert Austin, Richard Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Nov 2007
- Op-Ed
How Marketing Hype Hurt Boeing and Apple
In his latest blog entry, professor John Quelch looks at the examples of Boeing and Apple to investigate why shareholders have little patience for companies that hype high but deliver low. Key concepts include: The penalties for not delivering on marketing promises are fast becoming as significant as not meeting quarterly earnings targets. Do not risk marketing hype unless you are sure of both your supply curve and your demand curve. Hype can hurt stock prices and investor confidence when expectations are not met. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Oct 2007
- Research & Ideas
“Blank” Inside: Branding Ingredients
When Intel launched the Intel Inside campaign in the 1990s, many marketers thought the chip giant was nuts. Who cared about the microprocessor inside their PC? Turns out Intel created a branding sensation and raised awareness of the importance of ingredient branding, says professor John Quelch. Today's best example: The Boeing Dreamliner. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Oct 2005
- Research & Ideas
The Truck Driver Who Reinvented Shipping
Malcolm P. McLean (1914-2001) hit on an idea to dramatically reduce labor and dock servicing time. An excerpt from In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century by Harvard Business School's Anthony J. Mayo and Nitin Nohria. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago
Aggressive cost cutting and rocky leadership changes have eroded the culture at Boeing, a company once admired for its engineering rigor, says Bill George. What will it take to repair the reputational damage wrought by years of crises involving its 737 MAX?