Organizational Behavior
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- Harvard Business Review
Culture is not the culprit
When Organizations Are in Crisis, It's Usually Because the Business is Broken.
By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague- Harvard Business Review
Culture is not the culprit
When Organizations Are in Crisis, It's Usually Because the Business is Broken.
By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague -
We blame women for not taking the lead in the workplace. Here's why that's wrong.
By: Robin ElyWomen and men alike make a lot of assumptions about women. Yet when it comes to women and work, some of the most ubiquitous beliefs are the most mistaken.
We blame women for not taking the lead in the workplace. Here's why that's wrong.
By: Robin ElyWomen and men alike make a lot of assumptions about women. Yet when it comes to women and work, some of the most ubiquitous beliefs are the most mistaken.
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2015 Thinkers50 Innovation Award
By: Linda A. HillProfessor Linda Hill won the 2015 Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award for Innovation. She was also ranked #6 overall on the Thinkers50 ranking.
2015 Thinkers50 Innovation Award
By: Linda A. HillProfessor Linda Hill won the 2015 Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award for Innovation. She was also ranked #6 overall on the Thinkers50 ranking.
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- HBS Working Knowledge
CEOs and Coaches
How Important is Organizational 'Fit'?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit NaikHow big a factor is matching the right coach with the right team?
- HBS Working Knowledge
CEOs and Coaches
How Important is Organizational 'Fit'?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit NaikHow big a factor is matching the right coach with the right team?
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- HBS Working Knowledge
Is it Worth a Pay Cut to Work for a Great Manager (Like Bill Belichick)?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik- HBS Working Knowledge
Is it Worth a Pay Cut to Work for a Great Manager (Like Bill Belichick)?
By: Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik -
- HBS Working Paper Series
Does 'What We Do' Make Us 'Who We Are'?
Organizational Design and Identity Change at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
By: Ranjay Gulati, Ryan Raffaelli, and Jan Rivkin- HBS Working Paper Series
Does 'What We Do' Make Us 'Who We Are'?
Organizational Design and Identity Change at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
By: Ranjay Gulati, Ryan Raffaelli, and Jan Rivkin
About the Unit
Through its research, teaching, and course development, the Organizational Behavior Unit creates and disseminates knowledge that advances the understanding of how to lead and manage with the aim of increasing personal and organizational effectiveness. Although specific research interests span a wide range of subjects, the faculty share a problem driven, interdisciplinary, multi method approach that has led to significant impact on theory and practice.
Our current intellectual agenda builds on the rich history of OB at HBS and focuses squarely on the organizational changes and challenges arising from today's increasingly global and more competitive economy. In the last decade, the faculty have been recognized for their work on leadership in an increasingly diverse and dynamic environment, the evolution of managerial careers in our society, managing diversity, and organizational design and change to meet evolving needs and expectations in a changing world.
Recent Publications
Cinépolis
By: Joshua D. Margolis and Fernanda Miguel
- January 2021 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Two weeks after Cinepolis released a documentary film about corruption, a judge ordered its provisional suspension, claiming it had to be edited before it continued to be shown, against Mexican cinematography laws. Cinépolis, Latin America’s largest movie theater chain and the fourth largest in the world, welcoming 134 million moviegoers in 2011, had never distributed a film in its 40-plus years of existence, nor had there ever been an instance of pro-bono distribution in Mexico. Presumed Guilty, the country's highest grossing documentary, not only achieved commercial success but also fueled a revolution in Mexico’s judicial system. Alejandro (as he was called by everyone who worked with him) knew he faced a difficult decision. What risks would Cinépolis run if he chose to fight for freedom of speech? How far was he willing to take such a fight?
Keywords: Leadership; Movies; Entertainment; Mexico; Latin America; Corruption; Decision Making; Risk Assessment; Communication Strategy; Crime And Corruption; Decision Making; Film Entertainment; Ethics; Leadership; Risk Management; Entertainment And Recreation Industry; Mexico; Latin America; North And Central America
Tech with a Side of Pizza: How Dominos Rose to the Top
By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott and Susan Seligson
- January 2021 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
After hitting an all-time low in 2008, Domino’s Pizza underwent a vigorous rebranding, product development, and embraced innovative technologies to become the world’s leading international fast-food retailer. Domino’s considered itself as much a tech company as it was a purveyor of fast food, with digital orders accounting for a high percentage of sales. Domino’s was run more like a Silicon Valley company than a fast food chain and was described by CEO Patrick Doyle as “a technology company that delivers pizza.” As it bested rivals like Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, Domino’s declared itself “The Official Food of Everything.” In 2020, as much of the world remained in lockdown Domino’s, which offered delivery options from drones to driverless vehicles, saw a jump in sales. How did Domino’s become the world’s leading restaurant?
