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Michael W. Toffel

Michael W. Toffel

Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

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Professor Toffel is the Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management, Faculty Chair of the HBS Business and Environment Initiative, and is course head of and teaches the Technology & Operations Management core MBA course. Mike Toffel's research examines companies' management of environmental affairs and occupational safety, identifying which types of management programs and regulations improve environmental and safety performance.

His work ranges from academic articles based on econometric analyses of large datasets to case studies of individual companies. His research on occupational health and safety has been profiled by the head of U.S. OSHA and featured in the national press including US News & World Report, and Scientific American. His research has been published in many top scholarly journals including Science, Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Organization Science, in practitioners journals including Sloan Management Review and California Management Review, and in mainstream outlets including The Atlantic Monthly and Newsweek/DailyBeast.

Prof. Toffel is co-editing two special issues in top tier journals: a Management Science Special Issue on Business and Climate Change and a Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Special (MSOM) Issue on Responsible Research in Operations Managements. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of the Strategic Management Journal and Organization Science. He is also a co-founder andboard member, and serves on the executive committee of, the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), which organizes a leading annual academic conference to foster high-quality research on corporate sustainability and to build collaboration among scholars engaged in these topics. 

His co-authors include Yanhua Zhou Bird, Aaron (Ronnie) Chatterji, Magali Delmas, Anil Doshi, Glen Dowell, Kira Fabrizio, Caroline Flammer, Andrea Hugill, Maria Ibanez, Chonnikarn (Fern) Jira, Matthew Johnson, Andrew King, David Levine, Julian Marshall, Chris Marquis, Melissa Ouellet, Ashley Palmarozzo, Lamar Pierce, Erin Reid, Tim Simcoe, Sara Singer, Jodi Short, Kala Viswanathan, and David Vogel.

He recommends the HBS Business & Environment Initiative, Environmental Leader, Grist, Ethical Corporation, and SustainableBusiness.com to keep up on corporate environmental news.

Toffel has organized several conferences , including on climate change risks and opportunities at HBS (2020), effective government inspection and compliance in Washington DC (2015), corporate sustainability at HBS (2010), the role of information disclosure in corporate transparency and accountability at the National Press Club in Washington DC (2009), business and human rights in operations and supply chains at HBS (2008), and industry self-regulation at HBS (2007) .

Professor Toffel received a Ph.D. from the Haas School of Business' Business and Public Policy department at the University of California at Berkeley, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a Master’s in Environmental Management (Industrial Environmental Management) from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a BA in Government from Lehigh University.  He has worked as the Director of Environment, Health and Safety at the Jebsen & Jessen (South East Asia) Group of Companies, based in Singapore. He has also worked as an environmental management consultant for Arthur Andersen, Arthur D. Little, and Xerox Corporation. He started his career as an operations management analyst at J.P. Morgan.

Prof. Toffel has served on the Advisory Panel of the Newsweek Green Rankings, is a Town Meeting Member for the Town of Brookline, and served for many years on the School Council of the Devotion School/Coolidge Corner Schoo/Florida Ruffin Ridley School, a public K-8 school.

 

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Michael W. Toffel
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Technology and Operations Management
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Featured Work Publications Research Summary Teaching Awards & Honors
Working Conditions in Supply Chains microsite

This microsite is a new resource for managers of global supply chains, including brands who want to source products from suppliers that avoid problematic working conditions, auditors who assess factory working conditions, and NGOs focused on this area. The site highlights key insights of academic research in this area that provide answers to questions such as: What audit approaches are more effective at uncovering problems? How can audit programs be designed to foster improved working conditions? Which types of factories are more likely to improve working conditions?

HBS Climate Rising podcast
A podcast that features business and policy leaders and HBS faculty discussing what businesses are doing, can do, and should do to confront climate change

This podcast features experts sharing business opportunities and innovations to address climate change across a wide array of industries including agriculture, buildings, energy, financial services, and transportation. All episodes, transcripts, and show notes are here. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Google Play.


