Sesame Workshop: Bringing Big Bird Back to Health (Abridged)

Rosabeth Moss Kanter; Ryan  Raffaelli; Ai-Ling Jamila Malone; Jonathan  Cohen

Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | April 2017

Sesame Workshop: Bringing Big Bird Back to Health (Abridged)

by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ryan Raffaelli, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone and Jonathan Cohen

Abstract

Sesame Workshop was in the middle of a turnaround in 2016. CEO Jeff Dunn had reorganized and shifted the iconic institution to respond to digital disruption and a consensus culture. This Teaching Note helps instructors teach the abridged and full-length versions of “Sesame Workshop: Bringing Big Bird Back to Health.” The cases examine Dunn's efforts to turn Sesame around. Teaching Note for HBS No. 317-094.

Keywords: turnaround; NGO; non-profit; transformation; organization alignment; identity; managing change; philanthropy; media; television; reorganization; Talent; innovation; risk aversion; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Restructuring; Identity; Transformation; Education Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry;

Language: English

Format: Print

23 pages

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Citation:

Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, Ryan Raffaelli, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone, and Jonathan Cohen. "Sesame Workshop: Bringing Big Bird Back to Health (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 317-118, April 2017.

During the covid-19 pandemic, Dr. David Ansell, Darlene Hightower, and Ayesho Jaco, leaders of West Side United, a coalition of Chicago hospitals, community residents, banks, and small businesses conceived in 2016, reviewed progress toward WSU’s goal of ending systemic racism, particularly racial disparities in health, longevity, and economic prosperity. WSU was also the focal point for Chicago’s Racial Equity Rapid Response team in the coronavirus crisis. The key leaders pondered next steps including renewing commitments from hospital partners and making it a stand-alone non-profit organization.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. David Ansell, Darlene Hightower, and Ayesho Jaco, leaders of West Side United, a coalition of Chicago hospitals, community residents, banks, and small businesses conceived in 2016, reviewed progress toward WSU’s goal of ending systemic racism, particularly racial disparities in health, longevity, and economic prosperity. WSU was also the focal point for Chicago’s Racial Equity Rapid Response team in the coronavirus crisis. The key leaders pondered next steps including renewing commitments from hospital partners and making it a stand-alone non-profit organization.

Mary Guerrero was a first-generation Latina and an investment banking analyst at a top tier bank on Wall Street—Bulge Bracket Bank (BBB). She was passionate about increasing representation of Latinx talent at her firm. She was already doing a lot of individual work to make this happen (e.g. reviewing candidate resumes at 2am after she had finished her assigned work). She wanted to scale her efforts and debated whether she should build a broader coalition to move the needle on Latinx talent representation despite having a demanding full-time workload.

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Sesame Workshop: Bringing Big Bird Back to Health (Abridged)

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