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• Article | Harvard Business Review | October 14, 2019

  Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration

  Francesca Gino

  When most organizations strive to increase collaboration, they approach it too narrowly: as a value to cultivate—not a skill to teach. So they create open offices, talk up collaboration as a corporate goal, and try to influence employees through other superficial means that don’t yield progress. Companies that excel at collaboration, in contrast, realize it involves instilling the right mindset: widespread respect for colleagues’ contributions, openness to experimenting with others’ ideas, and sensitivity to how one’s actions may affect teammates and outcomes. What’s more, these firms have established programs to help employees develop those attitudes.
  
  I have identified six types of training techniques used by such programs. They teach people to (1) listen, not talk; (2) practice empathy; (3) be comfortable giving and receiving feedback; (4) lead and follow; (5) speak with clarity and avoid abstractions; and (6) have win-win interactions.
  
  Drawing from my observations of Pixar, Webasto, and other companies, I share specific tools and exercises that show employees how to work well together, learn from one another, and connect more fully.

  Keywords: collaboration; listening; empathy; feedback; Organizational Culture; Interpersonal Communication; Training; Programs;

  Citation:

  Gino, Francesca. "Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 6 (November–December 2019): 73–81.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

  Cooking Down a Storm: Changing Culture at Pasta Serafina (A)

  Susanna Gallani, Francesca Gino and Raffaella Sadun

  Plant management at Pasta Serafina, a pasta producer in the south of Italy, is struggling to contain employee absenteeism. While the misbehavior is concentrated in a minority of the workers, its effects impact not only the plant’s performance, but also the climate and work environment. Embedded in institutional and legal environment that allows very little room for corrective action, and already dealing with persistent low margins, management decides to address the issue by asking the employees themselves to find a solution to the problem. The case exposes students to managerial challenges associated with curbing moral hazard and changing the company culture in a setting where standard legal and contractual tools, such as firing workers for performance or using incentives to influence behaviors, are not available.

  Citation:

  Gallani, Susanna, Francesca Gino, and Raffaella Sadun. "Cooking Down a Storm: Changing Culture at Pasta Serafina (A)." Harvard Business School Case 120-013, September 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

  Cooking Down a Storm: Changing Culture at Pasta Serafina (B)

  Susanna Gallani, Francesca Gino and Raffaella Sadun

  The case complements Pasta Serafina (A) by describing the aftermath of a town hall meeting in which management had publicly denounced the absenteeism problem and challenged the employees to find a solution. In spite of the initial mistrust against management, the fear of an imminent plant closure coupled with the relief associated with finally being able to be heard by management, pushes the employees to act to contain the problem themselves. Within a short time, absenteeism hits record lows. Management, however, is left wondering about the sustainability of the new culture.

  Citation:

  Gallani, Susanna, Francesca Gino, and Raffaella Sadun. "Cooking Down a Storm: Changing Culture at Pasta Serafina (B)." Harvard Business School Case 120-014, September 2019.  View Details

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