The New CEO Activists
A playbook for polarized political times

CEOs are increasingly taking a stand on divisive social issues that don't directly affect their companies' bottom lines—a dramatic departure from tradition. This Harvard Business Review article explains why CEOs are speaking up, the tactics they are using, and the risks and potential rewards of doing so. It also provides a playbook to guide CEOs on what to weigh in on, when to lead or follow, and when to act alone or in coordination with others. it also highlights some research that shows that CEO activism can affect brand loyalty and public policy. In a follow-up, our article Divided We Lead: CEO Activism has Entered the Mainstream launched the HBR Big Idea series on Leadership in a Hot Button World. (Winner of the 2019 HBR Warren Bennis Prize as best 2018 HBR article on leadership.)

Managing Climate Change: Lessons from the U.S. Navy

This Harvard Business Review article describes lessons for business from how the U.S. Navy is operating at the front lines of climate change. Climate change will require more of the navy—new patrols of an Arctic free of sea ice, more vigilance against drought-induced state failures, and more humanitarian missions to aid climate refugees—all while shoring up its bases to make them more resilient and less vulnerable to sea level rise and melting permafrost. In this accompanying video, the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus describes the planning and actions the Navy is undertaking to address climate change.


Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research

I think that most business school research should examine and help solve real-world problems that managers are facing--or that they might face in the future. This means that these scholars need to choose relevant research questions, and propose and test hypotheses that connect independent variables within the control of practitioners to outcomes they care about using logic they view as feasible. This presentation and article describe how scholars can enhance research relevance, including: (1) engaging practitioners in on-campus encounters, at managerial conferences, and at crossover workshops; (2) conducting site visits and practitioner interviews; (3) working as a practitioner; and (4) developing a practitioner advisory team. Scholars seeking to influence the practice of management also need to convey their findings and insights to practitioners. How? By presenting at practitioner conferences; writing for practitioners in crossover journals, op-eds, and blogs; and attracting the interest of those who write columns, blogs, and articles about research for practitioners. The article also offers several ideas for academic institutions-- journals, professional societies, and doctoral programs--to encourage more relevant research. This follow-up article describes how several HBS faculty conduct relevant research and communicate results to managers who can put their ideas into action. I helped organize the "Research on Effective Government: Inspection and Compliance Workshop" that brought together scholars and regulators from EPA and state-level environmental agencies to find ways to encourage more relevant research and to better communicate findings to regulators. (Image source)

OSHA Inspections: Protecting Employees or Killing Jobs?

Government agencies responsible for enforcing workplace safety are often at the center of controversy about whether they are effective. This Science article reports surprising findings based on randomized government inspections of single-establishment firms in California, conducted by California's labor protection agency (Cal/OSHA). These inspections led to a 9.4 percent decrease in injury rates and a 26 percent decrease in costs from medical expenses and lost wages—translating to an average of $350,000 per company. We found no evidence of any cost to inspected companies complying with regulations. These findings strongly indicate that OSHA regulations actually save businesses money. Read a related blog entry and summary article.  Coauthored with Matt Johnson and David Levine. (Image source)

When Business Competition Harms Society

This research article (and summary article) show that automobile service stations in more competitive markets are more likely to falsely pass vehicle emissions tests, presumably to retain customers because car owners are less likely to return to stations that fail their emissions test. Vehicles were much more likely to pass the test if they were tested at a facility that was located near a competitor. This research suggests that managers and policymakers should be aware that competition can induce unethical behavior. Coauthors are Victor Bennett, Lamar Pierce, and Jason Snyder.

Professor Toffel is the Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management, Faculty Chair of the HBS Business and Environment Initiative, and is course head of and teaches the Technology & Operations Management core MBA course. Mike Toffel's research examines companies' management of environmental affairs and occupational safety, identifying which types of management programs and regulations improve environmental and safety performance.

