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Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters
Business communication Magazine ArticleThe leader’s fall from “Who’s Who” to “Who’s that?” is full of stigma and shame. But the story doesn’t have to end there. -
In Praise of Uncertainty
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe information technology explosion was set off by visionaries who thrive on uncertainty. Today that innovation-fueling uncertainty is in danger, a victim of its own success and excess. IT producers have historically built platforms that are useless standing alone, inviting others to parlay them into a variety of useful applications. The first PC makers shipped […] -
Crap Circles
Analytics and data science Magazine ArticleThe most dubious business plan can look solid—even smart—if it’s cast as a virtuous circle. “See, we invest our profits in innovation to create delightful products that customers buy—which generate profits that we invest in innovation!” Who could argue with that? Indeed, the merit of self-reinforcing systems seems so obvious that businesspeople instinctively describe their […] -
The Strategic Power of Saying No
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleThe hardest part of being an entrepreneur can be learning to turn down business. It is also the only way to survive—and grow. -
Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right
Motivating people Magazine Article360-degree feedback is all the rage in companies big and small. But it is frequently bureaucratic, politically charged, and agonizing. The good news is that by understanding four paradoxes inherent to peer appraisal, managers can take some of the pain out of the process—and get better results in. -
How to Buy/Sell Professional Services
Managing people Magazine ArticleIn recent years, there has been a marked increase in the buying of professional services by management. This is true for a broad range of advisory activities, such as financial, economic, public relations, advertising, legal, personnel, research, and many others. By the same token, there has been a marked growth in the firms selling these […] -
Mommy-Track Backlash (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine Article"Please don't tell me that I need to have a baby to have this time off." Those words were still ringing in the ears of Jessica Gonon an hour after a tense... -
Getting Your Team to Buy into a Big Change
Change management Digital ArticleResearchers studied backlash to change at five elite law firms — and how leadership eventually won the skeptics over. -
Research: Are Clients Loyal to Your Firm, or the People in It?
Talent management ResearchPredicting what happens when employees leave. -
Biogen Unchained
Marketing Magazine ArticleWhen the biotech pioneer had to get a blockbuster drug to market fast, it didn’t lock itself into a rigid supply chain. It joined with partners to become a virtual manufacturer. -
What Makes People Follow Reluctant Leaders
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleA new study finds three traits that help people rise to the top. -
Get Your Money's Worth from Consultants
Organizational Development Digital ArticleHave you ever hired a consultant or been asked to work with one? If not, you're a distinct minority. Management consulting is a $160 billion industry,... -
What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleAs "doer-sellers," professional services partners are responsible for not just delivering services but also the entire business-development process. As... -
It Wasn’t About Race. Or Was It?
Accounting Magazine ArticleShe felt her safety had been threatened. He felt he’d been discriminated against. Will the company be torn in two by the aftermath of their encounter in a parking lot? -
Taking the Bias Out of Bean Counting
Accounting Magazine ArticleProposed changes by the SEC don’t go far enough to guarantee impartial audits by the accounting profession. -
Collaborating Well in Large Global Teams
Collaboration and teams Digital ArticleIt starts with a clear shared objective. -
Putting Products into Services
Product development Magazine ArticleA revenue-growth playbook for consultants and law firms -
Smarter Offshoring
Economics Magazine ArticleThe most popular offshore sites for service functions are overheating. Now is the time for companies to explore a world of opportunity beyond those hot spots and to base investment decisions not just on costs but also on talent, markets, strategic aims, and appetite for risk. -
Reckoning with the Pension Fund Revolution
Finance and investing Magazine ArticleFifteen years after it was first chronicled, the “unseen revolution” transforming corporate ownership in the United States is now visible to all. The 20 largest pension funds (13 of them funds of state, municipal, or nonprofit employees) hold around one-tenth of the equity capital of America’s publicly owned companies. All told, institutional investors—that is, primarily […] -
Cane Mutiny: Managing a Graying Workforce (HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleFrank Heberer, a human resources manager at Medignostics, has proposed a long-term HR strategy for the German midsize pharmaceutical company. All his...
