Decision Making
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- 10 Oct 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Scaling Two Businesses Against the Odds: Wendy Estrella’s Founder’s Journey
Entrepreneur Wendy Estrella is attempting to simultaneously scale her law practice, as well as her property management and development company. What strategy will benefit both businesses, and is there a downside to scaling them together, rather than focusing on each one separately? Harvard Business School senior lecturer Jeffrey Bussgang and Estrella discuss her unique founder’s journey – from immigrating to the U.S. to building both of her businesses in Lawrence, Massachusetts despite the specific challenges she faced as a minority entrepreneur. The related case is “Wendy Estrella: Scaling Multiple Businesses.”
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- 10 Oct 2023
- Research & Ideas
In Empowering Black Voters, Did a Landmark Law Stir White Angst?
The Voting Rights Act dramatically increased Black participation in US elections—until worried white Americans mobilized in response. Research by Marco Tabellini illustrates the power of a political backlash.

- 12 Sep 2023
- Research & Ideas
How Can Financial Advisors Thrive in Shifting Markets? Diversify, Diversify, Diversify
Financial planners must find new ways to market to tech-savvy millennials and gen Z investors or risk irrelevancy. Research by Marco Di Maggio probes the generational challenges that advisory firms face as baby boomers retire. What will it take to compete in a fintech and crypto world?

- 15 Aug 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Ryan Serhant: How to Manage Your Time for Happiness
Real estate entrepreneur, television star, husband, and father Ryan Serhant is incredibly busy and successful. He starts his days at 4:00 am and often doesn’t end them until 11:00 pm. But, it wasn’t always like that. In 2020, just a few months after the US began to shut down in order to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Serhant had time to reflect on his career as a real estate broker in New York City, wondering if the period of selling real estate at record highs was over. He considered whether he should stay at his current real estate brokerage or launch his own brokerage during a pandemic? Each option had very different implications for his time and flexibility. Professor Ashley Whillans and her co-author Hawken Lord (MBA 2023) discuss Serhant’s time management techniques and consider the lessons we can all learn about making time our most valuable commodity in the case, “Ryan Serhant: Time Management for Repeatable Success.”

- 20 Jun 2023
- Research & Ideas
Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don't Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories
That killer fever chart in your slide deck might not be as impressive as you think. In fact, your audience might soon forget that critical data point. If you want them to remember your message, research by Thomas Graeber suggests that nothing sticks to the mind like a good story.

- 23 May 2023
- Research & Ideas
Face Value: Do Certain Physical Features Help People Get Ahead?
Society seems to reward people with particular facial features. Research by Shunyuan Zhang and colleagues uses machine learning to analyze traits that people associate with charisma. The findings highlight opportunities to enhance one's image—and challenge bias.

- 28 Feb 2023
- Research & Ideas
Can Apprenticeships Work in the US? Employers Seeking New Talent Pipelines Take Note
What if the conventional college-and-internship route doesn't give future employees the skills they need to build tomorrow's companies? Research by Joseph Fuller and colleagues illustrates the advantages that apprenticeships can provide to employees and young talent.

- 19 Jan 2023
- Research & Ideas
What Makes Employees Trust (vs. Second-Guess) AI?
While executives are quick to adopt artificial intelligence, front-line employees might be less willing to take orders from an algorithm. Research by the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard sheds light on what it takes for people to get comfortable with machine learning.

- 29 Sep 2022
- Op-Ed
Inclusive Leadership Advice: Get Comfortable With the Uncomfortable
People tend to seek sameness, but they can teach themselves to relish in the differences of the human experience. Francesca Gino offers these three principles from improv to anyone who's trying to lead more inclusively.

- 23 Sep 2022
- Research & Ideas
8 Strategies to Sustain Business Innovation
It's a harsh reality: The majority of new business ventures fail. In the book Productive Tensions, Rory McDonald and his coauthor say the key to survival is figuring out how to pivot during the innovation process.

- 12 Sep 2022
- Research & Ideas
When Experts Play It Too Safe: Innovation Lessons from a NASA Experiment
A study of an international robotics competition reveals how experts prioritize easy-to-execute inventions over moonshot ideas. Are companies missing out on potential breakthroughs? Research by Jacqueline Lane and Karim Lakhani.

- 22 Jun 2022
- Book
Four Elements for Finding the Right Career Path
Facing a major decision? Before you start ruminating about facts and figures, consider tapping into your "full self." In his book The Four Elements: Finding Right Livelihood in the 21st Century, Timothy Butler offers a framework for navigating life transitions.

- 27 Apr 2022
- Book
Empower Your Employees to Make Better Decisions
The impact of wise decisions can ripple out in an organization. In the book Decision Leadership, Max Bazerman and Don Moore explore how the choices of influential leaders, such as athlete Colin Kaepernick and Humu's Jessica Wisdom, motivate others to do better.

- 26 Apr 2022
- Book
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.

- 12 Apr 2022
- Research & Ideas
Swiping Right: How Data Helped This Online Dating Site Make More Matches
Machine learning might have the answer to an age-old dating conundrum: Who makes the first move? Research by Edward McFowland probes how data can spur more digital interactions, with potentially wide-reaching implications. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 31 Mar 2022
- Op-Ed
Navigating the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ in Professional Services
Not all companies need to scale. Ashish Nanda explores a crucial choice that leaders of professional services firms face as their organizations grow. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 19 Jan 2022
- In Practice
7 Trends to Watch in 2022
Surging COVID-19 cases may have dampened optimism at the start of 2022, but change could be on the horizon. Harvard Business School faculty members share the trends they're watching this year. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 15 Sep 2021
- Research & Ideas
Don't Bring Me Down: Probing Why People Tune Out Bad News
People often go out of their way to avoid unpleasant information, but not always for the reasons you might expect. Research by Christine Exley and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 08 Jun 2021
- Research & Ideas
Tell Me What to Do: When Bad News Is a Big Relief
Why would anyone hope for the worst? Research by Serena Hagerty and colleague sheds light on just how far people will go to dodge a tough decision. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
When Glasses Land the Gig: Employers Still Choose Workers Who 'Look the Part'
Is an eyeglass-wearer more likely to be a strong web developer? Employers that use online talent platforms tend to consider profile photos in final hiring decisions, says research by Isamar Troncoso. What's the role of recruiting platforms in preventing bias?