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When Being Positive Is Positively Meaningless
Business communication Digital ArticleAs a teacher, I know how vital positive feedback is for keeping students motivated, productive, and satisfied. And I have seen, both in the classroom and in offices where I’ve worked, that particular ways of being positive tend to yield the best results (see my post “The Art of Giving Praise“). But I have to […] -
How Managers Can Be Fair About Flexibility for Parents and Non-Parents Alike
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleDon't judge your staff based on face time. -
3 Ways Managers Start Off On the Wrong Foot
Managing people Digital ArticleDon’t be too businesslike or too quirky. -
Emotional Labor Doesn't Pay
Communication Digital ArticleWhy is it that we pay people handsomely for analyzing financial data, say, but not for the much harder work of smiling in the face of an insult? Every... -
Google’s Secret Formula for Management? Doing the Basics Well
Business management Digital ArticleEmployees learn how to run meetings, have conversations, and set goals. -
Put Employees at the Center of Your Post-Pandemic Digital Strategy
Change management Digital ArticleLosing talent is your number one risk. -
Helping New Managers Succeed
Talent management Digital Articleby Lauren Keller Johnson -
Fear and Stress on the Job
Big IdeaWorkers and managers explain why incivility is a company problem, not an individual one — and how to address it. -
A Question of Character
Leadership Magazine ArticleJoe Ryan turned a small-town cosmetics company into a national powerhouse, making employees happy and shareholders rich in the process. Does it really matter that he cheats on his wife? -
Don’t Assume the Shoe Fits
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleMost businesspeople will serve on the board of a nonprofit organization at some point. But the governance of nonprofits can differ dramatically from the governance of businesses. Even the best intentions can prove disastrous when new board members fail to understand that their traditional business experience can carry them only so far. -
The Toxic Handler: Organizational Hero—and Casualty
Organizational culture Magazine ArticleWhen companies cause emotional pain through nasty bosses, layoffs, and change, a certain breed of “healing” manager steps in to keep the gears moving. They are toxic handlers—unsung corporate heroes who save the day, but often pay a high price. -
Tech Is Transforming People Analytics. Is That a Good Thing?
Performance indicators Digital ArticleNew tools can help organizations manage stress and performance — but only if they’re deployed ethically. -
Giving a High Performer Productive Feedback
Managing people Best PracticeGiving feedback, particularly constructive feedback, is often a stressful task. As counterintuitive as it may seem, giving feedback to a top performer can be even tougher. Top performers may not have obvious development needs and in identifying those needs, you can sometimes feel like you’re being nitpicky or over-demanding. In addition, top performers may not […] -
Research: Why Gender Bias Persists, Even When Organizations Try to Curb It
Organizational Development Digital ArticleIn one company, managers were able to reduce gendered descriptions of employee traits and behaviors - but not how they valued and rewarded them. -
How Corporate Cultures Differ Around the World
Organizational Development Digital ArticleWhat you told us about your workplaces. -
How to Align Employee and Company Interests
Employee retention Digital ArticleI spent time with each of my team members recently to focus on the top priorities for our firm Cue Ball and to make sure we were all on the same page. I asked each person to prepare a list of their top five priorities. In our individual review sessions, I asked them to look […] -
Do You Give Employees a Reason to Feel Proud of What They Do?
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleThere's a connection between pride and performance. -
Is Your Emotional Intelligence Authentic, or Self-Serving?
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleDon't use empathy, listening, or self-awareness to manipulate others. -
High-Pressure Jobs and Mental Illness
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleAn executive with mental illness reflects on the Germanwings crash. -
What to Do When Your Employee Is Totally Checked Out
Communication Digital ArticleSix tips to help you figure out what's going on and what to do about it.
