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- 31 May 2023
- HBS Case
Why Business Leaders Need to Hear Larry Miller's Story
VIDEO: Nike executive Larry Miller concealed his criminal past to get a job. What if more companies were willing to hire people with blemishes on their records? Hise Gibson explores why business leaders should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance.

- 16 May 2023
- HBS Case
How KKR Got More by Giving Ownership to the Factory Floor: ‘My Kids Are Going to College!’
KKR turned around a struggling door company and sold it for 10 times its investment—giving factory workers a life-changing cut of the returns. A case study by Ethan Rouen and Dennis Campbell offers lessons for companies trying to instill an owner's mindset in employees.

- 09 May 2023
- Research & Ideas
Where to Find Remote Work Now: 250 Million Job Postings Paint a Complex Picture
While many companies let employees work remotely during the height of COVID-19, conditions have since become more nuanced, according to research by Raffaella Sadun and colleagues. What do these shifts mean for talent managers?

- 07 Feb 2023
- Research & Ideas
Supervisor of Sandwiches? More Companies Inflate Titles to Avoid Extra Pay
What does an assistant manager of bingo actually manage? Increasingly, companies are falsely classifying hourly workers as managers to avoid paying an estimated $4 billion a year in overtime, says research by Lauren Cohen.

- 01 Feb 2023
- What Do You Think?
Will Hybrid Work Strategies Pull Down Long-Term Performance?
Many academics consider remote and hybrid work the future, but some business leaders are pushing back. Can colleagues working from anywhere still create the special glue that bonds teams together? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 20 Dec 2022
- Op-Ed
Employee Feedback: The Key to Retention During the Great Resignation
Employees need to feel that they're on the same team as managers—not adversaries in a zero-sum game. Michael Beer offers six guiding principles for senior leaders who are ready to listen to and act on employee feedback.

- 29 Nov 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?
In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would require Microsoft to use a large portion of its cash reserves. Second, the acquisition was announced as Activision Blizzard faced gender pay disparity and sexual harassment allegations. That opened Microsoft up to potential reputational damage, employee turnover, and lost sales. Do the potential benefits of the acquisition outweigh the risks for Microsoft and its shareholders? Harvard Business School associate professor Joseph Pacelli discusses the ongoing controversies around the merger and how gamers and investors have responded in the case, “Call of Fiduciary Duty: Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard.”

- 01 Nov 2022
- What Do You Think?
Why Aren’t Business Leaders More Vocal About Immigration Policy?
Immigration fuels the American economy, feeds the talent pool, and can directly affect company performance. And yet few executives and entrepreneurs have waded into the policy dialogue, says James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 03 Oct 2022
- Research & Ideas
Why a Failed Startup Might Be Good for Your Career After All
Go ahead and launch that venture. Even if it fails, the experience you gain will likely earn you a job that's more senior than those of your peers, says research by Paul Gompers.

- 12 Jul 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
Can the Foodservice Distribution Industry Recover from the Pandemic?
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, US Foods struggled, as restaurant and school closures reduced demand for foodservice distribution. The situation improved after the return of indoor dining and in-person learning, but an industry-wide shortage of truck drivers and warehouse staff hampered the foodservice distributor’s post-pandemic recovery. That left CEO Pietro Satriano to determine the best strategy to attract and retain essential workers, even as he was tasked with expanding the wholesale grocery store chain (CHEF’STORE) that US Foods launched during the pandemic lockdown. Harvard Business School Professor David E. Bell explores how post-pandemic supply chain challenges continue to affect the foodservice distribution industry in his case, “US Foods: Driving Post-Pandemic Success?”

- 03 Jun 2022
- Research & Ideas
In a Work-from-Anywhere World, How Remote Will Workers Go?
Will professionals still choose cities if they have the option to work from the beach? Research by Prithwiraj Choudhury considers the radical ripple effects of remote work.

- 05 May 2022
- HBS Case
College Degrees: The Job Requirement Companies Seek, but Don't Really Need
Hiring platforms routinely screen out experienced candidates simply because they aren't college graduates. With millions of openings going unfilled, Boris Groysberg says that companies should look for skills instead of degrees.

- 03 May 2022
- Research & Ideas
Desperate for Talent? Consider Advancing Your Own Employees First
What would it take to build the skills your company needs in your current workforce? Joseph Fuller and Manjari Raman offer a new playbook for a historic talent crunch with no end in sight.

- 22 Apr 2022
- Research & Ideas
Companies Can Expand Their Talent Pool by Giving Ex-Convicts a Second Chance
People with criminal convictions often have trouble finding work and face double-digit unemployment rates. Yet employers would be more willing to hire them under certain conditions, says research by Zoë Cullen. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 14 Apr 2022
- Op-Ed
Let’s Move Forward from COVID—Without Forgetting What We’ve Learned
As the post-pandemic world starts to take shape, many leaders will long to return to life before COVID-19. Instead, they should let go of the past and forge a new, better workplace, say Hise Gibson and MaShon Wilson. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 24 Mar 2022
- Research & Ideas
Why Cutting Jobless Aid Isn't the Answer to Worker Shortages
Many policymakers thought that halting COVID-related unemployment insurance would be a "silver bullet" to addressing worker shortages. In reality, cutting aid undermined consumer spending, says research by Raymond Kluender. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 16 Nov 2021
- HBS Case
How a Company Made Employees So Miserable, They Killed Themselves
Aggressive downsizing at France Télécom culminated in 19 employee suicides. Case studies by Cynthia Montgomery and Ashley Whillans show how mistreating workers can have deadly consequences. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 20 Sep 2021
- Research & Ideas
How Much Is Freedom Worth? For Gig Workers, a Lot.
In the booming gig economy, does the ability to set your schedule outweigh having sick leave and overtime? Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Laura Katsnelson turn to DoorDash drivers to find out. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 04 May 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
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.
A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?
Larry Miller committed murder as a teenager, but earned a college degree while serving time and set out to start a new life. Still, he had to conceal his record to get a job that would ultimately take him to the heights of sports marketing. A case study by Francesca Gino, Hise Gibson, and Frances Frei shows the barriers that formerly incarcerated Black men are up against and the potential talent they could bring to business.