HBR professor Tsedal Neeley has focused for years on a pair of essential business imperatives: how to go global, and how to become truly digital. More recently she has established herself as an expert in the nitty gritty aspects of the new workplace – how to hire and retain talent, how to collaborate in a hybrid world, how to think about the new role of the office. In this episode of “The New World of Work” Neeley says she believes the office will never be what it once was and that we should think of it more as a “tool” in how we do business. And she urges companies to move now to adapt to the new imperatives of leadership and technological innovation. As she puts it, “Either you adapt, or you die.”
Tsedal Neeley
Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research
Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research
Tsedal Neeley (@tsedal) is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Research Strategy, and Faculty Chair of the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning at the Harvard Business School. Recognized as one of the Forbes Future of Work 50, and one of the 100 people transforming business who are innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges by Business Insider, her work focuses on how leaders can scale their organizations by developing and implementing global and digital strategies. She regularly advises top leaders who are embarking on virtual work and large scale-change that involves global expansion, digital transformation, and becoming more agile.
She is the co-author of the book, The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms and AI, which introduces the "30% rule"--the minimum threshold that gives us just enough digital literacy to understand and take advantage of the digital threads woven into the fabric of our world. Her best-selling book, Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere (2021, Harper Collins Business), provides remote workers and leaders with the best practices necessary to perform at the highest levels in their organizations. Her award-winning book, The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations chronicles the behind-the-scenes globalization process of a company over the course of five years. She has also published extensively in leading scholarly and practitioner-oriented outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Management Science, Journal of International Business, Strategic Management Journal and Harvard Business Review, and her work has been widely covered in media outlets such as BBC, CNN, Financial Times, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and the Economist. Her HBS case, Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, is one of the most used cases worldwide on the subject of virtual work.
Tsedal has popular online courses including Remote Work Revolution for Everyone and Leading in a Remote Environment (with Ronald Heifetz). She co-chairs the executive offering, Leading Global Businesses, which helps top leaders develop emerging and mature market strategies in a global and increasingly digital economy. She also teaches extensively in executive programs such as the Harvard Business Analytics Program. She has previously been the course head for the first-year required Leadership and Organizational Behavior course in the MBA program that focuses on how to lead effectively; the curriculum addresses group behavior and performance, organization design, change and how to align people behind a common vision.
Prior to her academic career, Tsedal spent ten years working for companies like Lucent Technologies and The Forum Corporation in various roles, including strategies for global customer experience, 360-degree performance software management systems, sales force/sales management development, and business flow analysis for telecommunication infrastructures. A sought-after speaker with extensive international experience, she is fluent in four languages. She holds a patent for her software simulation on global collaboration and is a member of Rakuten People & Culture Lab Advisory Board.
Tsedal is a recipient of the prestigious Charles M. Williams Award for Outstanding Teaching in Executive Education and the Greenhill Award for outstanding contributions to Harvard Business School (two-time recipient). She serves on the Board of Directors of Brightcove, Brown Capital Management, Harvard Business Publishing and the Partnership Inc.
Tsedal received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Management Science and Engineering, specializing in Work, Technology and Organizations. Tsedal was named as one of the Top Management Thinkers in the World by Thinkers50, honored as a Stanford Distinguished Alumnus Scholar and was a Stanford University School of Engineering Lieberman award recipient for excellence in teaching and research.
- Featured Work
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Dr. Timnit Gebru was the co-lead of Google’s Ethical AI research team – until she raised concerns about bias in the company’s large language models and was forced out in 2020.
Her departure sent shockwaves through the AI and tech community and raised fundamental questions about how companies safeguard against bias in their own AI. Should in-house ethics research continue to be led by researchers who best understand the technology, or must ethics and bias be monitored by more objective researchers who aren’t employed by companies?
Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley discusses how companies can approach the problem of AI bias in her case, “Timnit Gebru: ‘SILENCED No More’ on AI Bias and The Harms of Large Language Models.”