His work ranges from academic articles based on econometric analyses of large datasets to case studies of individual companies. His research on occupational health and safety has been profiled by the head of U.S. OSHA and featured in the national press including US News & World Report, and Scientific American. His research has been published in many top scholarly journals including Science, Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Organization Science, in practitioners journals including Sloan Management Review and California Management Review, and in mainstream outlets including The Atlantic Monthly and Newsweek/DailyBeast.

Prof. Toffel is co-editing two special issues in top tier journals: a Management Science Special Issue on Business and Climate Change and a Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Special (MSOM) Issue on Responsible Research in Operations Managements. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of the Strategic Management Journal and Organization Science. He is also a co-founder andboard member, and serves on the executive committee of, the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), which organizes a leading annual academic conference to foster high-quality research on corporate sustainability and to build collaboration among scholars engaged in these topics. 

His co-authors include Yanhua Zhou Bird, Aaron (Ronnie) Chatterji, Magali Delmas, Anil Doshi, Glen Dowell, Kira Fabrizio, Caroline Flammer, Andrea Hugill, Maria Ibanez, Chonnikarn (Fern) Jira, Matthew Johnson, Andrew King, David Levine, Julian Marshall, Chris Marquis, Melissa Ouellet, Ashley Palmarozzo, Lamar Pierce, Erin Reid, Tim Simcoe, Sara Singer, Jodi Short, Kala Viswanathan, and David Vogel.

He recommends the HBS Business & Environment Initiative, Environmental Leader, Grist, Ethical Corporation, and SustainableBusiness.com to keep up on corporate environmental news.

Toffel has organized several conferences , including on climate change risks and opportunities at HBS (2020), effective government inspection and compliance in Washington DC (2015), corporate sustainability at HBS (2010), the role of information disclosure in corporate transparency and accountability at the National Press Club in Washington DC (2009), business and human rights in operations and supply chains at HBS (2008), and industry self-regulation at HBS (2007) .

Professor Toffel received a Ph.D. from the Haas School of Business' Business and Public Policy department at the University of California at Berkeley, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a Master’s in Environmental Management (Industrial Environmental Management) from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a BA in Government from Lehigh University.  He has worked as the Director of Environment, Health and Safety at the Jebsen & Jessen (South East Asia) Group of Companies, based in Singapore. He has also worked as an environmental management consultant for Arthur Andersen, Arthur D. Little, and Xerox Corporation. He started his career as an operations management analyst at J.P. Morgan.

Prof. Toffel has served on the Advisory Panel of the Newsweek Green Rankings, is a Town Meeting Member for the Town of Brookline, and served for many years on the School Council of the Devotion School/Coolidge Corner Schoo/Florida Ruffin Ridley School, a public K-8 school.

 

Featured Work
Working Conditions in Supply Chains microsite

This microsite is a new resource for managers of global supply chains, including brands who want to source products from suppliers that avoid problematic working conditions, auditors who assess factory working conditions, and NGOs focused on this area. The site highlights key insights of academic research in this area that provide answers to questions such as: What audit approaches are more effective at uncovering problems? How can audit programs be designed to foster improved working conditions? Which types of factories are more likely to improve working conditions?

HBS Climate Rising podcast
A podcast that features business and policy leaders and HBS faculty discussing what businesses are doing, can do, and should do to confront climate change

This podcast features experts sharing business opportunities and innovations to address climate change across a wide array of industries including agriculture, buildings, energy, financial services, and transportation. All episodes, transcripts, and show notes are here. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Google Play.


