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New research on management from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including management strategy, accountability, design and succession planning.
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Working (From Home) During a Crisis: Online Social Contributions by Workers During the Coronavirus Shock

by Prithwiraj Choudhury, Wesley W. Koo, and Xina Li

This study shows that people working from home (WFH) make more online contributions to socially helpful topics, yet face higher psychic costs and anxiety about time constraints. Managers might consider giving WFH workers more temporal flexibility to deal with time constraints during this crisis.

What Are Lessons for Leaders from This Black Swan Crisis?

by James Heskett

Is it possible to prepare for a Black Swan event like COVID-19? What are the lessons for leaders in today's pandemic? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Strategic Foresight as Dynamic Capability: A New Lens on Knightian Uncertainty

by J. Peter Scoblic

Creating strategy under conditions of uncertainty is not easy, so many managers rely on a single analogy to past experience to guide their decisions. This paper argues, by contrast, that imagining multiple possible futures can be a more useful guide to uncertainty, improving judgment and adaptability in the face of change.

Novel Risks

by Robert S. Kaplan, Dutch Leonard, and Anette Mikes

Companies can manage known risks by reducing their likelihood and impact. But such routine risk management often prevents them from recognizing and responding rapidly to novel risks, those not envisioned or seen before. Setting up teams, processes, and capabilities in advance for dealing with unexpected circumstances can protect against their severe consequences.

7 Leadership Principles for Managing in the Time of Coronavirus

by John A. Quelch

Leaders managing their organizations through crisis show seven distinctive capabilities, says John A. Quelch. Call them the seven Cs. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

These Coronavirus Heroes Show Us How Crisis Leadership Works

by Bill George

Now is the time for leaders to inspire their organizations to help the world through the COVID-19 crisis. Bill George has a list of authentic leaders who are up to the challenge. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Small Businesses Can Survive the Coronavirus Outbreak

by Danielle Kost

COVID-19 will put many small businesses on life support. Karen G. Mills, who has been advising policymakers on aid options, offers guidance to owners on the brink of ruin. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

by Dina Gerdeman

We asked Harvard Business School experts how the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to change business practice. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Little Understood Problem Confronting Diverse Workplaces

by Julia Hanna

Knitting together a diverse workforce into a common fabric is a difficult challenge for managers—and even more difficult for the workers themselves, say Lakshmi Ramarajan and Erin Reid. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Hard Work Isn't Enough: How to Find Your Edge

by Dina Gerdeman

Life isn't fair, especially in the workplace. In Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage, Laura Huang offers a new strategy for uncovering and showcasing your unique value in the face of obstacles. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

6 Traits That Set Top Business Leaders Apart

by Danielle Kost

What do the best leaders do differently? Harvard Business School faculty members highlight the leadership skills and qualities that separate good from great. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Rethinking Business Strategy in the Age of AI

by Dina Gerdeman

For the first time in 100 years, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are causing firms to rethink their competitive strategy and organizational structure, say Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani, authors of the new book Competing in the Age of AI. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Under Pressure, Oxxo Rethinks the Convenience Store

Re: Tatiana Sandino

Mexican convenience store chain Oxxo dominated its market—until its chief rival doubled in size almost overnight. Professor Tatiana Sandino discusses her recent case study CEO Eduardo Padilla's response. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Intelligent Design of Inclusive Growth Strategies

by Robert S. Kaplan, George Serafeim, and Eduardo Tugendhat

How companies, working with a catalyst, can redesign supply chains to achieve economic, environmental, and social returns.

When Your Passion Works Against You

by Dina Gerdeman

Passion is supposed to be the secret sauce that transforms average managers into dynamic leaders. The reality is more complicated, says Jon M. Jachimowicz. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Effect of Systems of Management Controls on Misreporting

by Aishwarrya Deore, Susanna Gallani, and Ranjani Krishnan

This study provides insights for designing effective management control systems. Managers must select their individual management control practices with care, craft mission statements to convey clear messages that drive organizational alignment with the firm’s overall goals, and consider the effects of interaction between components of their system of controls.

Robots in the Boardroom

by Sean Silverthorne

Understanding cloud technology was the No. 1 imperative for executives this decade. Next up: How does artificial intelligence change business and management? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Core Earnings? New Data and Evidence

by Ethan Rouen, Eric So, and Charles C.Y. Wang

Using a novel dataset of earnings-related disclosures embedded in the 10-Ks, this paper shows how detailed financial statement analysis can produce a measure of core earnings that is more persistent than traditional earnings measures and forecasts future performance. Analysts and market participants are slow to appreciate the importance of transitory earnings.

How Companies Can Make Up with (Very) Unhappy Customers

by Sean Silverthorne

It happens to the best of companies. One fine day a public relations nightmare explodes and shatters your hard-won trust with customers. What should you do next? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Solving the Riddle of How Companies Grow Over Time

by Michael Blanding

Can company growth rates persist over long periods of time? A new study of long-lasting enterprises might make CEOs rethink their strategies, says Gary Pisano. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.