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Massachusetts Financial Services (Abridged)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details This case describes the compensation and performance evaluations at an investment management company. The senior management team of Massachusetts Financial... -
Note on Interviewing
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Discusses issues involved in the job interview process. Teaching Purpose: To assist in career planning. -
Shining a Ray of Hope Through COVID-19
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details This case is set in November 2020. Despite COVID-19, Ray of Hope (ROH), a crowdfunding charity in Singapore had grown crowdfunded donations for their... -
Webster Industries (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The manufacturing manager of Webster's largest division is told to cut his managerial payroll by 15%. Provides company background data and a description... -
MacAfee Building Supply: Improving Performance Across Retail Stores (C)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details MacAfee Building Supply, a distributor of building supplies and heating and plumbing products, had grown to become the largest company of its kind in... -
Playgrounds and Performance: Results Management at KaBOOM! (B)
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Bausch & Lomb, Inc.: Pressure to Perform
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Bausch & Lomb is the subject of press attacks and experiences a sharp fall in stock price when management practices are exposed. Aggressive goal setting,... -
The Proposed Merit Pay Program: Should the Winners Take All?
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Dr. Jeff Foreman, Professor and Chair of the Marketing Department at Carroll State University, had just left a meeting with the Dean of the College and... -
Atera NYC (C): New Leadership in the Cuisine
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Supplement to case IMD818. Atera Restaurant, New York City, February 2015. Jodi Richard closed the door behind her with a ton of questions. She had just... -
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... -
City of Somerville:Using Activity-Based Budgeting to Improve Performance in the Somerville Traffic Unit
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details As first step, Somerville officials developed an inventory of the main programs of each of Somerville's 18 departments and the costs associated with each... -
Richardson Sheffield
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The case traces Bryan Upton's 20-plus years as managing director of a Sheffield-based cutlery company and describes the strategic and organizational actions... -
HBR Guide to Coaching Employees
21.95View Details As a manager in today's business world, you can't just tell your direct reports what to do: You need to help them make their own decisions, enable them... -
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in Motion
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Evan Siddall, newly appointed CEO of Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, a governmental organization focused on the residential housing market, is charged... -
Interior JV: Teething Problems of a Manufacturing Operation in China
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In 2006, European automotive supplier Interior Group and China-based China Textile established Interior JV, a joint venture in China to produce seat covers... -
National Semiconductor's India Design Center
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The senior managers of the India Design Center used 360-degree feedback to develop their team competencies. Now, three new managers are about to join... -
Developmental Network Questionnaire
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The Developmental Network Questionnaire is an instrument designed to reveal information about the sources of developmental assistance in an individual's... -
Managerial Effectiveness and Diversity: Individual Choices
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Provides an introduction to the key concepts and questions individuals encounter in a diverse workplace. These concepts and questions are organized around... -
Orientation to Viewing Kim Malone
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details Provides an orientation and background information for viewing the HBS Kim Malone video. -
Premier Furniture Co.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details A credit analyst for a furniture manufacturer is confronted with two customers who have exceeded their credit limits. The financial performance of each...
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When Being Positive Is Positively Meaningless
Business communication Digital ArticleAs a teacher, I know how vital positive feedback is for keeping students motivated, productive, and satisfied. And I have seen, both in the classroom and in offices where I’ve worked, that particular ways of being positive tend to yield the best results (see my post “The Art of Giving Praise“). But I have to […] -
How Managers Can Be Fair About Flexibility for Parents and Non-Parents Alike
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleDon't judge your staff based on face time. -
3 Ways Managers Start Off On the Wrong Foot
Managing people Digital ArticleDon’t be too businesslike or too quirky. -
Emotional Labor Doesn't Pay
Communication Digital ArticleWhy is it that we pay people handsomely for analyzing financial data, say, but not for the much harder work of smiling in the face of an insult? Every... -
Google’s Secret Formula for Management? Doing the Basics Well
Business management Digital ArticleEmployees learn how to run meetings, have conversations, and set goals. -
Put Employees at the Center of Your Post-Pandemic Digital Strategy
Change management Digital ArticleLosing talent is your number one risk. -
Helping New Managers Succeed
Talent management Digital Articleby Lauren Keller Johnson -
Fear and Stress on the Job
Big IdeaWorkers and managers explain why incivility is a company problem, not an individual one — and how to address it. -
A Question of Character
Leadership Magazine ArticleJoe Ryan turned a small-town cosmetics company into a national powerhouse, making employees happy and shareholders rich in the process. Does it really matter that he cheats on his wife? -
Don’t Assume the Shoe Fits
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleMost businesspeople will serve on the board of a nonprofit organization at some point. But the governance of nonprofits can differ dramatically from the governance of businesses. Even the best intentions can prove disastrous when new board members fail to understand that their traditional business experience can carry them only so far.