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Values and BeliefsRemove Values and Beliefs →

New research on values and beliefs from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including responsible leadership, the concept of "servant leadership," and ethical action.
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Employee Performance vs. Company Values: A Manager’s Dilemma

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.

Older People Are Less Pessimistic about the Health Risks of COVID-19

by Pedro Bordalo, Katherine B. Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli, and Andrei Shleifer

The pandemic presents a unique opportunity to investigate formation of beliefs about an unprecedented, widespread, and life-threatening event. One finding: COVID-19 makes the prospect of disease and death particularly salient for the young.

Stereotypes and Politics

by Pedro Bordalo, Marco Tabellini, and David Yang

Stereotypes exaggerate true differences across groups. This study identifies factors that shape and distort individuals’ beliefs about others’ political and social attitudes.

When to Apply?

by Katherine Coffman, Manuela Collis, and Leena Kulkarni

Using a series of experiments, the authors studied gender differences in how job-seekers perceive their own qualifications for different opportunities and how this affects their decision to apply. Results suggest that soft touch employer interventions can improve the diversity of applicant pools even if candidate beliefs about their own ability are unchanged.

Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening

by Michael Blanding

Are product sales affected by the CEO's stance on political and social issues? Michael Toffel and Aaron Chatterji study how consumers react to vocal chief executives. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Ethics Bots and Other Ways to Move Your Code of Business Conduct Beyond Puffery

by Michael Blanding

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics allow companies to create more effective codes of business conduct, says Eugene Soltes. But technology isn't the only solution. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Managers, Are You Prepared to Handle Religion in the Workplace?

Managers face growing challenges related to religion in the workplace as religious discrimination claims and monetary settlements increase. Derek van Bever discusses two examples that made their way to the US Supreme Court. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Can Mark Zuckerberg Rebuild Trust in Facebook?

Bill George discusses his case study, "Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust," including why Zuckerberg handled the crisis as he did, the role of companies in protecting privacy, and the pros and cons of regulation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

What’s the Antidote to Surveillance Capitalism?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: As companies increasingly build business models around our personal data, what can be done to fight back? James Heskett's readers suggest there are no easy answers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

These 4 CEOs Created a New Standard of Leadership

by Bill George

At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, these four corporate leaders stepped forward—and changed how we think of leadership forever, says Bill George. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Op-Ed: Google Engineer Deserved to be Fired by the CEO

by Bill George

Was Google CEO Sundar Pichai right to fire engineer James Damore after his condemnation of the company's diversity initiatives? Of course, answers Bill George; treating colleagues as gender stereotypes rather than as individuals poisons the workplace. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

What Jane Austen and Mel Brooks Can Teach Us About Finance

by Carmen Nobel

A new book by Mihir Desai links the fundamentals of finance to several centuries of literature, history, philosophy, music, visual arts, theater, and comedy to make the subject seem less mystifying—and more humanizing—to a broad audience of non-financiers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Innovation Under Constraint: Constructing a Turnaround at Lego

In this podcast, Jan Rivkin takes us behind Lego's iconic building "bricks" and into the minds of its leaders as they tackle digital disruption, staying true to the brand, and engineering an impressive turnaround. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

When CEOs Become Activists

by Carmen Nobel

More and more, CEOs are promoting social causes that lie far outside their core business interests. Research by Mike Toffel and Aaron Chatterji explores the rise of CEO activists and the effects on their companies. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Surprising Benefits of Oversharing

by Michael Blanding

In a social media culture that encourages sharing of embarrassing information, revealing too much can benefit individuals but hurt businesses. New research papers from Leslie John and Michael Luca help explain why. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Kids Benefit From Having a Working Mom

by Carmen Nobel

Women whose moms worked outside the home are more likely to have jobs themselves, are more likely to hold supervisory responsibility at those jobs, and earn higher wages than women whose mothers stayed home full time, according to research by Kathleen McGinn and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Can the Brilliant Jerk Be Managed Effectively?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP—"Brilliant jerks" dot every organization. But what to do about them? Jim Heskett's readers offer a range of remedies intended to capture their brilliant performance while reducing their toxic personalities. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

by Michael Blanding

In a provocative new book, Joseph Badaracco argues that our world is increasingly characterized by struggle—for labor, technology, funds, and partners. Leaders who embrace that struggle can also reap its rewards. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

A Manager’s Moral Obligation to Preserve Capitalism

by Michael Blanding

Harvard Business School's Rebecca M. Henderson and Karthik Ramanna argue that company managers have a moral obligation to preserve capitalism. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?

by Jim Heskett

Summing Up: After plowing through an unusually full inbox of reader e-mails, Jim Heskett wonders whether the term "servant leadership" is an oxymoron? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.