More from these Authors

• Chapter | The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management | 2018

  Irreversibility

  Pankaj Ghemawat and Eric J. Van den Steen

  Citation:

  Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Eric J. Van den Steen. "Irreversibility." In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Continuously updated edition, edited by Mie Augier and David J. Teece. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. Electronic.  View Details

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• Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

  Birds of a Feather ... Enforce Social Norms? Interactions Among Culture, Norms, and Strategy

  Hongyi Li and Eric J. Van den Steen

  This paper analyzes how shared beliefs and preferences (or values) cause the emergence of social norms; why people may enforce norms that go against their own beliefs and preferences/values; and how this may cause a disconnect to develop between the organization's norms and its underlying beliefs and preferences. We further show, among other things, that such social norms are more likely in attractive organizations, for behaviors that have modest personal consequences, and in organizations where employees depend on others' choices to a moderate degree. We finally discuss how these mechanisms help our understanding of culture change and of the interaction between culture and strategy. We argue that culture is not only an input to strategy, but also a substitute and a potential competitor.

  Keywords: culture; norms; Values and Beliefs; Organizational Culture; Strategy;

  Citation:

  Li, Hongyi, and Eric J. Van den Steen. "Birds of a Feather ... Enforce Social Norms? Interactions Among Culture, Norms, and Strategy." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-045, October 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 1992 (Revised September 2019)

  Richardson Sheffield

  Christopher A. Bartlett and Ashish Nanda

  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 he took to raise sales and earnings at more than 25% annually, even as the local industry was in steep decline.
  After outlining how the U.K. cutlery industry has evolved, the case describes the major changes introduced by Upton and his mentor Jerry Hahn in Richardson Sheffield to upgrade production technology, innovate the product line, and instill customer orientation. The case focuses on the impact of Upton’s controversial approach to human resource management in general and to management selection and development in particular on the organizational climate at the firm.
  The case closes by identifying some major changes that threaten Richardson Sheffield. In 1986, Hahn’s ownership position is sold to an Australian industrial company with a different operating style and different strategic objectives for Richardson Sheffield. Top management is also undergoing a transition, with Upton gradually moving aside and outsiders being introduced. Finally, the approaching 1992 EC market harmonization presents new competitive challenges and market opportunities.

  Keywords: human resource management; Human Resource Practices; general management; Human Resources; Management; Leadership; Strategy; United Kingdom;

  Citation:

  Bartlett, Christopher A., and Ashish Nanda. "Richardson Sheffield." Harvard Business School Case 392-089, May 1992. (Revised September 2019.)  View Details

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