Managing people

Losing talent is your number one risk.

New tools can help organizations manage stress and performance - but only if they're deployed ethically.

You'll need four key elements.

Uncivil behavior at work damages productivity far more than most managers would imagine.

Many organizations have statements of mission and values. Unfortunately, most of them sound alike. Who could quibble with the importance of "respect"...

“Where on earth is it?” Mark Landstad wondered aloud. He scanned the sea of files in his predecessor’s master folder on the company network one more time. “I know it must be here somewhere!” Walking to the window, Mark gritted his teeth and scratched his face, which felt itchy and hot. He surveyed the crepuscular […]

Recently, I posted a list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Now I’m following up by delving into each one of them. This post is about the eighth belief: “One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a mistake?” I have authored or co-authored […]

We are all familiar with and horrified by the stories that came out of Guyana about the Reverend Jim Jones and the mass suicide that occurred at Jonestown. After the dust had settled, everyone wanted to know how so many people could have believed in one person so completely that they would commit suicide to […]

The defensive brain is not the listening-and-learning brain.

Long-distance collaboration requires a special set of skills and sensitivity.

Start by talking about impact, not financial performance.

Ten tips.

Two facts matter to business: only women have babies and only men make rules.

Even if it’s not perfect, an algorithm may be less biased than a person.

Just one month after Hewlett Packard ousted Mark Hurd for expense report improprieties in his relationship with a female company contractor, the ex-CEO...

To know him as his friend and lecture agent was to listen. I learned of Peter Drucker’s passing four years ago through many e-mails from friends, former colleagues, clients and family. I would have preferred to read the news in the morning paper, as that would have been more in keeping with the man I […]

In one company, managers were able to reduce gendered descriptions of employee traits and behaviors — but not how they valued and rewarded them.

It’s one of the hardest decisions a manager will ever have to make.

To retain high-potential employees, the conventional wisdom is deceptively simple: Identify, develop, and nurture them. By paying special attention to the very best people, they will stay with the firm and eventually emerge as key leaders. But translating this into action is much more difficult. As the former head of executive development at GE used […]

Beneath the general principles, attitudes, and ideals of “human relations” lie the actual tactics and day-to-day techniques by which executives achieve, maintain, and exercise power. In the current enthusiasm for “democratizing” business procedures, these hard, practical devices tend to be overlooked. Yet they exist just the same—and, in many ways, do not depart substantially from […]

This case describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation....

Cameron (Cam) Barker, founder and CEO of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear, manufacturers and distributers of sports apparel and accessories,...

Valve, one of the world's top video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization with virtually no hierarchy. A 400-person...

MacAfee Building Supply, a distributor of building supplies and heating and plumbing products, had grown to become the largest company of its kind in...

The case describes the dilemma of a marketing manager, Thomas Green, who, after being rapidly promoted, is harshly criticized by his boss, Frank Davis....

In September 2015, VW had admitted to United States regulators that it had deliberately installed "defeat devices" in many of its diesel cars, which enabled...

NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki was unsure whether the 2018-19 season would be his last as an NBA player. He had not faced such uncertainty since 1998, when...

With 24,000 staff and over 300 stores, Belk Inc. sought to replace its entirely manual labor scheduling system with an automated software solution from...

US Army Officer Captain Richard Swift was the newly-appointed commander of a 100-person Basic Combat Training unit, whose mission was to train brand new...

Provides a hotel context in which to explore the link between customer loyalty and financial performance, using four years of hotel data. Challenges students...

In 2020, Francisco Staton, president of Arcos Dorados' Caribbean Division, and Héctor Orozco, Managing Director of Arcos Dorados Colombia, were looking...

Describes the evolution of the working relationship of Karen Leary, a new manager of a Merrill Lynch retail branch, and Ted Chung, a new financial consultant...

Leadership development exercise for GMP participants.

Vitality Health Enterprises, a medium-sized firm that manufactures health and personal care products, has experienced six straight quarters of strong...

Discusses typical problems experienced by managers in conducting performance appraisal interviews. The underlying causes of these problems are analyzed...

Build the workforce of the future. In our volatile and complex era--which boasts a competitive market for top talent--HR's traditional model will fail....

Explores the life and concerns of Bob Fifer, HBS class of 1979 and CEO of Kaiser Associates. Explores the many influences on Bob's development and his...

Wolfgang Keller, manager of the Ukrainian subsidiary of a German beer company, faces a managerial dilemma. His subordinate, Dmitri Brodsky, is a talented...

Supplements the (A) case.

Losing talent is your number one risk.

New tools can help organizations manage stress and performance - but only if they're deployed ethically.

This case describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation....

You'll need four key elements.

Uncivil behavior at work damages productivity far more than most managers would imagine.

Cameron (Cam) Barker, founder and CEO of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear, manufacturers and distributers of sports apparel and accessories,...

Many organizations have statements of mission and values. Unfortunately, most of them sound alike. Who could quibble with the importance of "respect"...

“Where on earth is it?” Mark Landstad wondered aloud. He scanned the sea of files in his predecessor’s master folder on the company network one more time. “I know it must be here somewhere!” Walking to the window, Mark gritted his teeth and scratched his face, which felt itchy and hot. He surveyed the crepuscular […]

Recently, I posted a list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Now I’m following up by delving into each one of them. This post is about the eighth belief: “One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a mistake?” I have authored or co-authored […]

We are all familiar with and horrified by the stories that came out of Guyana about the Reverend Jim Jones and the mass suicide that occurred at Jonestown. After the dust had settled, everyone wanted to know how so many people could have believed in one person so completely that they would commit suicide to […]