The New CEO Activists
A playbook for polarized political times

CEOs are increasingly taking a stand on divisive social issues that don't directly affect their companies' bottom lines—a dramatic departure from tradition. This Harvard Business Review article explains why CEOs are speaking up, the tactics they are using, and the risks and potential rewards of doing so. It also provides a playbook to guide CEOs on what to weigh in on, when to lead or follow, and when to act alone or in coordination with others. it also highlights some research that shows that CEO activism can affect brand loyalty and public policy. In a follow-up, our article Divided We Lead: CEO Activism has Entered the Mainstream launched the HBR Big Idea series on Leadership in a Hot Button World. (Winner of the 2019 HBR Warren Bennis Prize as best 2018 HBR article on leadership.)

Managing Climate Change: Lessons from the U.S. Navy

This Harvard Business Review article describes lessons for business from how the U.S. Navy is operating at the front lines of climate change. Climate change will require more of the navy—new patrols of an Arctic free of sea ice, more vigilance against drought-induced state failures, and more humanitarian missions to aid climate refugees—all while shoring up its bases to make them more resilient and less vulnerable to sea level rise and melting permafrost. In this accompanying video, the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus describes the planning and actions the Navy is undertaking to address climate change.


Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research

I think that most business school research should examine and help solve real-world problems that managers are facing--or that they might face in the future. This means that these scholars need to choose relevant research questions, and propose and test hypotheses that connect independent variables within the control of practitioners to outcomes they care about using logic they view as feasible. This presentation and article describe how scholars can enhance research relevance, including: (1) engaging practitioners in on-campus encounters, at managerial conferences, and at crossover workshops; (2) conducting site visits and practitioner interviews; (3) working as a practitioner; and (4) developing a practitioner advisory team. Scholars seeking to influence the practice of management also need to convey their findings and insights to practitioners. How? By presenting at practitioner conferences; writing for practitioners in crossover journals, op-eds, and blogs; and attracting the interest of those who write columns, blogs, and articles about research for practitioners. The article also offers several ideas for academic institutions-- journals, professional societies, and doctoral programs--to encourage more relevant research. This follow-up article describes how several HBS faculty conduct relevant research and communicate results to managers who can put their ideas into action. I helped organize the "Research on Effective Government: Inspection and Compliance Workshop" that brought together scholars and regulators from EPA and state-level environmental agencies to find ways to encourage more relevant research and to better communicate findings to regulators. (Image source)

OSHA Inspections: Protecting Employees or Killing Jobs?

Government agencies responsible for enforcing workplace safety are often at the center of controversy about whether they are effective. This Science article reports surprising findings based on randomized government inspections of single-establishment firms in California, conducted by California's labor protection agency (Cal/OSHA). These inspections led to a 9.4 percent decrease in injury rates and a 26 percent decrease in costs from medical expenses and lost wages—translating to an average of $350,000 per company. We found no evidence of any cost to inspected companies complying with regulations. These findings strongly indicate that OSHA regulations actually save businesses money. Read a related blog entry and summary article.  Coauthored with Matt Johnson and David Levine. (Image source)

When Business Competition Harms Society

This research article (and summary article) show that automobile service stations in more competitive markets are more likely to falsely pass vehicle emissions tests, presumably to retain customers because car owners are less likely to return to stations that fail their emissions test. Vehicles were much more likely to pass the test if they were tested at a facility that was located near a competitor. This research suggests that managers and policymakers should be aware that competition can induce unethical behavior. Coauthors are Victor Bennett, Lamar Pierce, and Jason Snyder.

