Personal Development and Career →
- 26 Feb 2007
- Research & Ideas
The Power of the Noncompete Clause
Noncompete clauses seem nearly universal—and not just in technology companies. But the effect is especially strong on specialist and "star" inventors, according to new research by Harvard Business School's Matt Marx, Deborah Strumsky, and Lee Fleming. Marx reflects on the business and career implications in this Q&A. Key concepts include: Noncompete clauses may be ubiquitous or nearly so, particularly in venture-funded companies, but not everyone is affected identically by noncompetes. Fundamentally, noncompetes are a form of monopoly. Just as a patent allows a monopoly on a technique or tool for a limited amount of time, a noncompete (if enforced) affords a temporary monopoly of sorts on a person. In Michigan, inventors whose patents are highly cited in other patent applications were less likely to change jobs following a change in the state law. The effect for "specialist" inventors was even stronger. Star or specialist inventors wishing to explore career opportunities may need to look outside a state that enforces noncompetes. From an employer's perspective, keep in mind that noncompetes are far from ironclad. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Feb 2007
- Working Paper Summaries
Noncompetes and Inventor Mobility: Specialists, Stars, and the Michigan Experiment
Two years ago, Microsoft and Google wrangled publicly when Google hired away a star Microsoft employee who had signed an agreement not to compete against Microsoft for one year after leaving the company. Managers enjoy a love/hate relationship with such "noncompete" covenants depending on whether they are gaining or losing talent. This study, which looks at Michigan's inadvertent reversal of its enforcement policy in the mid-1980s, is the first to apply longitudinal analysis to the question of noncompete enforcement. Given the importance of mobility for knowledge spillovers and entrepreneurship, the evidence has implications for day-to-day behavior, careers, business, and policy. Key concepts include: "Stars"—highly cited and specialist inventors—experienced significantly less career mobility once noncompetes began to be enforced. The networks of small companies so crucial to Silicon Valley's growth would be less likely to develop in regions that enforce noncompetes. Policy planners must decide when the interests of incumbent firms outweigh those of individual careers and possibly regional development. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Aug 2006
- Working Paper Summaries
Unfinished Business: The Impact of Race on Understanding Mentoring Relationships
Race is a critical component of relationships in organizations, particularly in the United States and, due to shifting demographics, particularly for the future. As a socially embedded phenomenon, race also provides a lens for research on mentoring. This paper discusses why race and mentoring are important, how race has been studied or omitted in research to date, and what is known about the intersection of mentoring and race in organizations. The authors then discuss their own model, which aims to guide future research. Key concepts include: There is an opportunity in the twenty-first century to show how mentoring helps to create access and inclusion that goes beyond the color line. The strength of individuals' racial group identity, work group composition, and organizational culture all matter to the specific nature of mentoring or developmental relationships. Important dimensions of these relationships include the strength of social ties, formality, content, complexity, and trust. The study of race and mentoring remains unfinished business for organizational scholars, managers, and practitioners. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Aug 2006
- Research & Ideas
Career Advancement Without Experience
Lacking experience, contract workers find it difficult to advance to a job with expanded responsibilities. But it can be done. Siobhan O'Mahony discusses research into the concept of "stretchwork" and the increasing complexity of career management. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 15 May 2006
- Lessons from the Classroom
Women Find New Path to Work
Professor Myra Hart's New Path program helps Harvard Business School alumnae re-enter the work world. Here is a look at what participants learned about life, work, and the quickly changing world of business. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Apr 2006
- Research & Ideas
Resisting the Seductions of Success
"The basic problem with the flow of success is that life can look very good when it really isn't," writes Harvard Business School's Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. His new book, Questions of Character, uses literature to look closely at issues of leadership. Here's an excerpt. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Mar 2006
- Research & Ideas
Do I Dare Say Something?
Are you afraid to speak up at work? The amount of fear in the modern workplace is just one surprising finding from recent research done by HBS professor Amy Edmondson and her colleague, Professor James Detert from Penn State. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Jan 2006
- What Do You Think?
Should More Transparency Extend to Education for Management?
The pros and cons of grade disclosure is a hot topic at business schools these days, including Harvard Business School. Should students have to disclose their grades to recruiters? And how does this issue connect to the need for greater transparency in business generally? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Nov 2005
- Research & Ideas
Exit Interview: HBS Dean Kim Clark
Kim Clark recently resigned his ten-year post as dean of Harvard Business School to assume the presidency of Brigham Young University-Idaho. In this Q&A with the HBS Alumni Bulletin, Clark discusses his experience. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Jun 2005
- Research & Ideas
Creating a Positive Professional Image
In today’s diverse workplace, your actions and motives are constantly under scrutiny. Time to manage your own professional image before others do it for you. An interview with professor Laura Morgan Roberts. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Apr 2005
- Lessons from the Classroom
NFL Players Touch Down at HBS
Thirty players from the National Football League sharpened their management skills at Harvard Business School, preparing for when their playing days are over. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Feb 2005
- Research & Ideas
How “Career Imprinting” Shapes Leaders
Where you work early in your career shapes the kind of leader you become later on, says HBS professor Monica Higgins. She discusses her forthcoming book, Career Imprints: Creating Leaders Across an Industry. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 27 Sep 2004
- Research & Ideas
IBM Finds Profit in Diversity
Former CEO Lou Gerstner established a diversity initiative that embraced differences instead of ignoring them. In this Harvard Business Review excerpt, professor David A. Thomas describes why IBM made diversity a cornerstone strategy. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 May 2004
- What Do You Think?
How Much Is Enough?
A new book by Laura Nash and Howard Stevenson, Just Enough, suggests four dimensions for looking at personal success: happiness, achievement, significance, and legacy. Is this a useful way for hardworking managers to gauge their sense of self-worth? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Mar 2004
- Research & Ideas
Secret to Success: Go for “Just Enough”
Being the very best in your chosen field is, paradoxically, a matter of accepting your limitations. A book excerpt by Harvard Business School’s Laura Nash and Howard Stevenson. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Nov 2003
- Research & Ideas
A Fast Start on Your New Job
Your first ninety days in a new position are fraught with peril—and loaded with opportunity. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Aug 2003
- Research & Ideas
How New Managers Become Great Managers
Newly minted managers must commit themselves to lifelong self-improvement. Read an excerpt from HBS professor Linda A. Hill’s update of her classic, Becoming a Manager. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Jul 2003
- Research & Ideas
Understaffed and Overworked: What Now?
When resources are scarce, you need a plan for managing your career, your team, and even your boss. Here's what works: balance, focus, and effective communication. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 May 2003
- Research & Ideas
When Silence Spells Trouble at Work
Harvard Business School professor Leslie A. Perlow explains how being nice can lead to disastrous results in this Harvard Business Review excerpt. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Feeling Stuck? Getting Past Impasse
Feeling "stuck," as psychologically painful as it is, is the first step to awareness of new opportunities in career and in life, says Harvard Business School's Timothy Butler. In this Q&A and excerpt from his new book, Getting Unstuck, he explains six steps for getting from here to there. Key concepts include: A psychological impasse is developmentally necessary for human beings. Although impasse is usually first expressed as a failure, it is a requirement for individuals to change their way of thinking about themselves and their role in the world. There is a six-phase plan for recognizing and overcoming impasse, starting with feeling stuck and ending with finally taking action. Each phase has its predictable challenges, but some people find one phase more difficult than another. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.