All Articles About William A. Sahlman

Management and the Financial Crisis (We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us …)

Author:	William A. Sahlman
Published:	November 19, 2009
Paper Release Date:	October 2009
Feature:	Working Papers

We have spent the past year mired in a global financial crisis that few saw coming and that will plague us for years to come. Such crises are gut-wrenching. Collectively and individually, we search for causes and solutions. Too often, we look for quick fixes that do long‐term damage, or we put the equivalent of duct tape on obvious problems, missing the true root causes. HBS professor William A. Sahlman argues that the macroeconomic problems were the result of terrible microeconomic decisions. The root cause of bad decision‐making resides in the nexus of culture, incentives, control and measurement, accounting, and human capital. We now have a unique opportunity to force a review of all the players in the financial system, from individual consumers to politicians and regulators to management teams at financial services firms.

Updating a Classic: Writing a Great Business Plan

Q&A with:	William A. Sahlman
Published:	October 6, 2008
Feature:	Research & Ideas

Harvard Business School professor William A. Sahlman's article on how to write a great business plan is a Harvard Business Review classic, and has just been reissued in book form. We asked Sahlman what he would change if he wrote the article, now a decade old, today.

Venture Capital

Published:	April 29, 2008
Feature:	HBS Centennial Colloquia Reports

Professor Josh Lerner provides a summary report on the recently held HBS Centennial colloquium on venture capital.

VCs Survey Post-Bubble Opportunities

Published:	December 5, 2005
Feature:	Research & Ideas

At the annual Cyberposium conference held at Harvard Business School, venture capitalists pondered what makes for winners and losers in the new VC landscape.

The VC Quandary: Too Much Money

Published:	February 21, 2005
Feature:	Research & Ideas

The VC money "overhang" continues as investors compete to get into a small number of deals each year. How do smart venture firms approach the challenge? A report from the 11th Annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference.

Why Expensing Options Doesn't Solve the Problem

Published:	January 6, 2003
Feature:	Research & Ideas

Stock options for executives have certainly been abused, but reforms requiring companies to expense option grants on their financial statements don't solve the fundamental problems, argues Harvard Business School professor William A. Sahlman.

Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur? [Part II]

Published:	March 26, 2001
Feature:	Research & Ideas

People are buzzing about two classes at HBS that showcase the School's new approach to teaching management. Hear from the instructors who lead them and alumni who took the plunge. John S. Rosenberg takes you there in this article from Harvard Magazine. Part two.

Want to Be an Entrepreneur? [Part I]

Published:	March 19, 2001
Feature:	Research & Ideas

Visit two classes that showcase HBS's new approach to teaching management, and hear from alumni who took the plunge. John S. Rosenberg sorts it all out in this article from Harvard Magazine. Part one of a two-part series.

The Entrepreneurial Venture: A Conversation

Q&A with:	William A. Sahlman
Published:	October 30, 2000
Feature:	Research & Ideas

Twenty-five years after graduation, four members of the HBS Class of '75 reflect on the enterprising spirit that has characterized both their generation and their own careers.

Market Makers Bid for Success

Published:	May 30, 2000
Feature:	Research & Ideas

Two CEOs at the forefront of the transformation in the way businesses buy and sell goods—Scott Randall of FairMarket (HBS MBA '87) and Glen Meakem of FreeMarkets (HBS MBA '91—spoke with Professor Bill Sahlman recently about their paths to new business models and what they've learned along the way.