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Ethiopian Airlines: Bringing Africa Together
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its African market base to become a leading airline in the continent. As part of the airline's multi-hub strategy,... -
Allegiant Airlines: Finding a New Customer Segment
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Founded in 1997, Allegiant Airlines (Allegiant) was one of the most profitable ultra-low-cost airlines in the United States. Allegiant maintained high... -
Fundacion Idel: Building Dignity for Argentinians with Disabilities
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Fundacion Inclusion y Desarrollo Laboral (IDEL) was a not-for-profit organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose mission was to enhance the dignity... -
Westmount Retirement Residence
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The administrator of the Westmount Retirement Residence is concerned about the current cost accounting system. The administrator is not clear on how much... -
Indianapolis: Activity-Based Costing of City Services (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details A new administration in the City of Indianapolis is initially determined to privatize many municipal services. Before taking this action, however, the... -
Sifton Properties: From Solar to Sewage
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In 2012, an MBA intern at Sifton Properties Ltd. had to decide on a recommendation to top management about the installation of a renewable energy installation... -
Dans la rue: Balancing the Heart and the Pocketbook
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details This case study of social innovation and entrepreneurship looks closely at the growth of a not-for-profit enterprise. Dans la rue was founded in 1988... -
Uber(US): The Push for Autonomous Vehicles
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Since early 2015, Uber had been investing heavily in research and development for its autonomous vehicles to revolutionize the ride-hailing industry and... -
India Holiday Bureau: Planning for the Tourist Season
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The owner and chief executive officer of the India Holiday Bureau (IHB), was besieged by calls from irate travelers seeking an explanation for the poor... -
Marketing @ Microsoft: The Value of Customer Perception
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Quantifying the efficacy of marketing is an age-old challenge. As John Wanamaker said a century ago, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted;... -
ProntoWash: Washing the World's Cars to a Tango Beat
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details ProntoWash management considers whether franchising and the Balanced Scorecard could be combined to help customer-facing employees provide consistent... -
LinkedIn Corporation, 2012
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Since its inception in 2003, LinkedIn had become a leading Silicon Valley institution with a brand name that was recognizable throughout the U.S. and... -
Amazon.com: Conquering Grocery's Last Mile
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In February 2018, Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon) was tackling what seemed to be the most challenging problem in grocery retailing-how to efficiently and effectively... -
KOSÉ: The New Challenges in China
Management Case Study11.95View Details In May 2023, KOSÉ Corporation (KOSÉ) was facing three ominous factors in the Chinese market: declining sales due to weak consumer spending in China following... -
Pagamigo
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details PagAmigo specializes in transactions for the public from cashiers' windows located near the exit counters of supermarkets located mostly in the greater... -
Applying Data Science and Analytics at P&G
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Set in December 2019, this case explores how P&G has applied data science and analytics to cut costs and improve outcomes across its business units. The... -
Disability and Ageism: Three Cases of Diversity and Employment Discrimination
Management Case Study11.95View Details The case presents three mini-cases on employment discrimination. In the first, "(Un)See the Seen," a project manager faced the dilemma of how to support... -
Critterati: Redefining Pet Culture
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Founded in 2016, Critterati was India's first luxury hotel for pets, located in one of the most prominent residential and commercial areas of Gurgaon,... -
ZOOTS: The Cleaner Cleaner
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details A successful entrepreneur (retailing) starts a new venture in dry cleaning. The case focuses on transferable models, skills, and knowledge from one venture... -
Nnergix: The Path to Sustainable Growth
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In December 2019, the founder and chief executive officer of Nnergix, a struggling Barcelona-based renewable energy analytics provider, came home from...
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Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters
Business communication Magazine ArticleThe leader’s fall from “Who’s Who” to “Who’s that?” is full of stigma and shame. But the story doesn’t have to end there. -
Ethiopian Airlines: Bringing Africa Together
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its African market base to become a leading airline in the continent. As part of the airline's multi-hub strategy,... -
Allegiant Airlines: Finding a New Customer Segment
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Founded in 1997, Allegiant Airlines (Allegiant) was one of the most profitable ultra-low-cost airlines in the United States. Allegiant maintained high... -
Workplace Toxicity Is Not Just a Mental Health Issue
Management Digital ArticleWorkplace toxicity leads to a host of negative mental and physical health outcomes, particularly for women of color. Leaders can better support these... -
In Praise of Uncertainty
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe information technology explosion was set off by visionaries who thrive on uncertainty. Today that innovation-fueling uncertainty is in danger, a victim of its own success and excess. IT producers have historically built platforms that are useless standing alone, inviting others to parlay them into a variety of useful applications. The first PC makers shipped […] -
Fundacion Idel: Building Dignity for Argentinians with Disabilities
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Fundacion Inclusion y Desarrollo Laboral (IDEL) was a not-for-profit organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose mission was to enhance the dignity... -
Westmount Retirement Residence
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The administrator of the Westmount Retirement Residence is concerned about the current cost accounting system. The administrator is not clear on how much... -
Crap Circles
Analytics and data science Magazine ArticleThe most dubious business plan can look solid—even smart—if it’s cast as a virtuous circle. “See, we invest our profits in innovation to create delightful products that customers buy—which generate profits that we invest in innovation!” Who could argue with that? Indeed, the merit of self-reinforcing systems seems so obvious that businesspeople instinctively describe their […] -
The Strategic Power of Saying No
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleThe hardest part of being an entrepreneur can be learning to turn down business. It is also the only way to survive—and grow. -
Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right
Motivating people Magazine Article360-degree feedback is all the rage in companies big and small. But it is frequently bureaucratic, politically charged, and agonizing. The good news is that by understanding four paradoxes inherent to peer appraisal, managers can take some of the pain out of the process—and get better results in.