Journal Articles
  • Short, Jodi L., Michael W. Toffel, and Andrea R. Hugill. "Improving Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Institutional Environments and Monitoring Program Design." ILR Review 73, no. 4 (August 2020): 873–912. View Details
  • Ibanez, Maria, and Michael W. Toffel. "How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food Safety Inspections." Management Science 66, no. 6 (June 2020): 2396–2416. (Revised February 2019. Featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Food Safety Magazine, Food Safety News, and KelloggInsight.) View Details
  • Bird, Yanhua, Jodi L. Short, and Michael W. Toffel. "Coupling Labor Codes of Conduct and Supplier Labor Practices: The Role of Internal Structural Conditions." Organization Science 30, no. 4 (July–August 2019): 847–867. (Best Paper Award at ComplianceNet Conference 2019, 2020 Responsible Research in Management Award Finalist.) View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "Assessing the Impact of CEO Activism." Organization & Environment 32, no. 2 (June 2019): 159–185. (Profiled in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Chief Executive magazine, CEO magazine, and by Edelman and Weber Shandwick.) View Details
  • Lyon, Thomas, Magali A. Delmas, John W. Maxwell, Pratima Bansal, Mireille Chiroleu-Assouline, Patricia Crifo, Rodolphe Durand, Jean-Pascal Gond, Andrew King, Michael Lenox, Michael W. Toffel, David Vogel, and Frank Wijen. "CSR Needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics." California Management Review 60, no. 4 (Summer 2018): 5–24. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W. "Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research." Production and Operations Management 25, no. 9 (September 2016): 1493–1505. (Sparked a Working Knowledge article about research relevance.) View Details
  • Short, Jodi L., Michael W. Toffel, and Andrea R. Hugill. "Monitoring Global Supply Chains." Strategic Management Journal 37, no. 9 (September 2016): 1878–1897. (Video abstract (4 minutes). Working Knowledge article for practitioners.) View Details
  • Marquis, Christopher, Michael W. Toffel, and Yanhua Zhou. "Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing." Organization Science 27, no. 2 (March–April 2016): 483–504. (Formerly titled "When Do Firms Greenwash? Corporate Visibility, Civil Society Scrutiny, and Environmental Disclosure.") View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., Jodi L. Short, and Melissa Ouellet. "Codes in Context: How States, Markets, and Civil Society Shape Adherence to Global Labor Standards." Regulation & Governance 9, no. 3 (September 2015): 205–223. View Details
  • Simcoe, Timothy, and Michael W. Toffel. "Government Green Procurement Spillovers: Evidence from Municipal Building Policies in California." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 68, no. 3 (November 2014): 411–434. (Lead article.) View Details
  • Jira, Chonnikarn Fern, and Michael W. Toffel. "Engaging Supply Chains in Climate Change." Special Issue on the Environment. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 15, no. 4 (Fall 2013): 559–577. View Details
  • Pierce, Lamar, and Michael W. Toffel. "The Role of Organizational Scope and Governance in Strengthening Private Monitoring." Organization Science 24, no. 5 (September–October 2013): 1558–1584. (Winner of the NBS Research Impact on Practice Award from the Academy of Management (AOM) and Network for Business Sustainability (NBS)) View Details
  • Doshi, Anil R., Glen W.S. Dowell, and Michael W. Toffel. "How Firms Respond to Mandatory Information Disclosure." Strategic Management Journal 34, no. 10 (October 2013): 1209–1231. (Featured in The Regulatory Review.) View Details
  • Bennett, Victor Manuel, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder, and Michael W. Toffel. "Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices." Management Science 59, no. 8 (August 2013): 1725–1742. (Online Appendix.  Lead article. Nominated for "Best Conference Paper Award" and "SMS Best Conference Paper Prize for Practice Implications" at 2012 Strategic Management Society International Conference.) View Details
  • Levine, David I., Michael W. Toffel, and Matthew S. Johnson. "Randomized Government Safety Inspections Reduce Worker Injuries with No Detectable Job Loss." Science 336, no. 6083 (May 18, 2012): 907–911. (Featured by the head of US OSHA's blog and article, and in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and many other news outlets. Basis of U.S. Congressional testimony on promoting safe workplaces.) View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., and Jodi L. Short. "Coming Clean and Cleaning Up: Does Voluntary Self-Reporting Indicate Effective Self-Policing." Journal of Law & Economics 54, no. 3 (August 2011): 609–649. View Details
