Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency

Boris  Groysberg; Matthew G. Preble

Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2016

Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency

by Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble

Abstract

This case discusses the evolution of Big Spaceship, an advertising and marketing agency, from a product-focused business to a relationship-oriented one as clients seek deeper and more meaningful long-term partnerships. The 15-year-old company had already evolved multiple times over its history as new technological platforms and services emerged to change the way people communicated and received information, and as the broader advertising industry changed. New and more aggressive competitors were emerging, and the industry was quickly consolidating. Big Spaceship had adjusted its strategy, organizational structure, and human capital accordingly. The company’s founder and CEO, Michael Lebowitz, now wondered what he needed to do to keep his company competitive in the years to come. Had he found the right way to organize his people and structure the organization following the transition from project-based to relationship-based work, or were further changes necessary? How could he keep people engaged as the nature of the work evolved in some instances to become more predictable? What new systems and processes were needed to ensure a steady output of high quality work? Lebowitz was proud that the organization had retained a distinctly different feel from, and approach to work than, traditional advertising agencies, and Lebowitz and his colleagues wanted to maintain these intangible elements as the company evolved. But was this incompatible with his business goals?

Keywords: advertising; digital marketing; social media; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing; Organizational Structure; Organizational Design; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Advertising Industry; United States; New York (city, NY);

Language: English

Format: Print

26 pages

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Citation:

Groysberg, Boris, and Matthew G. Preble. "Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency." Harvard Business School Case 416-003, June 2016.

Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2020 (Revised September 2020)

The Honor Foundation: Accessing Special Operations Talent

Boris Groysberg and John Masko

In 2020, The Honor Foundation (THF), a nonprofit dedicated to helping U.S. military special operators to transition into civilian careers, was facing a series of strategic challenges. THF had been founded in 2013 by former Navy SEAL trainee Joe Musselman, who observed a disturbing pattern: once special operators left the military in their mid-30s or 40s, they tended to end up in jobs in which they were overqualified, underpaid, and unfulfilled. Musselman attributed this to fundamental disconnects between the world of special operations, whose members had unique and deep skill sets but little experience articulating them in the civilian world, and the world of business. THF’s programs gave transitioning special operators space to reflect on what they wanted out of their transition, and hard skills for interviewing, resume writing, and networking. Over seven years, its three month program had grown to serve over 200 transitioners per year on three campuses plus a virtual campus. But in early 2020, THF was not yet serving America’s largest contingent of special operators: the U.S. Army Special Forces. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, THF CEO Matt Stevens was evaluating how best to incorporate Army special operators and fulfill THF’s mission of serving all the U.S. special ops community. Should THF build another physical campus? Should it use its virtual campus to incorporate Army special operators instead? Or should it take on government funding to scale quickly? Students who read this case will evaluate this strategic problem while becoming familiar with the unique skills of the Special Operations Forces community.

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Talent and Talent Management; Curriculum and Courses; Executive Education; Social Entrepreneurship; National Security; Recruitment; Retention; Job Interviews; Job Search; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Mission and Purpose; Retirement; Nonprofit Organizations; War; Education Industry; San Diego; Virginia;

Citation:

Groysberg, Boris, and John Masko. "The Honor Foundation: Accessing Special Operations Talent." Harvard Business School Case 421-006, July 2020. (Revised September 2020.) View Details

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Gerald Chertavian (HBS 1992) finds himself at a personal crossroads. It is 1999--the height of the dot com-bubble--and Chertavian and his business partners have just sold their Internet-based business for $83 million. His share of the sale’s proceeds means that he has met his goal of securing his young family’s financial well-being. Now, at age 35, he debates what to do next with his life. As a young man entering Harvard Business School, he made himself a promise: once he secured his family’s finances, he would found the non-profit organization that he first envisioned while volunteering with disadvantaged youth in New York City. He wanted to create an organization that trained young adults in the skills needed to start building successful careers, and to connect them with employers who could provide real-world job opportunities. Was now the time to launch this organization? Or, should Chertavian take one of the several attractive job offers that had come his way following the high-profile sale of his company, make even more money, and then launch his organization at some later date in the future from an even stronger financial position?

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