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    Cold Call
    A podcast featuring faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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    • 03 Dec 2019
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Why CalSTRS Chooses to Engage with the Gun Industry

    Should large institutional investors divest or engage if they have an issue with a company? In a recent case study, Vikram Gandhi discusses how CalSTRS, the $200 billion pension plan for California public school teachers, chose to engage with gun makers and retailers.  Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

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    Human ResourcesRemove Human Resources →

    New research on human resources from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including organizational design, compensation, incentive plans, hiring practices, and recruitment.
    Page 1 of 186 Results →
    • 13 Nov 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Gender Gap in Self-Promotion

    by Christine L. Exley and Judd B. Kessler

    Many organizations and job applications require individuals to assess their own ability and performance. When women communicate to potential employers, however, they systematically give less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability than equally performing men. The study rules out potential explanations for the gap and discusses implications.

    • 01 Nov 2019
    • What Do You Think?

    Should Non-Compete Clauses Be Abolished?

    by James Heskett

    SUMMING UP: Non-compete clauses need to be rewritten, especially when they are applied to lower-income workers, respond James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 25 Sep 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    The Economic Cost of Physician Burnout

    by Michael Blanding

    Doctor burnout takes a toll on physicians and patient care, but there is another cost to be accounted for, says Joel Goh. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 25 Sep 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Corporate Purpose and Firm Ownership

    by Claudine Gartenberg and George Serafeim

    This study shows that corporate purpose varies greatly according to the nature of firm ownership, and these differences can be least partly explained by the choices and compensation of the CEOs. The greater the pay gap between CEOs and employees, the lower the sense of corporate purpose within the organization.

    • 05 Sep 2019
    • Sharpening Your Skills

    Making the Right Technical Hire

    by Julia Austin

    CEOs are usually more comfortable making key hires on the business side of the house than the technology side. Here is what executives need to understand about technical hires, according to Julia Austin. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 31 Jul 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    Distressed Employees? Try Resilience Training

    by Dina Gerdeman

    Depressed employees are up to five times more likely to experience work-related problems than employees with chronic physical illnesses. So why aren't employers helping them? asks Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 07 Jul 2019
    • HBS Case

    Walmart's Workforce of the Future

    by Julia Hanna

    A case study by William Kerr explores Walmart's plans for future workforce makeup and training, and its search for opportunities from digital infrastructure and automation. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 30 Jun 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training

    by Doug J. Chung, Byungyeon Kim, and Byoung G. Park

    When sales forces are well managed, firms can induce greater performance from them. For this study, the authors collaborated with a major multinational firm to develop and estimate a dynamic structural model of sales employee responses to various management instruments like compensation, training, and recruiting/termination policies.

    • 27 Jun 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    Rituals Strengthen Couples. Here’s Why They’re Good for Business, Too

    by Dina Gerdeman

    Couples with deliberate rituals feel more satisfied with their relationships, says research by Michael I. Norton and Ximena Garcia-Rada. Can businesses benefit? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 21 May 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    rTSR: When Do Relative Performance Metrics Capture Relative Performance?

    by Paul Ma, Jee-Eun Shin, and Charles C. Y. Wang

    Managers are increasingly evaluated based on relative performance metrics, particularly relative total shareholder returns (rTSR). This paper finds that the majority of firms that tie CEO performance-based contracts to rTSR do a remarkable job of filtering out the systematic risk in TSR. However, a significant portion of firms make relatively poor choices in the design and selection of rTSR, a result of weak governance and an overreliance on compensation consultants.

    • 03 Apr 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    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.

    • 18 Mar 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    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; Comment(s) posted.

    • 28 Jan 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    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; Comment(s) posted.

    • 17 Jan 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    Why Business Should Support Employees Who Are Caregivers

    by Danielle Kost

    Shifting demographics are causing an increasing number of people to act as caregivers for family and friends—but employers seem hardly to notice the trend. Joseph Fuller discusses why companies should support them. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 17 Dec 2018
    • Research & Ideas

    Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

    by Michael Blanding

    Women caught in misconduct were 20 percent more likely to be fired and 30 percent less likely to find new employment in the financial services industry, reports new research by Mark Egan and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 05 Dec 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Salary Taboo: Privacy Norms and the Diffusion of Information

    by Zoë B. Cullen and Ricardo Perez-Truglia

    Barriers to the diffusion of salary information have implications for a wide range of labor market phenomena. This study of employees of a real organization shows that individuals significantly misinterpret their peers’ salaries, partly due to pervasive preferences for concealing own salary, and a potentially strategic decision of high earners to withhold their personal information.

    • 04 Dec 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Work from Anywhere or Co-locate? Autonomy versus Learning Effects at the United States Patent Office

    by Prithwiraj Choudhury, Cirrus Foroughi, and Barbara Larson

    Managers often ask whether worker productivity rises or falls with work-from-anywhere (WFA) policies. This study of a real firm presents robust econometric evidence that WFA regimes can have positive effects on net worker output, especially for experienced hires working interdependently. For new hires, however, colocation is often needed to facilitate their learning.

    • 26 Nov 2018
    • Book

    Make Your Employees Feel Psychologically Safe

    by Martha Lagace

    To do their best work, people need to feel secure and safe in their workplace. In a new book, Amy C. Edmondson details how companies can develop psychological safety. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 22 Oct 2018
    • Sharpening Your Skills

    Motivate Me, Please

    by Sean Silverthorne

    People are often coin-operated when it comes to work, but managers can bring out their best performance using motivators other than money. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

    • 08 Oct 2018
    • Research & Ideas

    Knowing What Your Boss Earns Can Make You Work Harder

    by Rachel Layne

    Learning what your co-worker earns can make you less productive, but knowing your manager's paycheck can motivate you to work harder. Research by Zoë Cullen. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

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