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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013

  Bridgewater Associates

  Jeffrey T. Polzer and Heidi K. Gardner

  Bridgewater Associates was the world's largest hedge fund with approximately $120 billion in assets under management in mid-2012, and its leaders attribute its record-beating performance to the firm's culture of "radical transparency." The founder, Ray Dalio, was instrumental in developing this unique culture, but at the time of the case he was transitioning out of the firm's leadership and attempting to institutionalize the culture. For example, Dalio codified his personal and management principles in a 123-page document that was not only mandatory reading for all employees, but also formed the basis for nightly "homework" assignments that quizzed people on their understanding of the principles. The case offers the opportunity to explore the unusual practices that underpin Bridgewater's culture (e.g., videotaping meetings, publicizing every employee's performance review, interrupting investment meetings to provide personal feedback to individuals in front of dozens of colleagues). Class discussion prompts students to critically examine whether, how and to what extent the practices foster high performance and to debate their associated tradeoffs.

  Citation:

  Polzer, Jeffrey T., and Heidi K. Gardner. "Bridgewater Associates." Harvard Business School Video Case 413-702, May 2013.

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• Teaching Plan | HBS Case Collection | 2013

  Bridgewater Associates (TP)

  Jeffrey Polzer and Heidi K. Gardner

  Citation:

  Polzer, Jeffrey, and Heidi K. Gardner. "Bridgewater Associates (TP)." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 413-115, May 2013.

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• Chapter | Looking Back, Moving Forward | 2012

  When Identities, Interests, and Information Collide: How Subgroups Create Hidden Profiles in Teams

  Jeff Polzer and Lisa Kwan

  Purpose—We review how team members’ identities and interests affect team functioning, paying special attention to subgroup dynamics triggered by fault lines and coalitions. This review sets the stage for describing novel pathways through which identities and interests, when considered together, can affect team processes and outcomes. Design/approach—We use an extended example of a hypothetical team's decision-making process to illustrate how team members’ identities and interests intertwine to affect the distribution and flow of information, subgroup dynamics, and team decisions. Findings—We develop three specific ideas to demonstrate the utility of this integrative approach. First, we show how the formation of identity-based subgroups can shape information sharing to create a hidden profile where there was none initially. Second, we describe how individual defection can weaken subgroup competition and, paradoxically, increase the chance that a team will optimize its collective welfare. Third, we analyze how shared identities can shape team members' side conversations in ways that create shared interests and information among those with similar identities, even before the team begins its formal meetings. Originality/value—By identifying new routes through which identities and interests can affect team functioning, we provide a foundation for scholars in this domain to theoretically develop and empirically test these and related ideas. More generally, we encourage scholars to study the interplay among identities, interests, and information in their own research to paint a more complete picture of how individuals, subgroups, and teams perform.

  Citation:

  Polzer, Jeff, and Lisa Kwan. "When Identities, Interests, and Information Collide: How Subgroups Create Hidden Profiles in Teams." In Looking Back, Moving Forward. v.15, Research on managing groups and teams edited by Margaret Neale, and Elizabeth Mannix, 359–381. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing, 2012.

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