What Do YOU Think?
“What Do YOU Think?” is an ongoing dialogue between Harvard Business School professor Jim Heskett and the readers of HBS Working Knowledge. Each month, Professor Heskett offers his thoughts on specific events and activities in the world of business and their impact on the way managers manage. “What Do YOU Think” invites readers to respond, and selections from these responses are made available online.
James L. Heskett is a Baker Foundation Professor, emeritus at the Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University. He completed his Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, and has been a member of the faculty of The Ohio State University as well as President of Logistics Systems, Inc.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Limited Brands. He has served as a consultant to companies in North America, Latin America, and Europe.
Professor Heskett is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Business Logistics and the International Journal of Service Industry Management. He was the 1974 recipient of the John Drury Sheahan Award of the Council of Logistics Management, the 1992 Marketing Educator of the Year Award of Sales and Marketing Executives International, the American Marketing Association 2010 Award for Career Contributions to the Services Discipline, and coauthor most recently of the books, The Value Profit Chain and The Ownership Quotient. His latest book,The Culture Cycle, will be published in September, 2011.
Is Support for Small Business Misplaced?
| Published: | February 1, 2012 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | open for comment; 24 Comments posted |
Forum Open Is support for small business overhyped as a panacea for our economic troubles? Recent research suggests the advantages of bigness when it comes to employment and economic development. If so, asks Professor Jim Heskett, what does this mean for government policy?
Income Inequality: What's the Right Amount?
| Published: | January 4, 2012 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 67 Comments posted |
Summing Up Comments were large in number and broad of opinion reflecting on Professor Jim Heskett's question, Does income inequality promote or stunt economic growth? Is there a "right" right amount of income disparity?
Published in 2011
Thinking Slow: An Argument for Bureaucracy?
| Published: | December 1, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | open for comment; 25 Comments posted |
Summing Up Readers of Jim Heskett's column this month offer guidelines for when to think fast and when to think slow, from author Daniel Kahneman's book, Thinking, Fast and Slow.
The Ultimate Question in Management
| Published: | November 3, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 57 Comments posted |
Summing Up: Many of Jim Heskett's readers this month offered suggestions for the ultimate question in management. What's yours?
How Will the 'Moneyball Generation' Influence Management?
| Published: | October 6, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 10 Comments posted |
Sum-up Nontraditional performance measures, as highlighted in the movie 'Moneyball', will become an increasingly important part of the young manager's toolkit, Jim Heskett's readers say.
What's Apple's Biggest Challenge: Replacing Steve or Wall Street?
| Published: | September 8, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 17 Comments posted |
Summing Up: Steve Jobs' influence on Apple is pervasive--maybe too much so. Jim Heskett's readers think Apple faces an almost impossible task in replacing the visionary founder.
How Dangerous Is Common Sense to Managers?
| Published: | August 4, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 65 Comments posted |
Forum Closed Summing Up: Is experience really the best teacher? Sure—when not much is on the line, according to readers commenting on Professor Jim Heskett's column on common sense.
So We Adapt. What's the Downside?
| Published: | July 7, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 28 Comments posted |
Summing Up Jim Heskett's readers ponder the question of whether the virtues of adaptability in a chaotic world undermine an organization's ability to commit.
Is it Time for a National Bankruptcy?
| Published: | June 2, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 47 Comments posted |
Summing Up Is a national bankruptcy a tragedy or a needed lesson in fiscal reform? Jim Heskett's readers ponder the implications of a country going insolvent.
How Ethical Can We Be?
| Published: | May 5, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 38 Comments posted |
Summing Up Managers like to think they act ethically, but at the end of the day ethical action is subjective, readers tell Jim Heskett. Reaction to the new book Blind Spots.
When Should the Public Sector Take Over in a Meltdown?
| Published: | April 7, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 39 Comments posted |
Summing Up Jim Heskett's readers have wildly differing opinions as to what extent governments should step in to remedy public sector "meltdowns."
To What Degree Does the Job Make the Person?
| Published: | March 10, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 41 Comments posted |
Summing Up: Jobs shape us as much as we shape our jobs, Jim Heskett's readers suggest.
Are We Going "Back to the Future" In Researching Management?
| Published: | February 3, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 104 Comments posted |
Summing Up Jim Heskett's readers wonder whether the best business management ideas over the next decade will be for cleaning up the messes from the previous one. (Online forum has closed; next forum opens March 10)
How Should Management Deal With "Anonymous"?
| Published: | January 6, 2011 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 33 Comments posted |
Summing Up When it comes to the leaky Web, Jim Heskett's readers say assume the worst and act accordingly. (New forum on February 3.)
Published in 2010
Making Right Choices: Art or Science?
| Published: | December 2, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 46 Comments posted |
Summing Up Is choice an art or science? Jim Heskett's readers wonder whether the question is the right one to ask. (Online forum has closed; next forum opens January 6.)
Why Do We Chase Stars?
| Published: | November 4, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 46 Comments posted |
Summing Up: Is it wise for companies to recruit "star" performers? Discussing the book "Chasing Stars", Jim Heskett's readers support the idea that talent is portable between employers and that women are better at it than men. (Next Forum opens December 2)
Will Transparency in CEO Compensation Have Unintended Consequences?
| Published: | October 8, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 55 Comments posted |
Summing Up: The Dodd-Frank legislation requiring companies to compare CEO compensation with rank-and-file pay will have little or no impact on executive compensation levels, say Jim Heskett's readers. (Online forum has closed; next forum opens November 4.)
How Transparent Should Boards Be?
| Published: | September 2, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 50 Comments posted |
Summing Up: When should boards fire CEOs? How transparent should boards be? Jim Heskett's readers are divided as they look at the HP/Mark Hurd case. What do you think? (Online forum has closed; next forum opens October 8.)
What Is Customer Opinion Good For?
| Published: | August 5, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 73 Comments posted |
Summing Up: Are customer wishes irrelevant when creating a new product? Jim Heskett's readers say it depends on the product, on market goals, and where you are in the development cycle. (Online forum has closed; next forum opens September 2.)
Is Profit as a "Direct Goal" Overrated?
| Published: | July 2, 2010 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 84 Comments posted |
Summing Up: The word profit provoked a wide range of issues and emotions among respondents, says Jim Heskett. It also launched debates, and many readers argued for measures of success other than profit. (Online forum has closed; next forum opens August 5.)
