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New research on competency and skills from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including global talent flows, talent development, and motivation.
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The COVID-19 Mutiny: When Teams Leave and Take Their Clients

by Robin Abrahams, Boris Groysberg, and Steven L. Manchel

Remote work and pandemic turbulence have made it easier to poach star teams. Boris Groysberg and colleagues offer advice for companies trying to retain or recruit high performers, and for professionals considering a move. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Why America Needs a Better Bridge Between School and Career

by Joseph B. Fuller and Rachel Lipson

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, America faces a critical opportunity to close gaps that leave many workers behind, say Joseph Fuller and Rachel Lipson. What will it take? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Launching a Career in the COVID Economy? Here Are 5 Tips.

by Carolyn DiPaolo

The pandemic roiled education and the economy, but it doesn't have to derail a new graduate's career. In The Unspoken Rules, Gorick Ng offers advice to help job seekers find the right path. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Reversing Brain Drain: Moving Talent to Middle America

After decades of brain drain in rural America, Tulsa Remote is working to attract a diverse group of remote workers to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The program offers a $10,000 grant to remote workers and entrepreneurs living outside Oklahoma, who relocate to the state’s second largest city for one year, with the goal that they stay longer and truly engage in the community. Professor Prithwiraj “Raj” Choudhury discusses how the Tulsa Remote model provides workers the flexibility to move out of congested cities and explores the challenges in scaling this model throughout rural America and beyond, in his case, “Tulsa Remote: Moving Talent to Middle America.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Economic Jitters Push Pandemic Job Seekers to Big Companies, Not Startups

by Rachel Layne

Small companies are receiving fewer applications, particularly from experienced professionals, according to research by Shai Bernstein and colleagues. How can startups overcome pandemic fears and compete for talent? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Why Companies Hunt for Talent on Digital Platforms, Not in Resume Piles

by Michael Blanding

Rather than sit back and wait for applicants to send resumes, companies are proactively targeting prospective employees on digital platforms and social media, often with a recruiter's help, says research by Rembrand Koning. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

How Can We Get Companies to Invest More in Low-Wage Workers?

by James Heskett

Does income inequality hold back economic growth? James Heskett ponders what underlying factors keep low-wage workers down. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Who Will Give You the Best Professional Guidance?

by Julia B. Austin

Even the most powerful leaders need support and guidance occasionally. Julia Austin offers advice own how and where to find the right type of mentor. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Immigration Policies Threaten American Competitiveness

by William R. Kerr

At this time of crisis, America risks signaling to global innovators and entrepreneurs that they have no future here, says William R. Kerr. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Where Do Workers Go When the Robots Arrive?

by Rachel Layne

Marco Tabellini and colleagues investigate where workers go after losing their jobs to automation and Chinese imports. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Gift of Global Talent: Innovation Policy and the Economy

by William R. Kerr

High-skilled workers in today’s knowledge-based economy are arguably the most important resource to the success of businesses, regions, and industries. This chapter pulls from Kerr’s book The Gift of Global Talent to examine the migration dynamics of high-skilled individuals. He argues that improving our knowledge of high-skilled migration can lead to better policy decisions.

Do Experts Listen to Other Experts? Field Experimental Evidence from Scientific Peer Review

by Misha Teplitskiy, Hardeep Ranu, Gary Gray, Michael Menietti, Eva Guinan, and Karim R. Lakhani

Influence is a fundamental aspect of collective decisions. It is thus crucial to consider not only the composition of evaluation panels but also their deliberation process. This study illuminates drivers of influence among an elite population of experts and contributes to our understanding of resource allocation in science and other expert domains.

Learning or Playing? The Effect of Gamified Training on Performance

by Ryan W. Buell, Wei Cai, and Tatiana Sandino

Games-based training is widely used to engage and motivate employees to learn, but research about its effectiveness has been scant. This study at a large professional services firm adopting a gamified training platform showed the training helps performance when employees are already highly engaged, and harms performance when they’re not.

Stuck in Commuter Hell? You Can Still Be Productive

by Dina Gerdeman

Commuters who listen to music or browse social media might be increasing their chance of a stressful workday. Research by Francesca Gino and colleagues offers better ways to cope with a bad commute. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Forget Cash. Here Are Better Ways to Motivate Employees

by Dina Gerdeman

In today's tight job market, employers must focus on how to attract and keep top talent. Giving away stacks of money may not always be the best incentive, warns Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

'Always On' Isn't Always Best for Team Decision-Making

by Roberta Holland

Is it possible for teams to communicate too frequently? Research by Ethan Bernstein and colleagues suggests that groups that meet less often may be better at problem-solving. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Learning to Become a Taste Expert

by Kathryn A. Latour and John A. Deighton

How should we learn to discriminate a fine wine or chocolate? Tradition says use a flavor wheel and map the taste into vocabulary. We find that works for novices, but, beyond a point, it is counterproductive. Enthusiasts perform more like experts when they abandon language and just “draw the shape” of the taste.

Is Overconfidence a Motivated Bias? Experimental Evidence

by Jennifer M. Logg, Uriel Haran, and Don A. Moore

People are most at risk of making overly positive self-assessments when their assessment criteria are not clearly defined. Yet, even within ambiguous domains, providing clearly defined criteria for what makes a productive employee, an effective leader, and an efficient team, may help people better calibrate their self-perceptions with reality.

Executive Education in the Digital Vortex: The Disruption of the Supply Landscape

by Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas

The competitive landscape of executive education is feeling a tectonic shift even as demand grows for managerial skills. This study maps and analyzes the major providers of executive education programs, including business schools, consultancies, and corporate universities, to better understand and explain the industry’s present and future dynamics.

Personality Traits of Entrepreneurs: A Review of Recent Literature

by Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr, and Tina Xu

This paper brings together recent findings in the academic literature on the prevalence of various personality traits among entrepreneurs and their impact on venture performance. It focuses on three themes: (1) personality traits of entrepreneurs and how they compare to other groups; (2) attitudes towards risk that entrepreneurs display; and (3) overall goals and aspirations that entrepreneurs bring to their pursuits.