  • Levine, David I., and Michael W. Toffel. "Quality Management and Job Quality: How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Affects Employees and Employers." Management Science 56, no. 6 (June 2010): 978–996. (Appendix. Profiled by industry practitioners in Quality Digest, Quality Progress, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB).) View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "How Firms Respond to Being Rated." Strategic Management Journal 31, no. 9 (September 2010): 917–945. (Lead article.) View Details
  • Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "Making Self-Regulation More Than Merely Symbolic: The Critical Role of the Legal Environment." Administrative Science Quarterly 55, no. 3 (September 2010): 361–396. (Lead article; Featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Summer 2011) and in Behind the scenes of the Administrative Science Quarterly.) View Details
  • Reid, Erin Marie, and Michael W. Toffel. "Responding to Public and Private Politics: Corporate Disclosure of Climate Change Strategies." Strategic Management Journal 30, no. 11 (November 2009): 1157–1178. (Featured by the Network for Business Sustainability.) View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., David I. Levine, and Michael W. Toffel. "How Well Do Social Ratings Actually Measure Corporate Social Responsibility?" Journal of Economics & Management Strategy 18, no. 1 (Spring 2009): 125–169. View Details
  • Delmas, Magali, and Michael W. Toffel. "Organizational Responses to Environmental Demands: Opening the Black Box." Strategic Management Journal 29, no. 10 (October 2008): 1027–1055. View Details
  • Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "Coerced Confessions: Self-Policing in the Shadow of the Regulator." Journal of Law, Economics & Organization 24, no. 1 (May 2008): 45–71. View Details
  • Marshall, Julian D., and Michael W. Toffel. "Framing the Elusive Concept of Sustainability: A Sustainability Hierarchy." Environmental Science & Technology 39, no. 3 (2005): 673–682. (Profiled by the Network for Business Sustainability.) View Details
  • Delmas, Magali, and Michael W. Toffel. "Stakeholders and Environmental Management Practices: An Institutional Framework." Business Strategy and the Environment 13, no. 4 (July/August 2004): 209–222. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., and Arpad Horvath. "Environmental Implications of Wireless Technologies: News Delivery and Business Meetings." Environmental Science & Technology 38, no. 11 (May 2004): 2961–2970. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., and Julian D. Marshall. "Improving Environmental Performance Assessment: Comparative Analysis of Weighting Methods used to Evaluate Chemical Release Inventories." Journal of Industrial Ecology 8, nos. 1-2 (January 2004): 143–172. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W. "The Growing Strategic Importance of End-of-Life Product Management." California Management Review 45, no. 3 (Spring 2003): 102–129. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W. "Strategic Management of Product Recovery." California Management Review 46, no. 2 (Winter 2004): 120–141. View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., and Lawrence Birkner. "Estimating and Controlling Workplace Risk: An Approach for Occupational Hygiene and Safety Professionals." Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 17, no. 7 (July 2002): 477–485. View Details
Working Papers
  • Palmarozzo, Ashley, Jodi L. Short, and Michael W. Toffel. "Auditor Independence and Outsourcing: Aligning Incentives to Mitigate Shilling and Shirking." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-078, January 2021. View Details
  • Flammer, Caroline, Michael W. Toffel, and Kala Viswanathan. "Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-049, October 2019. View Details
  • Johnson, Matthew S., David I. Levine, and Michael W. Toffel. "Improving Regulatory Effectiveness Through Better Targeting: Evidence from OSHA." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-019, August 2019. (Revised February 2020.) View Details
  • Kayser, Susan A., John W. Maxwell, and Michael W. Toffel. "Signaling without Certification: The Critical Role of Civil Society Scrutiny." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-009, August 2014. (Revised July 2016.) View Details
