Great American Business Leaders of the 20th CenturyGreat American Business Leaders of the 20th Century   

Identifying and chronicling the lives of 20th century men and women whose business leadership shaped the ways that people live, work, and interact. And understanding how contextual influences deeply affected the opportunities available for businesses throughout the last century. 

Leadership Initiative 

Leaders have always faced the job of inspiring others while making important decisions with incomplete information. Today's leaders are confronted with challenges and opportunities that have never been more dynamic or complex. We help leaders effectively understand and manage these forces.

Faculty & Research 

Productive Tensions: How Every Leader Can Tackle Innovation's Toughest Trade-Offs

By: Chris Bingham and Rory McDonald
  • 2022
  • | 
  • Book
Why is leading innovation in nascent business environments so distressingly hit-or-miss? More than 90% of high-potential ventures don’t reach their projected targets. Surveys show that 80% of...

Decision Leadership: Empowering Others to Make Better Choices

By: Don A. Moore and Max H. Bazerman
  • 2022
  • | 
  • Book
When we think of leaders, we often imagine lone, inspirational figures lauded for their behaviors, attributes, and personal decisions, and leadership books often reinforce that view. However, this...

Call of Fiduciary Duty: Microsoft Acquires Activision

By: Joseph Pacelli, Jonas Heese and James Barnett
  • JULY 2022
  • | 
  • Case
In January 2022, Microsoft announces its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard, in a deal valued at $68.7 billion, which would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company. The deal came as Activision Blizzard faced gender pay disparity and sexual harassment...

Operation Overlord

By: Boris Groysberg, Greg Goullet, Katherine Connolly Baden and Sarah L. Abbott
  • JULY 2022
  • | 
  • Case
On June 6, 1944, nearly 5,000 ships, 11,000 planes, and 160,000 infantrymen under an Allied joint-command of American, British, and Canadian leaders were sent across the English Channel, with hopes of re-establishing a foothold in Nazi-occupied France. Known as D-Day, June 6 marked a definitive...

Strategic Innovation at the United Nations: A Network of Ecosystems

By: Frank Nagle, Elizabeth J. Altman and Amy Klopfenstein
  • JUNE 2022
  • | 
  • Case
In 2021, Gina Lucarelli, leader of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Accelerator Labs, prepared for a meeting with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. The two planned to discuss the future of the Accelerator Labs, a network of social innovation labs located in countries throughout the...

Honeywell: Transforming a Century Old Industrial

By: William W. George, Michael Norris and John Masko
  • MAY 2022
  • | 
  • Case
In late 2021, Darius Adamczyk, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell is considering the changes he has made to the company since he took over the top leadership position in 2017. The company he had inherited from his predecessor, David Cote, was seen by most as a high-performing, successful operation....
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How to Manage for Collective Creativity

Linda Hill
14 Sep 2014

Executive Education 

We offer programs that strengthen the leadership capacity of individuals and their organizations.

MBA Experience 

Students exercise the leadership skills they will practice in business and beyond, and leave with lessons in leadership that are practical, priceless, and most importantly, real.

In the News 

Two Must-Haves If You’re Looking for a New CEO

Re: Nitin Nohria, Raffaella Sadun, Joseph Fuller & Tony Mayo
  • 01 Aug 2022
  • | 
  • Bloomberg

Does Elon Musk Have a Strategy?

By: Andy Wu
  • 15 Jul 2022
  • | 
  • Harvard Business Review

Wall Street CEOs Who Want Workers Back in the Office Are Driven By Culture, Not Data

Re: Prithwiraj Choudhury
  • 15 Jul 2022
  • | 
  • Observer

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Strategic Management

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Develops distinctive strategies to achieve competitive advantage
Translates broad strategies into specific objectives and action plans
Defines strategic issues clearly despite ambiguity
Aligns the organization to support strategic priorities
Initiatives focus on societal challenges that are too complex for any one discipline or industry to solve alone.