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New research on work-life balance from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including how best to deal with today's 24/7 work culture, the concept of leaning-in, and how to build a business in the context of a life.
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Women Pay a Higher Career Price in Today's Always-On Work Culture

by Danielle Kost

In industries that prize overwork, both men and women pay the price of missed time with family. But the career damage is more severe for women, says Robin Ely. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Stuck in Commuter Hell? You Can Still Be Productive

by Dina Gerdeman

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; Comment(s) posted.

Kids of Working Moms Grow into Happy Adults

by Dina Gerdeman

In earlier research, Kathleen McGinn and colleagues discovered that adult kids of working moms are high achievers at work. Now it turns out they are happy, too. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Having No Life is the New Aspirational Lifestyle

by Michael Blanding

It used to be that we equated power and prestige with a leisurely, luxurious lifestyle. Today, lack of leisure time is the real status symbol. Anat Keinan discusses what that means for consumer marketing. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture

by Irene Padavic, Robin J. Ely, and Erin M. Reid

A common explanation for women’s stalled advancement into high-level positions is that women’s family obligations conflict with the long hours of these jobs. Work-family accommodations have done little to help women advance, however. And men also experience work-family conflict yet nevertheless advance. This study argues that women’s advancement is slowed because of social defenses at the organizational level, along with wider cultural beliefs that are resistant to change. These findings concur with scholars’ observations that progress toward gender equality is slowed to the extent that efforts are focused exclusively on women. Expanding efforts to include a thorough-going reconsideration of gender at work and at home, such that both women and men can freely pursue lives in which one domain need not take precedence over the other, may be more effective.

What Will It Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Leadership?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP James Heskett's readers question the meaning of "gender equality" and ponder ways to give women access to the same management opportunities as men. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Do Americans Work Too Much and Think About Work Too Little?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP The current debate on whether Americans work too much or too little has caused Jim Heskett's readers to wonder, is our way of thinking about work outmoded? What do YOU think? Closed for comment; 19 Comment(s) posted.

Mums the Word! Cross-national Effects of Maternal Employment on Gender Inequalities at Work and at Home

by Kathleen L. McGinn & Elizabeth Long Lingo

This study contributes to a growing body of research that explores the effects of maternal employment on their children's well-being. Female respondents raised by a mother who worked outside the home are more likely to be employed, more likely to hold supervisory responsibility if employed, work more hours, and earn higher hourly wages than women whose mothers were home full time. Sons raised by an employed mother spend more time caring for family members than men whose mothers stayed home full time, and daughters raised by an employed mother spend less time on housework than women whose mothers stayed home full time. Results overall show the power of non-traditional gender role models, especially employed mothers, as critical factors for reducing gender inequality in labor markets and households across the globe. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

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; 33 Comment(s) posted.

Who Sets Your Benchmarks?

In his new book, What You're Really Meant to Do, Robert Steven Kaplan outlines a step-by-step approach to defining success on your own terms. Closed for comment; 9 Comment(s) posted.

Marissa Mayer Should Bridge Distance Gap with Remote Workers

by Lakshmi Ramarajan

Marissa Mayer's decision to bring work-at-home Yahoo! employees back to the office has set off a firestorm. Lakshmi Ramarajan writes on how to mitigate the problem. Closed for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.

How to be Extremely Productive

by Deborah Blagg

Professor Robert Pozen discusses his new book, Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours, in which he shares performance-enhancing tips on everything from better sleep on overnight business flights to dealing with employees' mistakes. From the HBS Alumni Bulletin. Closed for comment; 12 Comment(s) posted.

Is Something Wrong with the Way We Work?

by James Heskett

Summing Up Who is to blame for our pressure-packed 24/7 work culture? Technology? Globalization? Increasingly demanding customers? Jim Heskett's readers say it's best to first look in the mirror. Closed for comment; 41 Comment(s) posted.

The Business of Life

by Carmen Nobel

Scholarly economic theory applies to more than just business. The same causal mechanisms that drive big corporations to success can be just as effective in driving our personal lives, says Professor Clayton M. Christensen. Closed for comment; 9 Comment(s) posted.

Breaking the Smartphone Addiction

by Leslie A. Perlow

In her new book, Sleeping With Your Smartphone, Leslie Perlow explains how high-powered consultants disconnected from their mobile devices for a few hours every week—and how they became more productive as a result. Such "predictable time off" might help phone-addled employees better control their workdays and lives. Closed for comment; 33 Comment(s) posted.

Building a Business in the Context of a Life

by Dina Gerdeman

Careers rarely run on a track from Point A to Point B—life experiences often change our goals. At Harvard Business School, Senior Lecturer Janet J. Kraus teaches students to take a life plan as seriously as they would a business plan. Key concepts include: Students and practitioners must evaluate what's important to them both personally and professionally and create a "life plan" for getting where they want to go. Students reflect on experiences and explore visions for where they see their lives going, taking into account not only career ideas but also family life, hobbies, community, spirituality, and other interests. The ideal is for students to find their "flow"—experiencing such enjoyment from an activity that they feel time, space and friction melt away. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.

The Three Foundations of a Great Life, Great Leadership, and a Great Organization

by Michael C. Jensen

This is the commencement speech that HBS professor Michael Jensen delivered to the 2011 graduates of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Drawing from his own experiences, he discusses the three foundations of a great personal life, great leadership, and a great organization. Those three foundations are integrity, authenticity, and being committed to something bigger than oneself. Key concepts include: As integrity declines, workability declines. As workability declines, value (or more generally, the opportunity for performance) declines. The actionable pathway to authenticity is to be authentic about your inauthenticities. Being committed to something bigger than oneself is the source of both personal and corporate passion and energy. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

Fame, Faith, and Social Activism: Business Lessons from Bono

by Kim Girard

Many executives struggle to balance work, family, and community, but for rock star Bono the effort is spread across the globe. In the HBS case "Bono and U2," professor Nancy F. Koehn discusses key business lessons to be learned from the famous band. Key concepts include: Take stock of how you are using your funds, your authority, and your people. A leader's mission and purpose isn't static; it evolves. The mission of the CEO should be related to the organization's performance. Who you are and what you stand for as an organization have great relevance to the people who buy your product. Closed for comment; 20 Comment(s) posted.

Mindful Leadership: When East Meets West

by Sean Silverthorne

Harvard Business School professor William George is fusing Western understanding about leadership with Eastern wisdom about the mind to develop leaders who are self-aware and self-compassionate. An interview about his recent Mindful Leadership conference taught with a Buddhist meditation master. Key concepts include: People who are mindful—fully present and aware—can become more effective leaders. Leaders with low emotional intelligence often lack self-awareness and self-compassion, which can lead to a lack of self-regulation. Authenticity is developed by becoming more self-aware and having compassion for oneself. Group support provides nonjudgmental feedback in order to recognize blind spots, accept shortcomings, and gain confidence. Closed for comment; 33 Comment(s) posted.

Sharpening Your Skills: Career & Life Balance

Re: Multiple Faculty

Achieving a life that balances the pleasures and demands of work and life has never been easy. Here are four HBS Working Knowledge stories from the archives that address everything from spirituality in leadership to understanding when "just enough" is truly enough. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.