Decision making and problem solving

Just because this is a time of transformation doesn’t mean that it’s easy to sell transformational ideas. Economic uncertainty has reduced the audience for bold, grand rhetoric. Besides, even in boom times innovation is risky. Innovators often have to ease anxieties by sounding conservative while doing something radical. We all want breakthroughs; it’s just that […]

A fictional bank CEO must make a fast decision in the face of an unthinkable crisis. What would you do in his place? Editors’ Note: This fictional case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, and your comments will be considered for publication in the magazine. We’ll email you if your […]

Over the last couple of weeks in Singapore I’ve wandered the halls of the regional and global headquarters of three pretty big companies with more than $150 billion in combined revenues. I figured the calamitous economic news out of the United States and Europe coupled with riots in England would result in corporate cube dwellers […]

It worked even better than other anti-bias programs.

When a meeting doesn't produce the results you want, the problem may be in your preparation.

Ideology rules the Supreme Court. And that just might be OK.

Research finds optimism and pessimism play an important role.

People aren’t getting dumber, but they’re often treated that way. Politicians, educators, and the media assume the public is uncomfortable with nuance and grateful for prescribed solutions. Business, too, is being progressively dumbed down, not only by book authors who teach management by parable but also by managers themselves. Ironically, the infantilization of work is […]

Not every challenge requires an algorithmic approach.

My older brother Skip is a doctor who started and runs a substance abuse clinic in Rhode Island. His business is booming! But if you are not in the cheap...

Research finds that past relationships can get in the way of current priorities.

(Editor’s note: This post is part of a six-week blog series on how leadership might look in the future. The conversations generated by these posts will help shape the agenda of a symposium on the topic in June 2010, hosted by HBS’s Nitin Nohria, Rakesh Khurana, and Scott Snook.) I’m convinced that — with new […]

Many negotiations collapse over differences of opinion about how the future will unfold. Companies need to realize that it’s often better to bet on uncertain events than to argue about them.

Five strategies to strengthen your sixth sense.

More data isn’t always helpful.

It does a better job of using data and forecasts to make decisions.

Top Googlers offer insight on how to take action from our data deluge.

And how to overcome them, according to a new study.

Companies need to develop strong guiding principles that go beyond generic mission statements and values, the authors argue. Well-articulated principles...

Using weak signals to spur innovation