We at the Next Big Idea Club are in the business of finding new, groundbreaking nonfiction books. Our curators—Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink—usually work with our Editorial Team to identify the titles that we think everyone should read.
But of course, each of our curators still has books that they, individually, are most excited about. So today, we wanted to share the 12 summer picks from Wharton psychologist Adam Grant. Enjoy!
We hope our readers are able to enjoy plenty of downtime this summer, as leisure and rest are an important part of preventing burnout and allowing ourselves time to develop new ideas.
We’ve rounded up recommendations for eight books that have held our attention recently, in the hopes that your summer reading list can help you feel less stressed and more successful as a leader in the months ahead.
Insider’s most prestigious list profiles 100 business leaders across 10 distinct sectors who are innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges.
Transformers nominated in these categories are the disrupters and thought leaders that are driving unprecedented change, both for their organizations and communities, and across the global business world.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I answered HBR subscribers’ most pressing questions about the sudden shift to remote work. Recently, I called on readers again to send me their questions about transitioning to hybrid work. I’ve answered the most frequently asked ones here. They cover everything from inclusive hybrid planning to onboarding; measuring performance to fostering connection and trust; and using digital tools effectively while also fortifying cybersecurity and transforming physical spaces. It’s an essential guide for any leader managing this transition.
No. 1: treating their employees like children. They’ve grown accustomed to independence. Get used to it.There’s little doubt that how we work changed dramatically during the sudden, unexpected and extensive experiment in remote work brought on by the pandemic. Many employees, working at home, became more efficient, productive and happier; others struggled and desperately missed office life.
Now, as returning to the office becomes more feasible, the temptation for many managers is to consider the past year and a half as an aberration—a period that’s best left behind and forgotten. Or they will take some of the emergency pandemic practices and consider them a permanent fixture of the workplace.
Bosses do both of those at their peril. If managers ignore some of the lessons remote work has taught us, empty offices may remain the norm—but this time it will be because resentful employees have moved on to other companies that better serve their new needs.
Whether dealing with employees who are working in the office, remotely or on a hybrid schedule, here are some of the key mistakes that managers should avoid with returning employees.
Tsedal Neeley, professor at Harvard Business School, has been studying remote work and global teams for years. In episode 732 early in the pandemic, she shared how managers could lead their teams while many team members worked from home. Now, as more people return to more in-person work, she’s back on the show to help managers lead their teams effectively in a hybrid workplace, a mix of working from home and the office. Neeley is the author of the book Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere, and the HBR article “15 Questions About Remote Work Answered.”
Tsedal shares 5 key insights from her new book, Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere (available now from Amazon). Download the Next Big Idea Appto listen to the audio version—read by Tsedal herself—and enjoy Ideas of the Day, ad-free podcast episodes, and more.As organizations consider what a return to the office looks like, some employees say they would be willing to forgo traditional perks like health care and pay for access to office space.In this edition of Author Talks, McKinsey’s Eleni Kostopoulos chats with Tsedal Neeley, the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, about her book Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere (Harper Business, 2021). The award-winning scholar and expert on virtual and global work offers teams and managers a road map for navigating the enduring challenges of a virtual workforce.In this episode, host Gautam Mukunda is joined by President Biden's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and award-winning author, Tsedal Neeley to discuss how humans will thrive in the post-pandemic, new world of work. New digital tools can allow us to combat loneliness as the world transitions to a predominately remote workplace. But can technology create an experience where people feel a deeper source of connection with one another? Can it mimic the face-to-face environments of the past? One thing we do know: The only way we will be able to overcome this pandemic is if we do it together. But in a time of such intense isolation, how do we reclaim togetherness to solve the problems that plague us?VIDEO: Ken Frazier, one of only four Black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, speaks with Professor Tsedal Neeley about the search for a coronavirus vaccine, how racism at the workplace holds back America’s progress, and his own upbringing just one generation from slavery.Tsedal Neeley, Harvard Business School professor, award-winning author, and global management and leadership expert, recently caught up with us to share her insights and advice as the workforce continues to go through rapid transformation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. From digital transformation, team relaunch, to leading in times of radical change, she gives a picture of the future of work and essential advice for employees and leaders alike.Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School, says that there are simple ways leaders can help their employees stay productive, focused, and psychologically healthy as they work from home during the current global global pandemic. The right technology tools and clear and constant communication are more important than ever. She recommends that managers do an official remote-work launch, carefully plan and facilitate virtual meetings, and pay extra attention to workers’ behavior. For individual contributors, it’s critical to maintain a routine but also embrace flexibility, especially if you’re in the house with family.Are you suddenly working from home? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School. They talk through how to be productive at home whether you’re alone or distracted by children, how to care for your newly remote team and make sure they still get work done, or how to adapt when your job requires going outside and seeing people face-to-face.The coronavirus pandemic is expected to fundamentally change the way many organizations operate for the foreseeable future. As governments and businesses around the world tell those with symptoms to self-quarantine and everyone else to practice social distancing, remote work is our new reality. How do corporate leaders, managers, and individual workers make this sudden shift? Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School, has spent two decades helping companies learn how to manage dispersed teams. In this edited Q&A, drawn from a recent HBR subscriber video call in which listeners were able to ask questions, she offers guidance on how to work productively at home, manage virtual meetings, and lead teams through this time of crisis.Welcome to the new world of remote work, where employees struggle to learn the rules, managers are unsure how to help them, and organizations get a glimpse into the future.If you’re concerned about quickly transitioning to the virtual classroom, you are not alone. Educators and students around the globe are settling in—at home—to finish out the school year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. For many, the digital classroom is a completely new environment. But there’s good news: studies show that learning online is just as effective as learning in the physical classroom, as long as you prepare yourself—and your students—to succeed.You want to work abroad. But how do you start? Host Dylan Thuras explores how working abroad can be personally and professionally advantageous with guest experts including Tsedal Neeley. They’ll tackle everything from résumé boosting to the cognitive benefits of adapting to a new culture. - Books
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- Leonardi, Paul, and Tsedal Neeley. The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2022. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere. New York: Harper Business, 2021. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2017. View Details
- Journal Articles
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- Neeley, Tsedal, and Paul Leonardi. "Developing a Digital Mindset: How to Lead Your Organization into the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI." S22032. Harvard Business Review 100, no. 3 (May–June 2022): 50–55. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Sebastian Reiche. "How Global Leaders Gain Power Through Downward Deference and Reduction of Social Distance." Academy of Management Journal 65, no. 1 (February 2022): 11–34. View Details
- Reiche, Sebastian, and Tsedal Neeley. "Head, Heart or Hands: How Do Employees Respond to a Radical Global Language Change Over Time?" Organization Science 30, no. 6 (November–December 2019): 1252–1269. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Paul Leonardi. "Enacting Knowledge Strategy Through Social Media: Passable Trust and the Paradox of Non-work Interactions." Special Issue on Strategy Processes and Practices: Dialogues and Intersections. Strategic Management Journal 39, no. 3 (March 2018): 922–946. View Details
- Reiche, B. S., T. B. Neeley, and N. Overmeyer. "Affective, Cognitive and Behavioral Trajectories of Change Recipients in Global Organizations." Academy of Management Proceedings (2017). (Proceedings of the 77th Annual Meeting (2017), edited by Guclu Atinc. Online ISSN: 2151-6561.) View Details
- Leonardi, Paul, and Tsedal Neeley. "What Managers Need to Know About Social Tools: Avoid the Common Pitfalls So That Your Organization Can Collaborate, Learn, and Innovate." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 6 (November–December 2017): 118–126. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Tracy Dumas. "Unearned Status Gain: Evidence from a Global Language Mandate." Academy of Management Journal 59, no. 1 (February 2016): 14–43. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Global Teams That Work." Harvard Business Review 93, no. 10 (October 2015): 74–81. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "The Language of Global Management." In Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, Volume 6: International Management. 3rd ed. Edited by Markus Vodosek and Deanne den Hartog. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Robert Steven Kaplan. "What's Your Language Strategy? It Should Bind Your Company's Global Talent Management and Vision." R1409D. Harvard Business Review 92, no. 9 (September 2014): 70–76. View Details
