Using patent data from 1976 to 2010 as indicators of inventive activity, we determine the concentration level of where inventive ideas originate and then examine how and why those concentrations change over time. The analysis finds pervasive deconcentration in every...

Robert Whelan and the Student Loan Crisis (A) 2009 AL Fellow Bob Whelan developed an idea with partners that was a seed before his fellowship year and seemed to address a significant national challenge - college financing - with a creative concept and experience from...

After successful careers as lawyers Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek set out to tackle a large-scale infrastructure challenge in a complex environment by increasing Liberian citizens’ access to lighting solutions. They developed the Liberian Energy Network, which aimed...

The case describes the 25-year transformation of Peabody Essex Museum, which was created in 1993 by the merger of two sub-scale predecessor cultural institutions, operating since 1799, in Salem, Massachusetts. Dan Monroe, its founding CEO, began a process of building...

At the beginning of her second year with Boston Ballet, Executive Director Meredith "Max" Hodges got some bad news—a developer had purchased one of Boston Ballet's school locations and was planning to terminate Boston Ballet's lease. Hodges had already overseen a...

Despite efforts to crack down on illegal activity, crimes like fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering are rampant in corporations. What steps can leaders take to fix this growing problem?

Elite Chinese law firm Fangda Partners has steered Alibaba and other Chinese and international clients through the complex legal, corporate, and regulatory challenges associated with executing international transactions. “Fangda has traveled a long distance in a short...

On May 9, 2018, in an extraordinary upset, Mahathir Mohamad again became Malaysia’s Prime Minister. Najib Razak, who had headed the government since 2009, had been swept up in the 1MDB scandal—perhaps the biggest state-corruption incident in history. Although...

Eric Hawkins, director of engineering at AppFolio—a digital technology firm that offered cloud-based business software to small and medium sized companies—was shocked by an unusual request from his senior leadership team. Could Hawkins and one of his agile teams build...

In chapter 23, the concluding chapter of Race, Work, and Leadership, “Intersections of Race, Work, and Leadership,” Roberts and Mayo provide insights for understanding and enhancing the black experience. In addition, the editors summarize a series of recommendations...

In chapter 3, “Pathways to Leadership,” Anthony J. Mayo and Laura Morgan Roberts present a portrait of the backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of black alumni of the HBS MBA program. With this study, HBS has allowed itself to be exposed in a way that other...