Talent and Talent Management →
- 08 Dec 2020
- Research & Ideas
Why Companies Hunt for Talent on Digital Platforms, Not in Resume Piles
Rather than sit back and wait for applicants to send resumes, companies are proactively targeting prospective employees on digital platforms and social media, often with a recruiter's help, says research by Rembrand Koning. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Dec 2020
- What Do You Think?
How Can We Get Companies to Invest More in Low-Wage Workers?
Does income inequality hold back economic growth? James Heskett ponders what underlying factors keep low-wage workers down. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 May 2020
- Op-Ed
Immigration Policies Threaten American Competitiveness
At this time of crisis, America risks signaling to global innovators and entrepreneurs that they have no future here, says William R. Kerr. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Gift of Global Talent: Innovation Policy and the Economy
High-skilled workers in today’s knowledge-based economy are arguably the most important resource to the success of businesses, regions, and industries. This chapter pulls from Kerr’s book The Gift of Global Talent to examine the migration dynamics of high-skilled individuals. He argues that improving our knowledge of high-skilled migration can lead to better policy decisions.
- 18 Mar 2019
- Research & Ideas
Stuck in Commuter Hell? You Can Still Be Productive
Commuters who listen to music or browse social media might be increasing their chance of a stressful workday. Research by Francesca Gino and colleagues offers better ways to cope with a bad commute. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Jan 2019
- Research & Ideas
Forget Cash. Here Are Better Ways to Motivate Employees
In today's tight job market, employers must focus on how to attract and keep top talent. Giving away stacks of money may not always be the best incentive, warns Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 May 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Digital Labor Markets and Global Talent Flows
Digital labor markets aiInternet-based platforms connecting workers worldwide with companies seeking to have tasks completed. This paper describes the markets, evaluates their rise and global span, and reviews academic studies of how they function. It includes cases to suggest the range of ways in which digital capabilities extend access to talent over long distances.
- 05 Jan 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
High-Skilled Migration and Agglomeration
Individuals with valuable skills have a higher propensity and offers to migrate both domestically and abroad due to the exceptional returns they can earn. Yet not all potential destinations are equally attractive in their professional and social opportunities. This review provides an in-depth analysis of available data and introduces several newly available data sources that are open to researchers. The patterns of high-skilled migration are quite consistent with agglomeration economies, such as the broad flows from a large number of source countries to very few destination countries. These data further show that migration selection processes for skill are becoming sharper and increasingly involve female migrants.
- 20 Oct 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Global Talent Flows
Global migration patterns have become increasingly asymmetric and skewed along several dimensions, especially as skilled migration has become a greater force globally. This paper first surveys the landscape of global talent mobility, including under-appreciated features like the rising importance of the migration of talented women. The review next discusses the causes and consequences of high-skilled migration and the particular role of agglomeration/cluster economies. Rather than having migration reduce the incentives for others to migrate to a location, agglomeration effects for talented workers often serve to instead heighten the incentives for future talent to migrate as well (e.g., Hollywood). The paper next discusses the role of national “gatekeepers” in global talent flows, and contrasts the two main approaches taken by governments (i.e., points-based systems vs. employer-driven systems). While overall patterns will likely remain similar, different forms of high-skilled migration are likely to emerge and evolve.
- 15 Sep 2014
- Research & Ideas
Are the Most Talented Employees the Highest Paid? Yes—If They’re Bankers
A recent study by Claire Célérier and Boris Vallée finds that the French finance industry compensates employees largely according to how talented they are. Other high-paying industries? Not so much. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jun 2013
- What Do You Think?
Do We Need to Extend ‘No Surprises Management?’
Summing Up: Jim Heskett's readers agree that 'no surprises management' should be practiced by bosses as well their direct reports. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Jun 2012
- Lessons from the Classroom
Teaching Leadership: What We Know
The field of leadership education has reached a critical stage. After several decades of experimentation, "The Handbook for Teaching Leadership," Scott A. Snook, Rakesh Khurana, and Nitin Nohria, is intended to be a foundational reference for educators facing this increasingly important challenge. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 Nov 2011
- Lessons from the Classroom
The New Challenge of Leading Financial Firms
Running a financial organization, never easy to begin with, has quickly become one of the most difficult leadership challenges that an executive can undertake, requiring mastery of talent management, change management, and ethics. An interview with Professor Boris Groysberg, who teaches a new HBS Executive Education program on the subject with Professor Paul M. Healy. Key concepts include: Leading a financial firm is very different from leading any other kind of institution, requiring deep skills in a multitude of areas. Financial firms make expensive bets on top talent, but often make hiring decisions without enough deliberation. Risk management, strategy for growth, and competing in emerging markets are especially critical for financial firms to get right. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Oct 2011
- Research & Ideas
The Most Powerful Workplace Motivator
When evaluating compensation issues, economists often assume that both an employer and an employee make rational, albeit self-interested choices while working toward a goal. The problem, says Assistant Professor Ian Larkin, is that the most powerful workplace motivator is our natural tendency to measure our own performance against the performance of others. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 Jun 2011
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpening Your Skills: Motivation
Can employers motivate employees to work more creatively, ethically, or productively? Or does that power reside solely within the individual? Recent research at Harvard Business School suggests workers can be motivated by their environment. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 May 2011
- Research & Ideas
Casino Payoff: Hands-Off Management Works Best
Micromanagers beware: Research of casino hosts by Harvard Business School's Dennis Campbell and Francisco de Asís Martinez-Jerez and Rice's Marc Epstein makes the case that hands-off management can work to improve employee learning and decision making. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Nov 2010
- What Do You Think?
Why Do We Chase Stars?
Summing Up: Is it wise for companies to recruit "star" performers? Discussing the book "Chasing Stars", Jim Heskett's readers support the idea that talent is portable between employers and that women are better at it than men. (Next Forum opens December 2) Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Oct 2010
- Research & Ideas
It Pays to Hire Women in Countries That Won’t
South Korean companies don't hire many women, no matter how qualified. So multinationals are moving in to take advantage of this rich hiring opportunity, according to new research by professor Jordan Siegel. Key concepts include: Employing women who are excluded by their own countries' labor markets is a growing trend for international affiliates of global multinational companies. Using data from South Korea, researchers showed that a 10 percent nominal increase in the percentage of female managers (at the level of the then-prevailing glass ceiling) was associated with a 1 percent nominal increase in ROA. Multinational firms that recruit females into management roles at their local affiliates face the possibility of upsetting local male employees, partners, and customers who don't approve of women in executive roles. In many instances, multinational firms hired and promoted female managers in a discriminatory host market at a far higher rate than they employed female managers in their own home markets. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Feb 2009
- What Do You Think?
Why Can’t We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?
Managers discuss their own experience in organizations in response to February's column. All good leaders teach as well as learn, says Jim Heskett. Is it possible with any degree of confidence to select people for certain leadership jobs? (Forum now closed. Next forum begins March 5.) Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Economic Jitters Push Pandemic Job Seekers to Big Companies, Not Startups
Small companies are receiving fewer applications, particularly from experienced professionals, according to research by Shai Bernstein and colleagues. How can startups overcome pandemic fears and compete for talent? Open for comment; 0 Comments.