- Hinds, Pamela J., Tsedal Neeley, and Catherine Durnell Cramton. "Language as a Lightning Rod: Power Contests, Emotion Regulation, and Subgroup Dynamics in Global Teams." Journal of International Business Studies 45, no. 5 (June–July 2014): 536–561. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Language Matters: Status Loss & Achieved Status Distinctions in Global Organizations." Organization Science 24, no. 2 (March–April 2013): 476–497. View Details
- Mortensen, Mark, and Tsedal Neeley. "Reflected Knowledge and Trust in Global Collaboration." Management Science 58, no. 12 (December 2012): 2207–2224. (equal authorship.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, Pamela J. Hinds, and Catherine D. Cramton. "The (Un)Hidden Turmoil of Language in Global Collaboration." Organizational Dynamics 41, no. 3 (July–September 2012): 236–244. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Global Business Speaks English: Why You Need a Language Strategy Now." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 5 (May 2012): 116–124. View Details
- Leonardi, Paul, Tsedal Neeley, and Elizabeth M. Gerber. "How Managers Use Multiple Media: Discrepant Events, Power, and Timing in Redundant Communication." Organization Science 23, no. 1 (January–February 2012): 98–117. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Paul Leonardi. "Effective Managers Say the Same Thing Twice (or More)." Harvard Business Review 89, no. 5 (May 2011): 38–39. View Details
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- Neeley, Tsedal, and Stefani Ruper. "Timnit Gebru: 'SILENCED No More' on AI Bias and The Harms of Large Language Models." Harvard Business School Case 422-085, May 2022. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Digital Transformation 2.0: CEO Elie Girard at Atos." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 422-006, July 2021. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "From Globalization to Dual Digital Transformation: CEO Thierry Breton Leading Atos Into 'Digital Shockwaves'." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 421-096, May 2021. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and James Barnett. "Digital Transformation 2.0: CEO Elie Girard at Atos." Harvard Business School Case 421-024, January 2021. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. Action Plans. Harvard Business School Tutorial 421-714, February 2021. (https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/421714-HTM-ENG?Ntt=tsedal%20neeley%20action%20aplans.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. What is AI? Harvard Business School Tutorial 421-713, February 2021. (https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/421713-HTM-ENG?Ntt=tsedal%20neeley%20what%20is%20ai.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 421-058, January 2021. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. What are Agile Teams? Harvard Business School Tutorial 421-712, February 2021. (https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/421712-HTM-ENG?Ntt=tsedal%20neeley%20what%20are%20agile%20teams.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Six Simple Steps to Action Planning." Harvard Business School Background Note 421-033, August 2020. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Briana Richardson. "Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 420-073, June 2020. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and John Masko. "Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO (A)." Harvard Business School Case 420-071, June 2020. (Revised September 2020.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, Paul Leonardi, and Michael Norris. "Eric Hawkins Leading Agile Teams @ Digitally-Born AppFolio (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 419-088, June 2019. (Revised February 2020.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, Paul Leonardi, and Michael Norris. "Eric Hawkins Leading Agile Teams @ Digitally-Born AppFolio (A)." Harvard Business School Case 419-066, June 2019. (Revised February 2020.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Julia Kelley. "The Global-Local Tension: Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao Leading with 'International Values and Local Roots' (A) and (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 419-063, June 2019. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and JT Keller. "From Globalization to Dual Digital Transformation: CEO Thierry Breton Leading Atos Into 'Digital Shockwaves' (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 419-046, April 2019. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, JT Keller, and James Barnett. "From Globalization to Dual Digital Transformation: CEO Thierry Breton Leading Atos Into 'Digital Shockwaves' (A)." Harvard Business School Case 419-027, April 2019. (Revised June 2019.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Organizational Behavior Reading: Leading Global Teams." Core Curriculum Readings Series. