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 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 currently teaching the MBA course on The Entrepreneurial Manager and in several short executive programs of the school.
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 and the 1992 Marketing Educator of the Year Award of Sales and Marketing Executives International.
What Does Slower Economic Growth Really Mean?
| Published: | June 5, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 44 Comments posted |
Respondents to this month's column by HBS professor Jim Heskett came close to general agreement on the proposition that economic growth is not measured properly by GDP, calling for new indicators. Jim sums up. (Online forum now closed. Next forum begins July 6.)
Do Innovation and Entrepreneurship Have to Be Incompatible with Organization Size?
| Published: | May 1, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 81 Comments posted |
Like a good case study, this month's question divided respondents nearly down the middle, says professor Jim Heskett. Can managers lead both a large, established organization and encourage intrapreneurial effort inside it? Readers weighed in. (Online forum now closed. Next forum begins June 5.)
How Much Obsolescence Can Business and Society Absorb?
| Published: | April 3, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 41 Comments posted |
This month's question brought out both the poets and the engineers among respondents. The rapid pace of new technology adoption within organizations implies change for management and society, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. How does change affect the open sharing of information? (Forum now closed; next forum begins May 1.)
How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be?
| Published: | March 5, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 119 Comments posted |
HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up comments to this month's column. Given the possibility that a naturally pessimistic (or perhaps more realistic) CEO might adversely affect everything from market reactions to employee morale, HBS Working Knowledge readers' comments are full of advice for honesty, candor, and an optimistic bias.
Why Can't We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?
| Published: | February 5, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 88 Comments posted |
Managers discuss their own experience in organizations in response to February's column. All good leaders teach as well as learn, says Jim Heskett. Is it possible with any degree of confidence to select people for certain leadership jobs? (Forum now closed. Next forum begins March 5.)
Is the World Really Flat?
| Published: | January 7, 2009 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 41 Comments posted |
A provocative new book, The Venturesome Economy, argues that the world isn't flat at all, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. But in supporting innovation, does flatness even matter? Readers around the world weighed in with a constellation of viewpoints. (Online forum now closed; next forum begins February 5.)
Published in 2008
Can Housing and Credit be "Nudged" Back to Health?
| Published: | December 3, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 38 Comments posted |
Did human frailty cause this crisis? Several thinkers have come forward with a suggestion for improvements to fiscal policy that are based on fostering better decisions while preserving consumer choice, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. What should be done? What do you think? (Online forum now closed. Next forum begins January 7.)
How Much Can You Ask of Your Customers?
| Published: | November 10, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 28 Comments posted |
Think of IKEA and eBay. Some popular companies make it easy for customers to become "volunteers" in the organization's success, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. Is there a downside? Or will customer-fueled strategies provide competitive advantage in the future? Online forum now closed.
Workout vs. Bailout: Should Government Take Advantage of the Buffett Effect?
| Published: | October 2, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 50 Comments posted |
The depth of the global financial crisis is becoming clearer day by day, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. Respondents to this month's column offered creative solutions, and by and large resisted the temptation to venture into the realm of ideology. (Online forum now closed.)
Is Case Method Instruction Due for an Overhaul?
| Published: | September 5, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 111 Comments posted |
Online forum now closed. The case method of teaching business management has come under criticism on a number of fronts as educators rethink how to incorporate new teaching tools and methods made available by technology. Responses to Professor Jim Heskett's recent column, however, suggest that the case method might even be gaining relevance over time.
Has the Time Come for "Stretch" in Management?
| Published: | August 1, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 68 Comments posted |
Summing Up HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up comments from his readers on the topic of stretch goals. Does stretch still make sense as an organizing principle? What, if anything, should be done to ensure that stretch is allowed to flourish in companies today? What do you think?
Are Followers About to Get Their Due?
| Published: | July 3, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 77 Comments posted |
Online forum now closed. Leadership may be much-discussed, but followership merits equal attention, suggests HBS professor Jim Heskett. As a follower, what advice would you give other followers who want to have an impact on their jobs and organizations? As a leader, what do you do to foster good followership?
Why Don't Managers Think Deeply?
| Published: | June 6, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 136 Comments posted |
Online forum closed. Summing Up. According to Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman, nearly all research techniques commonly used today probe humans only at their conscious level, though it is the subconscious level that really determines behavior.
What is the Future of State Capitalism?
| Published: | May 2, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 43 Comments posted |
In state capitalism, is the operative word "capitalism"? State capitalism is neither to be applauded nor feared, judging from the tone of responses to May's column. Jim Heskett sums up. Online forum now closed.
Who Owns Intellectual Property?
| Published: | April 4, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 40 Comments posted |
Online forum now closed. Is intellectual property becoming community property? While the impact of change on the valuation of IP is of concern to some respondents, others wonder whether the issues are overblown. HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up responses to this month's column.
Where Will Management Innovation Take Us?
| Published: | March 5, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 60 Comments posted |
Management could change a lot in the coming years, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. A few reasons: continued development of the Internet and the transparency and communities it has spawned, and new attitudes toward work. But will innovation in management mostly be confined to entrepreneurs? What do you think? Online forum now closed.
How Sustainable Is Sustainability in a For-Profit Organization?
| Published: | February 1, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 77 Comments posted |
Online forum now closed. For managers, sustainability can mean the integration and intersection of social, environmental, and economic responsibilities. The concept is admirable, says Jim Heskett, but does it also confuse managers entrusted with the bottom line? How should they make trade-offs? Jim sums up reader responses.
Does Judgment Trump Experience?
| Published: | January 3, 2008 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 111 Comments posted |
It's a question as relevant for business as for the U.S. presidential campaign, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. If "judgment capability" is a function of experience, what kind of experience is important? Does plenty of experience really improve judgment? Online forum now CLOSED.
Published in 2007
What Is Management's Role in Innovation?
| Published: | November 30, 2007 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 93 Comments posted |
Online forum closed. It's an open question whether management, as it is currently practiced, contributes much to creativity and innovation, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. What changes will allow managers, particularly in larger organizations, to add value to the creative process? What do you think?
Why Is Succession So Badly Managed?
| Published: | November 5, 2007 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 77 Comments posted |
Online forum now closed. CEO and other leadership talent may be best developed within a firm rather than imported, says Jim Heskett. If such people—insiders with an outsider's perspective—provide answers to the need for such things as continuity, intimate knowledge of the organization, and a fresh look at the business, why don't we see more of them?