  • Adler-Milstein, Julia, Sara J. Singer, and Michael W. Toffel. "Managerial Practices That Promote Voice and Taking Charge among Frontline Workers." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 11-005, July 2010. (Revised Sept. 2011. Best Theory-to-Practice Paper Award by Academy of Management's Health Care Management Division. Selected for Best Paper Proceedings of the 2011 Academy of Management Meeting.) View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W. "Resolving Information Asymmetries in Markets: The Role of Certified Management Programs." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 07-023, December 2008. (October 2006.) View Details
  • Lenox, Michael J., and Michael W. Toffel. "Diffusing Management Practices within the Firm: The Role of Information Provision." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-085, October 2008. (March 2008.) View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W., Antoinette Stein, and Katharine Lee. "Extending Producer Responsibility: An Evaluation Framework for Product Take-Back Policies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-026, July 2008. (September 2008.) View Details
  • Toffel, Michael W. "Contracting for Servicizing." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-063, February 2008. (February 2008.) View Details
Managerial Articles
  • Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "Manage the Suppliers That Could Harm Your Brand: Know When to Avoid, Engage, or Drop Them." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 2 (March–April 2021). View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "What CEOs Still Haven't Said about Race and Policing." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 18, 2020). View Details
  • Ibanez, Maria, and Michael W. Toffel. "To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled." Harvard Business Review (website) (May 16, 2019). View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "The Right and Wrong Way to Do ‘CEO Activism’." Wall Street Journal (February 22, 2019). View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "Divided We Lead: CEO Activism Has Entered the Mainstream." Special Issue on HBR Big Idea: Leadership in a Hot-Button World. Harvard Business Review (website) (March–April 2018). View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "Sidestepping Some of the Partisan Debate: An Interview with Max Stier." Special Issue on HBR Big Idea: Leadership in a Hot-Button World. Harvard Business Review (website) (March–April 2018). View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "The New CEO Activists." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 1 (January–February 2018): 78–89. (Winner of the 2019 HBR Warren Bennis Prize as best 2018 HBR article on leadership. Featured in the HBR Ideacast podcast and an HBR Webinar.) View Details
  • Reinhardt, Forest, and Michael W. Toffel. "Managing Climate Change: Lessons from the U.S. Navy." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 4 (July–August 2017): 102–111. View Details
  • Reinhardt, Forest, and Michael W. Toffel. "How the U.S. Navy Is Responding to Climate Change." HBR IdeaCast (August 18, 2017). (Podcast.) View Details
  • Burbano, Vanessa, Magali Delmas, Marian Chertow, Glen W. S. Dowell, Rodolphe Durand, Andrew J. Hoffman, Guy Holburn, Andrew A. King, Michael Lenox, Lin Lerpold, Thomas Lyon, John W. Maxwell, Eric Orts, N. Craig Smith, John Sterman, Michael W. Toffel, L. Beril Toktay, David Vogel, Judith Walls, Frank Wijen, Jeff York, and Maurizio Zollo. "Trump Has a Great Opportunity to Save Our Environment." The Hill (January 23, 2017). View Details
  • Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "The Integrity of Private Third-party Compliance Monitoring." Administrative & Regulatory Law News 42, no. 1 (Fall 2016): 22–25. View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel. "The Power of C.E.O. Activism: How Politically Outspoken Executives Sway Public (and Consumer) Opinion." Grey Matter. New York Times (April 3, 2016), SR10. View Details
  • Marquis, Christopher, Michael W. Toffel, and Yanhua Zhou. "The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Accountability or Greenwashing?" Work In Progress (American Sociological Association blog) (March 22, 2016). (Reprinted as Environmental disclosure: corporate accountability or greenwashing?” LSE Business Review, June 9, 2016.) View Details
  • Chatterji, Aaron, and Michael W. Toffel. "Starbucks' 'Race Together' Campaign and the Upside of CEO Activism." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 24, 2015). View Details
  • Schendler, Auden, and Michael W. Toffel. "The Climate Needs Aggressive CEO Leadership." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (September 24, 2014). View Details
  • Levine, David I., and Michael W. Toffel. "Safety Managers Should Welcome OSHA Inspections: Results from a Natural Field Experiment in California." The Compas