Keywords: Digital Marketing; Digital Technology; Innovation; Scaling; Data Analytics; Technological Innovation; Technology; Strategy; Management; Marketing; Operations; Human Resources; Entrepreneurship; Change Management; Analysis; Performance; Customers; Growth And Development; Competitive Advantage; Employees; Training; Leadership Development; Food And Beverage Industry; Technology Industry; United States
Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO
By: Tsedal Neeley
- January 2021 |
- Teaching Note |
- Faculty Research
Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 420-071 and 420-073.
Rosalind Fox at John Deere
By: Anthony Mayo and Olivia Hull
- January 2021 |
- Teaching Note |
- Faculty Research
Compensation Packages That Actually Drive Performance
By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah Abbott, Michael R. Marino and Metin Aksoy
- January–February 2021 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review
By aligning executives’ financial incentives with company strategy, a firm can inspire its management to deliver superior results. But it can be hard to get pay packages right. In this article four experts break down the key elements of compensation and explain how to put them together effectively. When designing packages, boards must make decisions about the proportion of fixed versus variable pay, short-term versus long-term incentives, cash versus equity, and group versus individual rewards. Many look at the copious data available on executive pay and benchmark their plans against those of their industry peers. The mix is also driven by company size, region, culture, and risk appetite. A good plan always begins with a firm’s strategic goals, however. Is the company striving for profitable growth, a turnaround, or a transformation? Is it trying to compete with public companies as a private entity? Each scenario calls for a different plan design. The COVID-related economic crisis may also alter plans. If targets become unachievable, incentives will lose their power and need to be revised—offering firms a chance to incorporate measures that serve stakeholders’ interests better.
People Analytics at Teach For America (B) (Data Set)
By: Jeff Polzer
- December 2020 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Michael Ku and Global Clinical Supply at Pfizer Inc.: Bringing Hope to Patients (B)
By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards
- December 2020 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
In 2011, Michael Ku became Pfizer’s Vice President of Global Clinical Supply (GCS) after the company had undergone three large-scale mergers and acquisitions. As Ku and his new leadership team set out to build a proactive, end-to-end, digital and physical clinical supply chain, they put in place a “Patients First” culture, developed their digital capabilities, and built out their global footprint. By 2019, GCS had made significant progress toward becoming the agile, innovative organization necessary to support Pfizer’s new ambition to focus exclusively on developing innovative medicines and vaccines. Ku and his leadership team felt the time had come to implement a new cross-functional decision-making hub. They also decided to pilot a 24-hour, 5 day a week workforce model with a team of clinical pharmacists in Manila. Just as they were beginning to onboard their first hires, COVID-19 struck. GCS found itself on the front lines having to supply Pfizer’s vaccine candidate and investigational antiviral studies, while also ensuring continuity of clinical supply to hundreds of other trials across the globe. By July 2020, the five-person Manila team—all of which had been on-boarded virtually—had come to play a critical role in GCS’s productivity. With Phase 3 of the vaccine candidate trial looming, Ku and his leadership team had decided to double the size of the Manila team by the end of 2020. The question was, who would lead the team?
How Global Leaders Gain Power Through Downward Deference and Reduction of Social Distance
By: Tsedal Neeley and Sebastian Reiche
- November 25, 2020 |
- Article |
- Academy of Management Journal
We theorize about how people with positional power enact downward deference—a practice of lowering oneself to be equal to that of lower power workers—based on a study of 115 top global leaders at a large U.S. company. These leaders were charged with advancing organizational goals in foreign markets. We find that some leaders enacted downward deference when they recognized that they had less expertise, networks, and influence relative to their local subordinates. This manifested in two ways: 1) attempts to reduce social distance, which involved seeking connection, earning trust, and participating in adjacent collaboration with local subordinates; and, 2) yielding to subordinates’ expertise by privileging their judgement, transferring influence to them, and conforming to their local hierarchical expectations. Our supplementary quantitative analyses showed that previous experiences in foreign cultures, both in terms of total time spent abroad and exposure to cultures that were distant from their own, correlated with adopting downward deference. Those leaders also had higher job performance ratings, and were promoted to higher executive levels over time compared to their counterparts who did not practice downward deference. Our study expands our understanding of positional power, social distance, and the conditions under which actors practice downward deference.
Harvard Business Publishing
Seminars & Conferences
There are no upcoming events.