Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • November 2019
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

The Boss Has the Wrong Idea: Confidential Role Material for Lee Clancy

By: Katherine Coffman, Kathleen McGinn, Judith A. Clair and Katherine Chen
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:2
ShareBar

Abstract

“The Boss Has the Wrong Idea” is a two-person conversation exercise in which an MBA student seeks advice from a mentor in her field about how to handle an incident of workplace sexual harassment. The case consists of two confidential role materials: a role for the student, Julia, which describes her troubling experience with her boss during a summer internship, and a role for the senior mentor, Lee, which mentions that Julia is seeking advice about a complicated situation. Julia’s story presents a richly detailed, first-hand (fictionalized) account of a young woman’s experience in a male-dominated, competitive firm. Her narrative provides a compelling representation of the nuances and challenges associated with experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Because it is written as a conversation exercise, the case provides students, faculty, and administrators with not only the opportunity to think about how to address (and prevent) sexual harassment within their own organizations, but also with the opportunity to engage in the difficult conversations that these issues demand. How can we best offer support and guidance? What are strategies for effective listening, question asking, and advice-giving in emotionally charged and sensitive situations?

Keywords

Sexual Harassment; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Culture

Citation

Coffman, Katherine, Kathleen McGinn, Judith A. Clair, and Katherine Chen. "The Boss Has the Wrong Idea: Confidential Role Material for Lee Clancy." Harvard Business School Case 920-024, November 2019.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Authors

Katherine B. Coffman

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

Kathleen L. McGinn

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

Related Work

    • March 2020
    • Faculty Research

    The Boss Has the Wrong Idea

    By: Katherine B. Coffman, Alison Wood Brooks, Judith A. Clair, Katherine Chen, Manuela Collis and Kathleen L. McGinn
Related Work
  • The Boss Has the Wrong Idea By: Katherine B. Coffman, Alison Wood Brooks, Judith A. Clair, Katherine Chen, Manuela Collis and Kathleen L. McGinn
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College