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New research on individual and organizational performance from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including career advancement, assessment, and improving job effectiveness.
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The Clock Is Ticking: 3 Ways to Manage Your Time Better

by Kristen Senz

Life is short. Are you using your time wisely? Leslie Perlow, Arthur Brooks, and DJ DiDonna offer time management advice to help you work smarter and live happier.

The Rise of Employee Analytics: Productivity Dream or Micromanagement Nightmare?

by Ben Rand

"People analytics"—using employee data to make management decisions—could soon transform the workplace and hiring, but implementation will be critical, says Jeffrey Polzer. After all, do managers really need to know about employees' every keystroke?

As Leaders, Why Do We Continue to Reward A, While Hoping for B?

by James Heskett

Companies often encourage the bad behavior that executives publicly rebuke—usually in pursuit of short-term performance. What keeps leaders from truly aligning incentives and goals? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need Today

by Kara Baskin

Struggling to spark strategic risk-taking and creative thinking? In the post-pandemic workplace, teams need psychological safety more than ever, and a new analysis by Amy Edmondson highlights the best ways to nurture it.

Is the Anxious Achiever a Post-Pandemic Relic?

by James Heskett

Achievement has been a salve for self-doubt for many generations. But many of the oldest members of Gen Z, who came of age amid COVID-19, think differently about the value of work. Will they forge a new leadership style? wonders James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

How One Late Employee Can Hurt Your Business: Data from 25 Million Timecards

by Ben Rand

Employees who clock in a few minutes late—or not at all—often dampen sales and productivity, says a study of 100,000 workers by Ananth Raman and Caleb Kwon. What can managers do to address chronic tardiness and absenteeism?

Will Hybrid Work Strategies Pull Down Long-Term Performance?

by James Heskett

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.

Management Lessons from the Sinking of the SS El Faro

Re: Joseph B. Fuller

Captain Michael Davidson of the container ship SS El Faro was determined to make his planned shipping trip on time—but a hurricane was approaching his intended path. To succeed, Davidson and his fellow officers had to plot a course to avoid the storm in the face of conflicting weather reports from multiple sources and differing opinions among the officers about what to do. Over the 36-hour voyage, tensions rose as the ship got closer and closer to the storm. And there were other factors compounding the challenge. The El Faro was an old ship, about to be scrapped. Its owner, TOTE Maritime, was in the process of selecting officers to crew its new ships. Davidson and some of his officers knew the company measured a ship’s on-time arrival and factored that into performance reviews and hiring decisions. When the ship ultimately sunk on October 1, 2015, it was the deadliest American shipping disaster in decades. But who was to blame for the tragedy and what can we learn from it? Professor Joe Fuller discusses the culpability of the captain, as well as his subordinates, and what it reveals about how leaders and their teams communicate under pressure in his case, "Into the Raging Sea: Final Voyage of the SS El Faro."

Does Religious Belief Affect Organizational Performance?

Re: James L. Heskett

Chinese firms exposed to Confucianism outperformed peers and contributed more to their communities, says a recent study. James Heskett considers whether the role of religion in management merits further research. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround

Re: Ranjay Gulati

Etsy, the online seller of handmade goods, was founded in 2005 as an alternative to companies that sold mass-manufactured products. The company grew substantially, but remained unprofitable under the leadership of two early CEOs. Ten years later, Etsy went public and was forced into a new arena, where it was beholden to stakeholders who demanded financial success and accountability. Unable to contain costs, the company was almost bought out by private equity firms in 2017—until CEO Josh Silverman arrived with a mission to save the company financially and, in the process, save its soul. Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati discusses the purpose-driven turnaround Silverman and his team led at Etsy—to make the company profitable and improve its social and environmental impact—in the case, “Etsy: Crafting a Turnaround to Save the Business and Its Soul.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Simple Secret of Effective Mentoring Programs

by Jay Fitzgerald

The employees who need guidance most rarely seek it out. New research by Christopher Stanton sheds light on what companies stand to gain from mentorship programs that include everyone. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Want Hybrid Work to Succeed? Trust, Don’t Track, Employees

by Michael Blanding

Many companies want employees back at desks, but workers want more flexibility than ever. Tsedal Neeley offers three rules for senior managers trying to forge a new hybrid path. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Strategies for Underdogs: How Alibaba’s Taobao Beat eBay in China

Re: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

In 2007, Alibaba’s Taobao became China’s leading consumer e-commerce marketplace, displacing the once dominant eBay. How did underdog Taobao do it? And will it be able to find a way to monetize its marketplace and ensure future success? Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee discusses his case, “Alibaba’s Taobao,” and related strategy lessons from his new book, Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Steps to Help You Get Out of Your Own Way

by Sean Silverthorne

These research-based tips will help you slow down, fight the fog, and improve both your home life and work life. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

Humans are motivated by four drives: acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend. Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams discuss how managers can use all four to keep employees engaged. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Employee Performance vs. Company Values: A Manager’s Dilemma

Re: Nitin Nohria

The Cold Call podcast celebrate its five-year anniversary with a classic case study. Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria discusses the dilemma of how to treat a brilliant individual performer who can't work with colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Entrepreneurs (Co-) Working in Close Proximity: Impacts on Technology Adoption and Startup Performance Outcomes

by Maria P. Roche, Alexander Oettl, and Christian Catalini

In one of the largest entrepreneurial co-working spaces in the United States, startups are influenced by peer startups within a distance of 20 meters. The associated advantages for learning and innovation could be lost using at-a-distance work arrangements.

How Much Will Remote Work Continue After the Pandemic?

by Kristen Senz

A new survey suggests that at least 16 percent of employees will remain at-home workers long after COVID-19 recedes, report researchers Christopher Stanton, Zoe Cullen, and Michael Luca. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Scaling Up Behavioral Science Interventions in Online Education

by Rene F. Kizilcec, Justin Reich, Michael Yeomans, Christoph Dann, Emma Brunskill, Glenn Lopez, Selen Turkay, Joseph J. Williams, and Dustin Tingley

Online courses can lack support structures that are often bundled with traditional higher education. Short pre-course interventions can have short-term benefits, but more innovation throughout the course is needed to have sustained impact on student success.

No Line Left Behind: Assortative Matching Inside the Firm

by Achyuta Adhvaryu, Vittorio Bassi, Anant Nyshadham, and Jorge Tamayo

This paper studies how buyer relationships influence suppliers' internal organization of labor. The results emphasize that suppliers to the global market, when they are beholden to a small set of powerful buyers, may be driven to allocate managerial skill to service these relationships, even at the expense of productivity.