Gulati, Ranjay →

What Does Your Business Stand For? Why Building Trust Starts with Purpose

Trust is fragile and must be nurtured. By tapping into their purpose, leaders can help their organizations embody the values and principles they espouse, says Ranjay Gulati in his book Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround

Etsy, the online seller of handmade goods, was founded in 2005 as an alternative to companies that sold mass-manufactured products. The company grew substantially, but remained unprofitable under the leadership of two early CEOs. Ten years later, Etsy went public and was forced into a new arena, where it was beholden to stakeholders who demanded financial success and accountability. Unable to contain costs, the company was almost bought out by private equity firms in 2017—until CEO Josh Silverman arrived with a mission to save the company financially and, in the process, save its soul. Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati discusses the purpose-driven turnaround Silverman and his team led at Etsy—to make the company profitable and improve its social and environmental impact—in the case, “Etsy: Crafting a Turnaround to Save the Business and Its Soul.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Navigating Tradeoffs: How Purpose Becomes a Company's ‘Lighthouse in the Storm’

Leaders wrestle with tough decisions every day. Focusing on a company's higher purpose can help them make better choices, says Ranjay Gulati in this excerpt from his book Deep Purpose. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

When Employees Feel a Sense of Purpose, Companies Succeed

Corporate cultures tend to encourage conformity. At a time when employees expect more from their jobs, companies should make space for individuality, Ranjay Gulati argues in this excerpt from his book, Deep Purpose. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Can Our Parenting Struggles Make Us Better Leaders?

Like parents, leaders must know when to impose control and when to step back. Ranjay Gulati reflects on the benefits of authoritative leadership, and what it takes to achieve it. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Team Success Starts with the Individual—and with Love

Many leaders see teams as collective units, but helping individual members reach their potential—personally and professionally—can open new opportunities. Ranjay Gulati looks at the philosophy of famed football coach Pete Carroll. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

How the FBI Reinvented Itself After 9/11

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the FBI was ordered to reorganize itself from a law enforcement agency to a national security organization. The transformation and the lessons it imparts are documented in a study by Ranjay Gulati, Ryan L. Raffaelli, and Jan W. Rivkin. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

‘Does 'What We Do' Make Us 'Who We Are'? Organizational Design and Identity Change at the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Both the design and identity of the FBI changed greatly in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This study tracing the co-evolution of the Bureau’s organizational design and identity before the 9/11 attacks and through three subsequent phases finds that successful changes to organizational identity are likely to be delayed after a radical external shock: Management is likely to be constrained, appropriate design is probably unclear, or both.