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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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Why Japanese Businesses Are So Good at Surviving Crises

by Dina Gerdeman

As demonstrated after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Japanese businesses have a unique capability for long-term survival. Hirotaka Takeuchi explains their strategy of investing in community over profits during turbulent times. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Iterative Coordination and Innovation

by Sourobh Ghosh and Andy Wu

Do Agile methodologies promote innovation? Results of a field experiment with Google show that increasing the frequency and goal orientation of stand-up meetings reinforces integration and value but reduces specialization and novelty in outcomes.

Corporate Resilience and Response During COVID-19

by Alex Cheema-Fox, Bridget LaPerla, George Serafeim, and Hui (Stacie) Wang

Investors look for evidence during a market crisis that a company is resilient. This study includes findings that challenge the notion that companies need to adopt practices that hurt their employees because investors want them to do so.

It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward

by Kristen Senz

By unleashing the full potential of their teams, leaders increase safety and inclusion in the workplace. Co-author Frances Frei discusses her new book, "Unleashed." Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

What South Korea Teaches the World About Fighting COVID

by Doug J. Chung

South Korea initially had the largest number of Coronavirus infections outside of China, but new cases have decreased sharply. What is the country doing right? asks Doug Chung. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Find Your Pragmatic Path through Radical Uncertainty

by Howard Stevenson, Eugene B. Kogan, and Shirley Spence

The challenge during times of unchartered uncertainty is to find a pragmatic middle ground between acting thoughtlessly and not acting at all, say Howard Stevenson and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

It’s Time To Relaunch Your Remote Team

by Tsedal Neeley

Now that we have learned the basics of working from home, managers need to relaunch their teams, advises Tsedal Neeley. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Elusive Safety: The New Geography of Capital Flows and Risk

by Laura Alfaro, Ester Faia, Ruth Judson, and Tim Schmidt-Eisenlohr

Examining motives and incentives behind the growing international flows of US-denominated securities, this study finds that dollar-denominated capital flows are increasingly intermediated by tax haven financial centers and nonbank financial institutions.

We’ve Now Been Asking “What Do You Think?” for 20 Years

by James Heskett

James Heskett reflects on 20 years of writing his monthly business management column for HBS Working Knowledge. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Predictions, Prophets, and Restarting Your Business

by Frank V. Cespedes

Businesses are starting to plan their re-entry into the market, but how do they know what that market will look like? Frank V. Cespedes warns against putting too much trust in forecasters. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Small Businesses Are Worse Off Than We Thought

by Kristen Senz

A survey of small-business owners shows that lack of liquidity and skepticism of government programs are compounding COVID crisis recovery efforts. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

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.

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.

What Are Lessons for Leaders from This Black Swan Crisis?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: Readers of this month's James Heskett post disagree on whether COVID-19 is a Black Swan event, but most argue that organizations must be better prepared for inevitable downturns. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

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.