Horrible Boss Workarounds
| Published: | October 27, 2011 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
| Forum: | open for comment; 11 Comments posted |
Bad bosses are generally more inept than evil, and often aren't purposefully bad, says Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter. She discusses common bad-boss behaviors, and how good colleagues can mobilize to overcome the roadblocks.
The Three Foundations of a Great Life, Great Leadership, and a Great Organization
| Author: | Michael C. Jensen |
|---|---|
| Published: | July 28, 2011 |
| Paper Release Date: | May 2011 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
This is the commencement speech that HBS professor Michael Jensen delivered to the 2011 graduates of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Drawing from his own experiences, he discusses the three foundations of a great personal life, great leadership, and a great organization. Those three foundations are integrity, authenticity, and being committed to something bigger than oneself.
Recovering from the Need to Achieve
| Published: | June 27, 2011 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
| Forum: | open for comment; 23 Comments posted |
In his new book, Flying without a Net: Turn Fear of Change into Fuel for Success, HBS professor Thomas J. DeLong explores the world of "high-need-for-achievement professionals" or HNAPs—those for whom the constant, insatiable need to achieve can lead to anxiety and dysfunction. Plus: book excerpt.
Driven by Social Comparisons: How Feedback about Coworkers' Effort Influences Individual Productivity
| Authors: | Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats |
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| Published: | March 16, 2011 |
| Paper Release Date: | February 2011 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats explore how the valence (positive versus negative), type (direct versus indirect), and timing (one-shot versus persistent) of performance feedback affects an employee's job productivity. Specifically, through field experiments at a Japanese bank, they investigate the extent to which job performance is affected when employees learn where they stand relative to their coworkers.
Published in 2009
Firsthand Experience and the Subsequent Role of Reflected Knowledge in Cultivating Trust in Global Collaboration
| Authors: | Mark Mortensen and Tsedal Neeley |
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| Published: | July 29, 2009 |
| Paper Release Date: | May 2009 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
How can workers better collaborate across vast geographical distances? Distributed collaboration—in which employees work with, and meaningfully depend on, distant colleagues on a day-to-day basis—allows firms to leverage their intellectual capital, enhance work unit performance, face ever-changing customer demands more fluidly, and gain competitive advantage in a dynamic marketplace. Research over the last decade, however, has provided mounting evidence that while global collaboration is a necessary strategic choice for an ever-increasing number of organizations, socio-demographic, contextual, and temporal barriers engender many interpersonal challenges for distant coworkers and are likely to adversely affect trust between and among workers across sites. In this paper that examines employee relations at a multinational organization, HBS professor Tsedal Beyene and MIT Sloan School of Management professor Mark Mortensen find that firsthand experience in global collaborations is a crucial means of engendering trust from shared knowledge among coworkers. Their findings reinforce the important role of others' perceptions in our own self-definition, and suggest a means of addressing some of the problems that arise in cross-cultural global collaborations.
Published in 2008
Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency
| Published: | October 8, 2008 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Urgency can be a positive force in companies, says leadership expert and HBS professor emeritus John P. Kotter. His new book, A Sense of Urgency (Harvard Business Press), makes that conviction clear. Our excerpt describes how leaders might skillfully transform a crisis into an organizational motivator for the better.
How Female Stars Succeed in New Jobs
| Q&A with: | Boris Groysberg |
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| Published: | August 4, 2008 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Women who are star performers on Wall Street tend to fare better than men after changing jobs. Why? According to HBS professor Boris Groysberg, star women place greater emphasis than men on external business relationships, and conduct better research on potential employers. Plus: Businesswomen are asked to share career experiences.
Published in 2007
How Much of Leadership Is About Control, Delegation, or Theater?
| Published: | July 10, 2007 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 127 Comments posted |
Forum now closed. Summing up the many responses, Jim Heskett says that the mix of control, delegation, and theater employed by successful leaders depends on timing and circumstances. "The strongest messages I received were that if leadership involves control, it is only over setting an organization's course and priorities."
Initiating Divergent Organizational Change: The Enabling Role of Actors' Social Position
| Author: | Julie Battilana |
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| Published: | March 15, 2007 |
| Paper Release Date: | February 2007 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
Does social position influence the ability to launch groundbreaking organizational projects? This study investigates that question as well as whether workers' social position in their professional field affects their ability to begin such projects. Using data based on more than ninety clinical managers in the United Kingdom's National Health Service, Battilana studied initiatives such as the development of an alternative to hospitalization for older people and another that would shift role division by transferring decision-making power from physicians to nurses. Her results indicate that social position is an important condition at the heart of organizational change.
Published in 2006
Do I Dare Say Something?
| Q&A with: | Amy C. Edmondson |
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| Published: | March 20, 2006 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Are you afraid to speak up at work? The amount of fear in the modern workplace is just one surprising finding from recent research done by HBS professor Amy Edmondson and her colleague, Professor James Detert from Penn State.
When Gender Changes the Negotiation
| Published: | February 13, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Gender is not a good predictor of negotiation performance, but ambiguous situations can trigger different behaviors by men and women. Here is how to neutralize the differences and reduce inequities. From Negotiation.
Published in 2005
Classic Cases Live On at HBS
| Published: | August 15, 2005 |
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| Feature: | HBS Cases |
Harvard Business School is famous for its case method of classroom teaching. Here is a look at some of the classic cases that have been taught to business leaders worldwide—and are still in use today.
Fool vs. Jerk: Whom Would You Hire?
| Published: | July 25, 2005 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
You are the hiring manager with a nasty decision to make. Would you hire the lovable fool or the competent jerk? This Harvard Business Review excerpt suggests that the decision is complicated. By HBS professor Tiziana Casciaro and Duke University’s Miguel Sousa Lobo.
How Can Business Schools Be Made More Relevant?
| Published: | July 4, 2005 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 42 Comments posted |
Are business schools overemphasizing research at the expense of practical experience in the classroom? Are they preparing graduates in useful ways for careers in management?
Creating a Positive Professional Image
| Q&A with: | Laura Morgan Roberts |
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| Published: | June 20, 2005 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
In today’s diverse workplace, your actions and motives are constantly under scrutiny. Time to manage your own professional image before others do it for you. An interview with professor Laura Morgan Roberts.
Published in 2004
How Team Leaders Show Support–or Not
| Q&A with: | Teresa M. Amabile |
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| Published: | May 31, 2004 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
What does a team leader do so that employees know they are being supported? A Q&A with HBS professor and creativity expert Teresa Amabile about new research.
Six Ways to Build Trust in Negotiations
| Published: | April 5, 2004 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
All negotiations involve risk. That’s why establishing trust at the bargaining table is crucial. Professor Deepak Malhotra presents strategies to build trustworthiness. From Negotiation.
Published in 2003
A Fast Start on Your New Job
| Q&A with: | Michael Watkins |
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| Published: | November 10, 2003 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Your first ninety days in a new position are fraught with peril—and loaded with opportunity. HBS professor Michael Watkins explains how to get a running start. A Q&A and book excerpt.
Negotiating Challenges for Women Leaders
| Q&A with: | Kathleen L. McGinn |
|---|---|
| Published: | October 13, 2003 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
When negotiating compensation, women often sell themselves short. Some practical advice on claiming the power to lead in this interview with HBS professor Kathleen L. McGinn and Harvard's Hannah Riley Bowles.
How New Managers Become Great Managers
| Published: | August 18, 2003 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Newly minted managers must commit themselves to lifelong self-improvement. Read an excerpt from HBS professor Linda A. Hill’s update of her classic, Becoming a Manager.
