Organizational Culture →
- 08 Sep 2022
- Book
Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?
Generation X and Millennials—eagerly waiting to succeed Baby Boom leaders—have the opportunity to bring more collaboration and purpose to business. In the book True North: Emerging Leader Edition, Bill George offers advice for the next wave of CEOs.
- 17 Apr 2022
- Book
How to Avoid the 'Ethical Slide' That Leads Companies Astray
Building strong ethics requires continuous effort from everyone in an organization. In the book Business Ethics: What Everyone Needs to Know, J.S. Nelson offers practical advice for cultivating a "speak-up" culture. 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.
- 11 Apr 2022
- Research & Ideas
A World of Difference: What Keeps Companies from Becoming More Inclusive
Inclusion can unlock excellence and innovation, but instincts and good intentions will never get you there. In this interview, Frances Frei and Francesca Gino explore the underlying factors that keep organizations from becoming more inclusive. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Mar 2022
- Research & Ideas
Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together
Rituals—even seemingly silly ones—help employees bond and add meaning to their work, says research by Michael Norton, Francesca Gino, and colleagues. After two years of pandemic disruption, who wouldn't welcome a workday pick-me-up? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Dec 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
How Japan’s Recruit Holdings Regained Trust after a Scandal
Recruit Holdings, an advertising media, staffing, and business support conglomerate was founded in Japan in 1960 by Hiromasa Ezoe. The company was built on the principle that the company should add value to society. But in 1988, Recruit hit rough waters when Ezoe sold 2.8 million shares in a subsidiary before it went public to 76 Japanese leaders in politics, business, and media. The "Recruit Scandal," as it was called, resulted in the resignation of Japan’s prime minister and his entire cabinet. Thirty years later, Recruit has become a global conglomerate, with $16 billion in sales in 2017. How did the company not only survive, but thrive after its insider trading scandal? Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher examines how Recruit’s unique corporate culture helped to restore lost trust in her case, “Globalizing Japan’s Dream Machine: Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.," and her book, The Power of Trust. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Dec 2021
- Op-Ed
To Change Your Company's Culture, Don't Start by Trying to Change the Culture
Skip the inspirational speeches and culture committees. Meaningful culture change comes about only when companies rethink how they manage, lead, and pursue strategic goals, says Michael Beer. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Nov 2021
- Book
What It Takes to Build an Organizational Culture That Wins
In a world of short-term thinking, an effective organizational culture provides the ultimate competitive advantage. In Win from Within, James Heskett offers a roadmap for developing one. 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.
- 01 Nov 2021
- What Do You Think?
How Long Does It Take to Improve an Organization’s Culture?
If organizational culture is so important, why do so many companies struggle to change? James Heskett looks at the role of leaders—like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella—in challenging a company's collective mindset. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Aug 2021
- Book
Feeling Powerless at Work? Time to Agitate, Innovate, and Orchestrate
Employees lower down the organizational ladder have far more power than they realize. If they worked together, they could effect significant change within their workplaces, says Julie Battilana. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Aug 2021
- Op-Ed
Don't Ignore Your Employees' Misery—TAKE Control
Many workers are unhappy with their companies' return-to-work policies. Rather than risk losing productive people, managers should confront employee dissatisfaction head on, says Hise O. Gibson. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Feb 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Fostering Authenticity and Employee Engagement at John Deere
As the first Black female factory manager to lead a John Deere plant, Rosalind Fox must figure out how to build relationships with her staff, who are mostly white men. Harvard Business School senior lecturer Tony Mayo discusses the pressure on Fox to assimilate into the dominant culture, her decision to lean into her authentic self, and the deep connection between employee engagement and authenticity in his case, “Rosalind Fox at John Deere.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Dec 2020
- Research & Ideas
Cut Payroll Costs with Transparency, Fairness, and Compassion
As cost-cutting continues across the turbulent economy, companies are challenged to be creative when managing their human capital, say Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 May 2020
- What Do You Think?
Does Remote Work Mix with Organizational Culture?
SUMMING UP: Readers who themselves work from home think differently about how organizations should respond to remote work initiatives. James Heskett sums up the dicussion. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Dec 2019
- What Do You Think?
How Does a Company like Boeing Respond to Intense Competitive Pressure?
SUMMING UP: Playing out in real time, Boeing's misguided responses to competitive pressure illustrate organizational "gaps" suffered by many organizations. James Heskett's readers discuss solutions. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Oct 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Birds of a Feather ... Enforce Social Norms? Interactions Among Culture, Norms, and Strategy
Does culture eat strategy for breakfast? By analyzing the role of a company's social norms—how they develop and why people reinforce them, despite their personal beliefs—this paper offers new insights about the power of culture.
- 30 Sep 2019
- Book
Book Excerpt: Why a Volume on Race, Work, and Leadership
In this excerpt from Race, Work, & Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience, the authors discuss the deterioriating state of race relations in the US. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 30 Sep 2019
- Book
6 Steps to Building a Better Workplace for Black Employees
To support black employees, business leaders must challenge biases and help employees be themselves, according to a new book co-edited by Anthony J. Mayo, Laura Morgan Roberts, and David A. Thomas Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Have Managers Underestimated the Need for Face-to-Face Contact?
COVID-19 made remote work and instant delivery mainstays of life for many people, but will the need for community erode these concepts after the pandemic ends? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.