Working Knowledge

Business Research for Business Leaders

COVID-19 Business Impact Center

How Four Women Made Miami More Equitable for StartupsHow Four Women Made Miami More Equitable for Startups   

A case study by Rosabeth Moss Kanter examines what it takes to break gender barriers and build thriving businesses in an emerging startup hub. 
06 May 2021  |  HBS Case

Leadership 

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

by Danielle Kost
  • 20 APR 2021
  • | 
  • Book
Will that big idea create value? In Better, Simpler Strategy, Felix Oberholzer-Gee shows how even the most innovative companies adhere to one basic principle.

How to Learn from the Big Mistake You Almost Make

by Kristen Senz
  • 22 MAR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
A brush with disaster can lead to important innovations, but only if employees have the psychological safety to reflect on these close calls, says research by Amy C. Edmondson, Olivia Jung, and colleagues.

Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness

by Boris Groysberg and Susan Seligson
  • 01 NOV 2020
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
The pandemic has challenged managers as never before, but one powerful leadership strategy is being overlooked, say Boris Groysberg and Susan Seligson: Be kind.

6 Ways to Support COVID-Weary Employees

by Dina Gerdeman
  • 13 AUG 2020
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Ashley Whillans and colleagues offer managers solutions to ease the stress many employees are experiencing in the new workplace.

Entrepreneurship 

IPO or M&A? How Venture Capital Shapes a Startup's Future

by Rachel Layne
  • 27 APR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
To a cash-strapped founder, any funding seems like a win, but research by Rory McDonald and colleagues shows that much more is at stake when it comes to venture capital.

Recessions Push Some Entrepreneurs to Launch Too Soon

by Sean Silverthorne
  • 22 SEP 2020
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Research by Maria Roche looks at how past economic downturns forced job-insecure, high-tech entrepreneurs to rush their ventures to market. Will COVID-19 do the same?

Steer Clear of the Blind Spots That Derail Experiments

by Danielle Kost
  • 25 MAR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Companies are testing everything from website features to compensation strategies, but five common mistakes can undermine their efforts, says Michael Luca.

Is A/B Testing Effective? Evidence from 35,000 Startups

by Kristen Senz
  • 11 JAN 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
A/B tests help startup founders capitalize on good ideas—and move on from duds—faster, says research from Rembrand Koning. How can established companies benefit?

COVID-19 

The Pandemic Conversations That Leaders Need to Have Now

by Boris Groysberg, Robin Abrahams, and Katherine Connolly Baden
  • 21 APR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
It's time for leaders to rebuild the bonds that COVID-19 has shaken. First step: Start talking. Boris Groysberg and colleagues share advice for making these conversations meaningful.

The High Cost of the Slow COVID Vaccine Rollout

by Michael Blanding
  • 14 APR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Aggressive investment in COVID-19 vaccine production earlier on could have saved lives and prevented $700 billion in global economic losses, says research by Scott Duke Kominers and colleagues.

How Teams Work: Lessons from the Pandemic

by Kristen Senz
  • 07 APR 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
How will COVID-19 change collaboration? Leslie Perlow and Ashley Whillans explore the tactics that helped and hindered newly remote teams in 2020.

Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running, and Cognitive Restructuring

by Gamze D. Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg
  • 17 FEB 2021
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Boris Groysberg and colleagues look at the tactics and techniques that business leaders are leaning on to manage stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Popular 

How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence

by Dina Gerdeman
  • 25 FEB 2019
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
Researchers believe gender stereotypes hold women back in the workplace. Katherine Coffman's research adds a new twist: They can even cause women to question their own abilities.

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

by Dina Gerdeman
  • 08 MAR 2021
  • | 
  • In Practice
When the pandemic recedes, executives can’t expect office life to be as it was. But they can create a new work world that will keep employees happy and productive, say Harvard Business School faculty members.

Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Resumes Get More Interviews

by Dina Gerdeman
  • 17 MAY 2017
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
African American and Asian job applicants who mask their race on resumes seem to have better success getting job interviews, according to research by Katherine DeCelles and colleagues.

How Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy Attracted Their First 1,000 Customers

by Michael Blanding
  • 13 JUL 2016
  • | 
  • HBS Case
Thales Teixeira studies three of the most successful “platform” startups to understand the chicken-and-egg challenge of how companies can attract their first customers.

New Working Papers 

Scholarly papers that describe original research in a narrow field of study.

Accounting for Product Impact in the Telecommunications Industry

by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh
  • 04 MAY 2021

The Emergence of Mafia-like Business Systems in China

by Meg Rithmire and Hao Chen
  • 20 APR 2021

Cognitive Biases: Mistakes or Missing Stakes?

by Benjamin Enke, Uri Gneezy, Brian Hall, David Martin, Vadim Nelidov, Theo Offerman, and Jeroen van de Ven
  • 20 APR 2021

Deregulation, Market Power, and Prices: Evidence from the Electricity Sector

by Alexander MacKay and Ignacia Mercadal
  • 13 APR 2021

Books 

Articles about recent books written by Harvard Business School faculty.

Succeeding in the New Work-from-Anywhere World

by Michael Blanding
  • 23 MAR 2021

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Interested in improving your business? Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Business School faculty.