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Publishing 8358, 2018. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "The Global-Local Tension: Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao Leading with 'International Values and Local Roots' (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 419-032, December 2018. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "The Global-Local Tension: Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao Leading with 'International Values and Local Roots' (A)." Harvard Business School Case 419-031, December 2018. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Nathan Overmeyer. "Global Leadership in a Dynamic and Evolving Region: Molinas @ The Coca-Cola Company (A, B, C, D)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 417-084, April 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Esel Çekin. "Global Leadership in a Dynamic and Evolving Region: Molinas @ The Coca-Cola Company (D)." Harvard Business School Supplement 417-071, April 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Esel Çekin. "Global Leadership in a Dynamic and Evolving Region: Molinas @ The Coca-Cola Company (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 417-070, April 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Esel Çekin. "Global Leadership in a Dynamic and Evolving Region: Molinas @ The Coca-Cola Company (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 417-069, April 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Esel Çekin. "Global Leadership in a Dynamic and Evolving Region: Molinas @ The Coca-Cola Company (A)." Harvard Business School Case 417-068, April 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Leading Global Teams." Harvard Business School Module Note 417-073, February 2017. (https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/417073-PDF-ENG?Ntt=tsedal%20neeley.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Global Collaboration Simulation: Tip of the Iceberg." Simulation and Teaching Note. Harvard Business Publishing, 2017. Electronic. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Global Collaboration Simulation: Tip of the Iceberg." Harvard Business Publishing Teaching Note 7102, 2017. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Tom Ryder. "Lighting the Fire: Crafting and Delivering Broadly Inspiring Messages." Harvard Business School Technical Note 416-046, March 2016. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Leading Global Teams: Managing SPLIT to Bridge Social Distance." Harvard Business School Technical Note 416-011, August 2015. (Revised May 2016.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "(Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 416-012, August 2015. (Revised June 2016.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "(Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek." Harvard Business School Case 414-059, December 2013. (Revised November 2015.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten: Results Are In! (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 413-090, March 2013. (Revised April 2013.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Hiroshi Mikitani Reflects and Provides Early Updates on Englishnization (November, 2011)." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 413-703, September 2012. View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A) & (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 410-014, July 2009. (Revised June 2016.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten (A) & (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 412-083, November 2011. (Revised June 2016.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten (A)." Harvard Business School Case 412-002, August 2011. (Revised April 2013.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal, and Thomas J. DeLong. "Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 409-003, July 2008. (Revised July 2020.) View Details
- Neeley, Tsedal. "Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 410-020, November 2009. View Details
- Awards & Honors
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Included in the 2022 Thinkers50 list—a list of the world's most influential management thinkers.Selected by Business Insider as one of the 100 people transforming business in 2021.Winner of the 2021 Emerald Literati Outstanding Author Award.Received the 2020–2021 Robert F. Greenhill Award for Outstanding Services to the HBS Community.Received the 2018-2019 Robert F. Greenhill Award for Outstanding Service to the HBS Community.Winner of the 2018 Axiom Business Book Award Bronze Medal in the International Business/Globalization category for The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations (Princeton University Press, 2017).Included in the 2018 Thinkers50 On the Radar list—a list of "emerging thinkers with the potential to make lasting contributions to management theory and practice."Received the 2015 Charles M. Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching.Honored as a 2013 Stanford Distinguished Alumni Scholar.Awarded the 2012 Marvin Bower Fellowship by Harvard Business School to support research by outstanding scholars.Received the 2006–2007 Stanford University Lieberman Fellowship award at the School of Engineering for excellence in teaching and research.Selected for the 2022 Forbes Future of Work 50 list.
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